Plan the perfect Picnic for National Picnic Week #Blog

Victoria Hayes
24th June 2019

It’s NATIONAL PICNIC WEEK this week across the UK, so grab your blankets, baskets and perhaps your wellies and your umbrella and treat yourself and your friends and family to some Alfresco dining!

Whilst I am not able to order you up some delightful weather for your Picnic, I can serve up a delicious list of Picnic food and drink recommendations from some wonderful Cheshire Shops, so maybe if the weather doesn’t improve you can spend some time inside those shops, staying dry and hunting down these delectable picnic treats.

So let’s begin with a Picnic classic, “Cold Cuts” and for that we would pop down to Ernest W. Edge & Son who cook their own cooked meat nearly every day on the premises. This includes Cheshire Hams, Roasted local Turkey breast and mouth-watering local Rare Roast Beef which comes from their own  30 day dry aged Beef.

These guys are absolute meat experts, and don’t be afraid to ask them for recommendations or advice, their knowledge is so good, the Lord Mayor himself has been spotted in there!

 

The Bakery within The Hollies Farm Shop is well worth a visit before you head out on your picnic, firstly for their large selection of breads, I would go for the sour dough baguette for a Picnic lunch or  pick up some delightful pastries and freshly baked croissant for a picnic breakfast. Of course no Picnic would be complete with the absolute classic Sausage Roll and the Hollies is famous for theirs. Top tip though, buy three more than you think you need, because everyone always wants seconds!

For a whole range of Picnic goodies, why not try The Lambing Shed. The Farm Shop houses a large Delicatessen, where you will find a range of over 30 different cheeses, along with authentic cooked meats and olives, freshly-made quiches, soups, salads, and dips. I would personally pop by and get at least one Tunworth Cheese, a beautiful English Camembert and winner of Gold at the World Cheese Awards 2018! (incidentally the World Cheese Awards are in Bergamo, Italy this year if anyone wants to take me?)

Make sure you grab some crackers and if you fancy trying something a little different then snag yourself a bombay spiced sausage roll, we guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

 

A Picnic is not a picnic without Pie. Making the perfect Picnic Pie selection is extremely difficult, but don’t worry I’ve taken some of the hard work out of it for you and whittled it down to two perfect pie picks.

The Dabbers Pie is seasoned minced pork, Cheshire Cheese, and Farmhouse Pickle, an ideal cold eating pie for picnics and buffets. This incredible creation is the handwork of H Clewlow Butchers in Nantwich, not a surprise really if you know that a “Dabber” is someone born within the ancient boundaries of Nantwich. (and not, as my teenage son informs me a popular dance move), This award winning pie is ideal for one greedy me or two slightly less greedy people. 

If you are more generous than I, and are happy to share your pie, then how about my other choice, the wonderful 3 meat pie from H.E. Coward Traditional Butchers and Bakery in Frodsham.  It’s Turkey, Ham and Pork, a delicious 3 layer pie featuring their famous  pork pie meat on the bottom with layers of Turkey and Ham on the top…. sliced up its also a perfect picnic pie. Oh and they offer a personalising service on any of their extra large or hot pot pies which I think is wonderful if your picnic is also a birthday celebration or perhaps a proposal!?

 

 

 

If the sun does come out, immediately rush to Kenyon Hall Farm and while away some time picking their incredible strawberries. Not only is this a fun activity for all the family, it also give you the perfect summer picnic dessert.  Their strawberries are legendary although they do offer the chance for you to pick a range of fruits and fear not, if the pick your own option is not appealing (perhaps for weather reasons) they are also available “ready picked” in their eco-friendly farm shop.

 

Interestingly, the word Picnic, first came from France where the phrase “Pique-nique ”  first appeared in print. The term was actually used to describe a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine.  So to honour that, I think it’s really important to bring along a really great wine.

Whitmore and White can always be relied on to have an excellent selection, and for the perfect Picnic or “Park wine” we can thoroughly recommend their Tabula Rasa Red and White wine which come in a beer style bottle!  Wild and Wilder, who make this wine, are producers of wine of supreme quality, but they don’t take it all too seriously and this wine  is great fun for a fun day out. The white is citrusy , light with some stone fruit, elderflower and almond and the Red is black cherry fruit with exotic spice at the end.

Of course there is no restriction on your tipple of choice for a Picnic, and I love asking for professional recommendations, so I can try something new.

Mike from Dexter & Jones, Knutsford is an absolute fountain of liquid knowledge and so of course I asked him!

“Spirit of George Gin would be a great addition to a picnic!  It’s made locally in Mobberley and is a lovely gin, our perfect serve is with Fever-Tree Indian Tonic with a Slice of Orange & Star Anise.” 

He was totally right of course, and this hand crafted gin, has a hint of Himalyan tea which makes it ideal for an English Summer’s day Picnic.

Of course, no Picnic is complete without the Picnic ware and naturally some soft drinks for hydration and those yet too young to have alcohol.

To prevent spills of your previous liquids we would have Bents Garden and Home Shop glasses with straws for only £1.99 each! Top up with La Mortuacienne Cloudy Lemonade or Grapefruit lemonade from just £3.99 each and of course serve everything on some tropical themed picnic ware – because even if the weather is not a wonderful as you might hope, the bright cheerful colours might just help you pretend that it is.

Whatever you pop in your picnic basket, have a wonderful time exploring the beautiful area that is Cheshire and please do tidy up after yourselves, leave it just as lovely for the next Picnickers .