Well planned picnics

Despite the vagaries of our weather, picnics are a much-loved British institution. From the vast and elaborate picnics of Victorian days, with servants in attendance, to the packet of sandwiches and bottle of squash in the park, there is an age-old appeal about eating in the open.

Queen Victoria loved picnics and has left vivid descriptions of family picnics at Balmoral, her "dear paradise" in the Highlands. Her gourmet son, Edward VII, organized monster picnics for his shooting parties; and it was an Englishman, Lord Sandwich, who invented that most versatile of all packed meals — anything you fancy between two slices of bread!

A picnic is not a barbecue — you take your food with you. Be it French bread with pate and cheese, sandwiches with a variety of fillings, or something more elaborate, the idea is to bring it ready to eat. At most, take a small camping stove on which to make tea or coffee.

Choosing a site
You don't have to travel miles to find a good picnic site, but try and find a spot with a good view —half the charm of eating out of doors is to look at something lovely at the same time. The side of a lake, the banks of a river, a clearing in a wood, the crest of a rolling meadow — anywhere where you are far from the road so that children and dogs are not at risk. One of the more depressing sights of an English summer is the number of people picnicking in lay-bys or in car parks, when a short walk away there are lovely spots screened by trees and hedgerows with a view of cows and horses instead of a procession of motor cars.

If you can, ask permission before you picnic in a field and always be very careful of crops. If you have children with you make sure they will have plenty of room to run around and play games after lunch, trees to climb, or a river to swim in. If you have dogs avoid fields with animals, or keep the dogs under control; sheep-worrying is not popular with farmers.

Always take your litter away with you and leave the site as you found it — litter is an eyesore, and tins and bottles can be a hazard to animals or other picnickers.

Choose a spot sheltered from the wind or you will spend half the time chasing paper napkins; avoid damp or soggy ground and watch out for ant heaps or you'll be sharing your meal with the local inhabitants. If you are a large party it's a good idea to decide on a spot before you set out and for one of you to check it out before the day. There is a danger with a group of people that you may waste hours trying to decide on where to stop.

What to take
Ninety percent of the success of a picnic is in the planning. There's not much you can do if you're miles from home on a Sunday and you've forgotten the cork-screw or the tin-opener, or left the butter in the fridge.

So the night before get everything out and pack as much as possible. Here is a check-list as a guide. Plates and cutlery — disposable paper plates are best, but if you don't mind washing up later, take plastic plates and beakers. Don't take china and glass which are both heavy and breakable. The best picnic food is the sort you can eat with your fingers; if you have anything more elaborate take plastic knives and forks. Pack more than you need — they may break, get dirty or get lost. Take a couple of sharp knives if there is meat to cut, and a wooden board to cut it on.

Serviettes — take paper ones and remember you can never have enough. With young children it's sensible to pack two or three damp flannels in a plastic bag, for cleaning hands and faces. Rugs and blankets — have more than one, so that there is room to spread out the picnic and for people to sit on. Adults may like cushions to sit on, and if you have elderly people light folding camping chairs are a boon.

Vacuum flasks and insulated bags — wide-mouthed flasks are good for carrying hot soup, or alternatively small ice cubes for a sophisticated picnic. If you don't want to boil up kettles then take enough flasks to bring ready-made tea or coffee. An insulated bag with ice packs is the ideal way to carry milk, butter, and anything perishable. Don't forget to put the ice packs in the freezer the night before. Baskets and bags — fitted picnic baskets are good but expensive to buy, so unless you are a dedicated picnicker, make do with plastic bags which are light and accommodating for things like plates and cutlery, bread, and fruit. Strong baskets are best for carrying drinks and flasks or food wrapped in foil.

Drinks — what you take depends on what you like! One 2-litre bottle of wine may be heavy but is easier to carry than two smaller ones. Cans of beer are light, don't need an opener and can double as glasses. For the children cans of cola have the same advantages. Bottles of squash are always popular — always have plenty for the children to drink. As they run around and get hot they will clamour for something cool. Milk shakes are a great favorite with children. You can make these at home and bring them in thermos flasks; you'll find suggestions for different flavorings in the section of recipes. Don't forget — corkscrew, bottle opener, tin opener, salt and pepper, mustard (preferably in a tube), a box of matches and a penknife or a pair of scissors. Take some insect-repellent spray and something to ease wasp stings, and — with children in mind — sticking plaster for cuts and grazes. If you are spending the whole day pack some games, a ball, a pack of cards, a skipping rope, a paint box and coloring book. What to wear — comfort-able non-slip shoes; trousers are best for comfort, but in very hot weather loose cotton skirts are cooler. Take a swim-suit and towels if you're going by the water, sun-glasses to ward off the glare and, in our climate, plenty of cardigans whatever the weather looks like in the morning.

The food
Sandwiches are still the easiest picnic fare, but there is a world of difference between a slab of processed cheese stuck between two thick slices of cotton-wool-like white bread, and well-seasoned savory fillings, made up from a variety of ingredients, sandwiched between nutty fresh brown bread. So start with good bread — crisp French bread cut into chunks is delicious, wholemeal or granary sliced fairly thinly, (not too thin or it will break), wholemeal rolls are good and save slicing. Butter both slices generously, it adds to the flavor and keeps the filling moist; allow the butter to get soft enough to spread easily before you use it.

Here are some suggestions for fillings
Mash hard-boiled eggs with a little mayonnaise; add chopped chives and very thinly-sliced cucumber.

Make scrambled eggs, allow to cool and spoon on buttered bread, add a few thin slices of tomato and top with the other slice of bread. Mash sardines with softened butter, spread on bread, add a couple of thin onion rings and a sprinkling of parsley.

To make expensive ham go further mince it and mix with cottage cheese and a tablespoon of cream; season with pepper, spread between bread with a sprig of watercress.

Spread cold pork with mild pickle or mustard and sandwich between lettuce leaves and brown bread.

Mix thinly-sliced cooked frankfurters with coleslaw salad. Sandwich fillets of smoked mackerel with a little horseradish between thin slices of rye bread.

From the Mediterranean comes this delicious way of filling a long French loaf. Apart from the loaf you will need 4 tomatoes, 1 large onion, 2 green peppers, several stoned black olives, several stoned green olives, a few capers. Peel the tomatoes and take the core and seeds out of the pepper, chop all the vegetables and the olives fairly small. Cut the loaf in half lengthways and remove all the inside with a sharp knife, mix this with the chopped vegetables and add enough olive oil to make a mixture that holds together. Season with black pepper and salt. Fill both halves of the loaf with the mixture, press together, cover with foil and keep in the refrigerator overnight. To serve, cut into slices about 6mm (¼in) thick.

Hot dogs are easy picnic food — all you need is a kettle and a picnic stove. Boil enough water to cover the hot dogs and keep them in the water for about 20 minutes. Drain and serve in long rolls with mustard. This is particularly popular with the children.

If you prefer more substantial food on your picnics there are any number of things which can be cooked in advance and which travel well and are easy to eat. Home-made pate, cold meat loaf, quiches with a variety of fillings, pizza, cold meat pies, home-cooked tongue are all more imaginative than the usual cold chicken.

A small joint of cold roast pork is very good with home-made potato salad; and for really sophisticated picnics cold roast duck is delicious. Serve it with a salad of lettuce and orange segments. Cheese and fruit is the best way to round off a picnic, but a nice moist fruit cake is easy to eat, and always popular with both young and old. Apples and bananas are the best travelers, or peaches, apricots and plums in season.

Here are a few recipes for good picnic dishes:

Liver pate
225g (8oz) pig's liver
225g (8oz) chicken livers
115g (4oz) bacon
1 small onion
90g (3oz) butter
2 tbsp cream salt and pepper

Chop the bacon into thin strips and fry until the fat is running; add a third of the butter, and when it's melted fry the chopped livers and onion for about 5 minutes. Put through a mincer or blend in the liquidizer. Add cream, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Put into a terrine or buttered loaf tin, cover with buttered paper or foil and cook for about half an hour at Gas Mark 4, 350° F on the middle shelf of the oven, standing the terrine in a roasting tin half filled with water. When pate is cooked, melt remaining butter and pour on top. Leave to cool. Take it on the picnic in the terrine, covered with foil. If you have far to travel carry it in an insulated bag. Enough for six.

Home-cooked tongue
You may have to order the tongue from your butcher a few days in advance. One ox tongue, weighing about 1.1 kg (2½lb) should serve six people. Remove any excess fat from the tongue and soak overnight in cold water. Then cover with fresh cold water, bring to the boil, drain off the liquid and cover again with cold water. Simmer for about 1¾ hours. Leave the tongue to cool in the liquid. When nearly cold, lift it out and remove the gristle, skin and any small bones. Press the tongue into a round cake tin 12cm (about 5in) in diameter and add just enough of the liquid to cover Put a plate over the tin and cover with a weight. Leave to become absolutely cold (preferably overnight) before turning out. Wrap in foil to take to the picnic.

Mushroom tart
For the pastry:
170g (6oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
115g (4oz) butter
a little water to mix
For the filling:
225g (8oz) mushrooms
45g (1½oz) butter
0.2 l (7fl oz) cream
2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk
60g (2oz) grated cheese
(Parmesan is best)
Salt and pepper
A little cayenne

Make the pastry by mixing flour and salt and working in the chopped butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix to a paste with water, roll out roughly and fill a flan ring 20cm (8in) in diameter. Fry the chopped mushrooms very lightly in the butter, drain well. Beat the cream and eggs together, stir in the mushrooms and I grated cheese. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne and pour into the pastry case. Sprinkle on a little more cheese and bake in a moderate oven, Gas Mark 5, 375° F for about 40 minutes until set and slightly brown. Allow to cool and leave in tin. To take with you wrap completely in foil. Enough for six.

Egg and bacon tart
Make the pastry as described above the line a 20cm (8in) tin.
For the filling:
225g (8oz) smoked streaky bacon
3 large egg yolks and 1 whole egg
Pepper
0.31 (½ pt) double cream

Cut the bacon into narrow strips and cook for a minute in a hot frying pan until the fat begins to run. Arrange the bacon in the bottom of the pastry case. Beat the eggs and cream and season with pepper. Pour over bacon and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at Gas Mark 5, 375° F, until puffed up and firm. Leave to cool before wrapping carefully in foil, complete with tin.

Pizza
If you can get hold of fresh yeast, making your own pizza is quite easy and it is infinitely superior to the bought varieties.
For the dough:
225g (8oz) plain flour
1 tsp salt
20g (¾oz) fresh yeast
1 tsp sugar
5 tbsp warm milk
45g (1½oz) melted butter
1 egg
For the topping:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions
2 small cloves garlic
1 medium-sized can tomatoes
½ tsp dried oregano
180g (6oz) cheese anchovy fillets and black olives to decorate salt and pepper

Sift flour and salt into a warmed basin, cream the yeast and sugar together with a little of the warm milk. When it looks spongy pour it into a well in the flour with the rest of the milk, the melted butter and the well-beaten egg. Beat hard until well blended and smooth. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes, when it should have doubled in bulk.

In the meantime prepare the filling. Cook the chopped onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft and transparent; drain the can of tomatoes and add to pan. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, stir in the oregano and season well.

When the dough has risen beat it for a minute or two, then pat it out into a large circle on a greased and floured baking sheet, cover with the onion and tomato mixture to within an inch of the edge. Slice the cheese thinly (Bel Paese is good but if you want to use an English cheese, Lancashire is the best; Cheddar is too strongly flavored) and arrange on top in slightly over-lapping slices, like the spokes of a wheel. Decorate with the anchovy fillets and halved olives. Bake in a hot oven-Gas Mark 7, 425° F for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool. Pack in foil for the picnic. Enough for six.

Meat loaf
680g (1½lb) best minced beef
90g (3oz) fat bacon
1 small onion
2 large eggs
3 tbsp chopped parsley
A little Worcestershire sauce or tomato ketchup

Chop the bacon finely or mince it, chop the onion and beat the eggs, mix all the ingredients well together and pack into a buttered loaf tin. Cover with foil or buttered greaseproof paper and cook in a very moderate oven, Gas Mark 3, 325° F for about an hour, standing the tin in a baking tray half-filled with water. Leave to cool and either takes to the picnic in the tin or take it out and wrap it in foil. Enough for six.

Cold meat pies
For the pastry:
340g (12oz) plain flour
a little salt
170g (6oz) butter or half margarine and half lard enough cold water to mix
For the filling:
340g (12oz) stewing steak
90g (3oz) pig's or lamb's kidney
30g (1oz) flour
Salt and pepper
30g (1oz) butter
0.41 (¾pt) stocks

First cook the filling and leave to cool. Chop the meat and kidney. Sieve flour, salt and pepper and roll the meat and kidney in it. Melt the butter and fry the meat until golden brown, add the stock, and simmer for about 1½ hours until tender. Make the pastry by mixing flour and salt and working fat into it until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs; add enough cold water to make a stiff paste. Roll out. Grease 12 individual tins, about 6.5cm (2½in) in diameter and 3.5cm (1½in) deep. Cut out 12 circles from pastry with a 9cm (3½in) cutter and line tins. Re-roll trimmings and cut out 12 circles with a 6.5cm (254m) cutter for the lids. Divide the cooled filling evenly between the pies. Damp the edges of the pastry and put the tops on, pressing well to seal. Decorate tops with pastry leaves, and make a small hole in the centre of each pie. Brush with beaten egg and bake on the middle shelf of the oven at Gas Mark 6, 400° F for 20-25 minutes.

Picnic cake
225g (8oz) self-raising flour pinch of salt
1 tsp mixed spice
115g (4oz) butter
115g (4oz) sugar
270g (9oz) dried fruit
1 tsp grated orange or lemon rind
1 egg
0.151 (just under ¼pt) milk and water mixed

Grease and line a 15cm (6in) round cake tin. Sieve flour, salt and spice together. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar, dried fruit and grated rind. Make a well in the centre and add egg and liquid beaten together, stir and beat until well mixed. Pour into cake tin and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, covering with greaseproof paper when top is sufficiently brown, at Gas Mark 4, 350° F. With your picnic serve a green salad, potato salad or coleslaw, all of which can be brought in plastic containers.

Finally, for the children here are some suggestions for different flavored milk shakes: quantities are enough for two helpings. Blend a pint of milk with 1 chopped banana and a dessertspoon of honey. Blend a pint of milk with 4 tablespoons cherry jam and a little grated orange rind. Blend a pint of milk with 6 teaspoons instant coffee, 4 teaspoons sugar and four tablespoons double cream. Blend a pint of milk with half a chopped apple, a pinch of cinnamon, and sugar to taste.

Blend a pint of milk with four tablespoons strawberry jam, a little double cream and a couple of tablespoons of honey. Chill the milk shakes in the fridge and take in vacuum flasks.

After the meal... a few games
If you have a number of children with you they will probably have no difficulty in finding something to do. However, if you want to start them off here are a few ideas for simple outdoor games.

One, two, three ... still!
One player is the commander and stands with his back to the others, facing a tree. The rest of the players stand in a row some 28m (about 30yd) behind him. The commander gives the orders ... "one, two three... Stand still." While he is counting the rest of the players can move, but they must stop at the count of three when the commander turns round, anyone caught moving must go back to the starting line. The first person to reach the commander is the winner and becomes the commander for the next round.

Relay races
Relay races are fun when there are a lot of children. Apart from the usual one where an object is passed from person to person of the same team, you can have a skipping relay race, where the rope is passed on and each person skips a certain distance, or a sack race, with players passing on the sack.

Walking through your arms
The players hold their arms straight down in front of them and clasp their hands, fingers interlocking to form a loop through which they must step. The first to cover the pre-set distance is the winner.

Blind man's buff
For this variation of the game all the players are blindfolded and placed at the same distance from a pole stuck into the ground. The first player to find the pole is the winner.

Leap frog race
Any number can play this game. The participants are divided into two equal teams, and have to cover a set distance by leap-frogging over each other.