In a recent article, we wrote about ways we can reduce household costs by using less energy in the kitchen in light of the ongoing energy price crisis. We also recommended several recipes that can be eaten cold and require little or minimal energy to cook. Expanding on this, with summer on the distant horizon and National Picnic Week coming up between 18th and 26th June 2022, here are some tips for your next picnic and inspirational alfresco food ideas to tempt your taste buds.

What is National Picnic Week?

According to the official national picnic week website, ​“National Picnic Week aims to provide picnic tips, picnic hotspots, and everything surrounding picnics to help the nation roll out their picnic rugs and embrace British summertime wherever you are”. The organisers have provided some helpful resources, including top tips for a picnic; they recommend:

  1. Being prepared – including packing items you might ordinarily forget, such as plenty of water, hand wipes, and blankets to keep you comfy.
  2. Bringing entertainment – it is all too easy to forget to bring entertainment to a picnic, such as a frisbee, a kite, or a rounders set to keep both adults and children busy.
  3. Sun and insect protection – another of the easy to forget items is sun protection, including sun cream, hats, and sunglasses. It is also advisable to pack sting and insect bite treatment (just in case).
  4. Tidiness – bring some rubbish bags to collect all of your rubbish before leaving your chosen picnic site.  Remember to leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures and kill nothing but time.

And of course, if you plan to bring your dog with you, make sure you bring along food, shelter, and plenty of water for them too.

Taking vegan and vegetarian picnic food to the next level

Long gone are the days when a picnic consisted of a few sandwiches and a packet of crisps. Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with a more traditional picnic, but many modern “picnickers” are increasingly searching for creative and inventive alfresco food ideas. One great resource is Jamie Oliver’s picnic recipes, including a lentil tabbouleh, sliced fennel, orange, and almond salad, spicy feta and pepper dip, asparagus sushi, asparagus pate, Greek-style quinoa salad bomb, herb tabbouleh with pomegranate & za’atar dressing, and Roasted spring veg with watercress dip.

For your next picnic, consider looking at our range of vegan and vegetarian products, many of which are ideal for picnics, including our Leek & Potato Börek, Tex-Mex Pocket, and Spinach & Feta Style Cheese Pocket. Plus, for a healthy and filling pasta salad, we have our ever-popular range of high-protein, vegan, vegetarian, and organic pasta, including pasta made from carrot, hemp, spinach, and spelt.

Vegan & vegetarian picnic recipes

Here are a few of our vegan and vegetarian picnic recipes to inspire you:

Final words

We hope this article provides some useful inspiration for national picnic week 2022. While we can help with planning your perfect picnic, we cannot promise the final essential ingredient – warm sunny weather. For this reason, it is worth checking the weather a few days ahead of time, adjusting your plans if necessary, and preparing for an unexpected rain shower just in case. We do live in the UK, after all!

 

 

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