As the summer sun warms up the British countryside, there’s no better time to pack a picnic and enjoy the great outdoors.
Whether you’re heading to a local park, scenic beach or your own back garden, a well-prepared picnic can turn any outing into a delightful adventure.
One of the key elements to a successful picnic is the food, and we’ve got a selection of irresistible recipes that are perfect for al fresco dining.
Start with bakewell tart traybake, a deliciously sweet and nutty treat that’s easy to slice and share. For a more grown-up dessert, try the gin and tonic drizzle loaf, which combines the refreshing flavours of citrus and gin in a moist, delightful cake.
Savoury options are a must for any picnic, and our olive and rosemary focaccia brings a touch of Mediterranean flair to your spread. Finally, for a fun and portable option, pizza scrolls are perfect for both kids and adults alike, offering a taste of Italy in every bite.
These recipes, courtesy of the Easy Peasy Baking campaign by UK Flour Millers, are designed to be simple and stress-free, ensuring that your picnic preparation is as enjoyable as the picnic itself. So grab your basket, blanket, and these delicious homemade treats, and head out to enjoy the beautiful British summer.
Bakewell tart traybake
Makes: a 20 x 30 cm traybake, or 15 bars
Ingredients:
150g plain flour
150g caster sugar, split into 50g and 100g
200g unsalted butter, softened, split into 2 x 100g
150g ground almonds
1 egg
200g raspberry jam
Handful of flaked almonds
Icing sugar to dust
Equipment:
Large mixing bowl
Spoon
Traybake tin, 9in x 13in, lined with baking paper
Sieve/muslin (for dusting)
Knife
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 165C (fan).
2. Put all of the plain flour and 50g of caster sugar in the mixing bowl before rubbing in 100g of unsalted butter with your fingertips. When the mixture resembles crumbs, pour it into the lined traybake tin, spread it evenly and press it down so the crumbs loosely join together. Bake the base for 15 minutes.
3. While the base is baking, combine the remaining 100g of butter, 100g caster sugar, ground almonds and the egg in the mixing bowl with a spoon to make the frangipane topping.
4. When the base has had its 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and add the jam, spreading it with the back of the spoon to make an even layer over the top, followed by all of the frangipane mix (this will be a thicker layer) and a sprinkling of flaked almonds before returning to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
5. When the traybake is golden on top, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the tin. Dust the whole thing with icing sugar, slice into bars and top with more flaked almonds. Enjoy!
Gin and tonic drizzle loaf
Makes: 1 x 2lb loaf
Ingredients:
1 grapefruit/orange or 2 x lemons/limes
175g self-raising flour
175g caster sugar, plus 75g for soaking syrup
175g unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
120ml fin split into 50ml and 70ml
75ml tonic water
150g icing sugar
Equipment:
Knife
Fine grater/zester
Large mixing bowl
Electric hand whisk
Fork
2lb Loaf tin lined with baking paper/loaf tin liner
Saucepan
Spoon
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 165C (fan).
2. Take whichever citrus you are using and cut half into slices for decorating (½ grapefruit/orange or 1 whole lemon/lime). Zest and juice the other half using the fine grater/zester to zest and the fork to get the juice from the fruit.
3. In the large mixing bowl, combine the self-raising flour, citrus zest and 175g of caster sugar. Add the butter, eggs, 50ml of gin, 2 tbsp of citrus juice and mix with the electric hand whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and bake for 35 minutes until golden and springy to touch. Remove from the oven but leave in the tin.
5. While the loaf is cooling slightly, pour the remaining citrus juice, tonic and 75g sugar into the saucepan and heat on a medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved. Allow to cool slightly before stirring in the remaining gin (70ml). Set aside 3 tbsp of the syrup for the glaze.
6. Poke the loaf all over with the fork and drizzle with the syrup from the saucepan. You can do this while the loaf is still warm.
7. When the loaf is completely cool, remove from the tin. Wipe clean your mixing bowl and then use it to combine the 3 tbsp of reserved syrup with the icing sugar to make a glaze and pour over the top of your loaf, slightly pushing it down the sides with the end of a spoon to create a drip effect. Decorate with citrus slices and serve.
Olive and rosemary focaccia
Makes: 1 x 20x30cm baking tin
Prep time: 15 mins + 1 hour proving time | Cooking time: 40 mins
Ingredients:
1 packet dried yeast (7g)
1 tsp sugar
400ml warm water
550g strong bread flour
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried or fresh rosemary (chopped)
Flaky salt
120g pitted olives
Equipment:
Large mixing bowl
Fork
20cm x 30cm baking tin
Measuring jug
Method:
1. In the jug, measure out the warm water, add the sugar and dried yeast, stir, and set to one side.
2. In the large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre, pour in the liquid and bring together with the fork to form a loose dough, making sure there are no pockets of dry flour left.
3. Wipe out the jug and mix the olive oil and rosemary together. Pour half into the baking tin and use your fingers to completely grease the base and sides. Scrape the dough into the greased tin.
4. Push the dough out to the corners of the tin with your fingertips to create an even layer. Cover with a damp tea towel or cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for at least an hour.
5. Once proved, heat the oven to 180C (fan), pour the remaining oil over the top of the dough and poke holes all over with your fingertips, then push the olives into the cavities.
6. Bake for 35-40 mins, until golden on top. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, run a knife around the edge to loosen if necessary, lift the focaccia out, slice and serve.
Pizza scrolls
Makes: 12 scrolls
Ingredients:
220ml warm water
1 packet (7g) fast action yeast
400g strong bread flour, plus a little extra for flouring your surfaces
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Jar of tomato pizza sauce
Grated mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil leaves
Equipment:
Measuring jug
Large mixing bowl
Rolling pin
Spoon
Knife
20 x 30cm baking tin – lined with parchment
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan).
2. Add the yeast to the 220ml warm water in the measuring jug. Set to one side while you combine the bread flour, sugar and salt in the large mixing bowl.
3. Add the yeast/water to the dry ingredients and bring together with your hands to form a dough. Tip out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes before returning to the bowl and leaving in a warm place to prove for at least 30 minutes.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back by pushing the air out of the dough with your fist and tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, keeping the thickness around 5mm.
5. Use the spoon to spread the pizza sauce evenly all over the dough before sprinkling with the cheese and ¾ of the basil, roughly torn. Roll It all up into a long sausage shape and cut into 12 portions.
6. Place the scrolls swirl side up in the baking tin, leaving a bit of space for expansion in between each one and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before topping with the remaining fresh basil leaves and serving.
Recipes from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers, making baking simple. You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes and information on the campaign over on the Fab Flour website: fabflour.co.uk/easy-peasy-baking/
