There’s nothing better than a tasty feast, eaten in the great outdoors. With a little planning and preparation, you can take your picnic beyond a simple sandwich. We’ve got some great ideas for portable dishes, plus helpful tips and tricks to ensure your picnic arrives at its destination in perfect condition. So be inspired to take it to the next level with our collection of salads, tarts, pies and meaty dishes, and delicious desserts to tempt everyone.
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Sloppy joes
A New York sloppy joe takes a picnic sandwich to the next level. Baguettes filled with spicy beef, cheese and plenty of pickle are perfect picnic food. You can prepare the meat filling the day before, then assemble the sandwich on the day. Wrap well in foil or parchment paper tied with string.
Get the recipe for sloppy joes here
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Fried chicken
Always make more fried chicken than you think you’ll need – everyone always comes back for seconds. The chicken is poached with garlic and thyme, so it’s meltingly tender. It has a lightly spiced crumb, with celery salt, cumin, mustard powder and cayenne. There’s an easy slaw recipe too. Pack the chicken in a plastic box between sheets of greaseproof paper and transport in a cooler box or cool bag.
Get the recipe for fried chicken here
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Greek salad
A Greek salad is perfect picnic material. There’s nothing in it which will wilt or become slimy in transit. You can assemble the whole lot – tomatoes, cucumber, black olives, green or red pepper and feta – and put into a lidded plastic box. You can even dress it ahead of time too. Our top tip is to deseed the cucumber so it doesn’t make the salad watery.
Get the recipe for Greek salad here
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Potato salad
Try a new riff on a potato salad. Instead of the usual mayonnaise, the dressing is garlic and herb soft cheese, mixed with olive oil and lemon juice. There’s chopped celery, onion and capers in the mix too, and it’s topped with fresh herbs. Assemble the whole salad ahead and keep in a plastic lidded box, but wrap the herbs in damp paper towel and sprinkle over the potatoes to serve.
Get the recipe for potato salad here
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Chicken noodle salad
Noodle salads are always a big hit at picnics, because not only are they tasty, they are easy to carry. There’s nothing that will spoil in our recipe for chicken, veg and noodles, dressed with a crunchy peanut dressing. If you do want to add fresh cilantro, wrap it in damp paper towel to serve at the picnic.
Get the recipe for chicken noodle salad here
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Pulled pork sliders
If you want to push the boat out, spend a bit of time making cracking pulled pork for sliders. It takes time to cook, but with very little preparation. Shred the pork when cooked, then transfer to a plastic lidded box. Take the buns with you, with extra pickles and coleslaw in separate boxes, then friends and family can assemble the sliders on site. Take an extra jar of barbecue sauce with you, just in case!
Get the recipe for pulled pork sliders here
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Curry leaf popcorn chicken
If you love fried chicken – and let’s face it, who doesn’t – you’ll love this version made with boneless chicken breasts, so there are no fiddly bones to mess around with. Allow extra time to marinate the chicken in spiced buttermilk. The trick is to toss the chicken in the seasoned flour in batches, to ensure it gets super crispy. It’s topped with fried curry leaves and chili. Just pack in a box between pieces of parchment paper.
Get the recipe for curry leaf popcorn chicken here
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Summer rolls
Summer rolls, with shredded lettuce, carrot, mint, Thai basil and vermicelli noodles wrapped in spring roll wrappers, are a perfect portable picnic food. The wrappers are pretty easy to find, and you can serve with your favorite dipping sauce. The rolls can be fully prepared the day before. Just pack the sauce into a small plastic container, and keep everything well chilled. Our version is vegetarian but you could add in cooked, peeled shrimp or shredded chicken.
Get the recipe for summer rolls here
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Spicy salmon quiche
Any quiche is a good menu choice for a picnic and this one is a little different, made with hot smoked salmon (you could also use trout) with a lovely kick of hot horseradish. You could use store-bought shortcrust pastry too, rather than making your own, to speed up the cooking process. It’s easier to transport the whole quiche in its tin, to prevent it breaking en route. Remember to take a sharp knife with you to slice it.
Get the recipe for spicy salmon quiche here
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Chips and dips
No outdoor party is complete without plenty of chips and dips to snack on. Transport the dips, covered with plastic wrap, in their serving dishes, so they are ready to go. If you’re serving guacamole, make sure there’s plenty of lime juice in it, to prevent discoloring. Check out our collection of easy-to-make dips and try something new.
Find 28 easy-to-make dips here
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Watermelon and feta salad
Slices of watermelon are a great picnic snack but try incorporating it into this salad too. The recipe contains feta, black olives, cucumber and arugula, though we’d leave out the arugula or add it in situ as it may wilt. Do the same with the mint and deseed the cucumber too. It can be all mixed together at home and transported in a lidded box – just keep well chilled.
Get the recipe for watermelon and feta salad here
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Ham and cheese pie
This is such a great pie, as it tastes just as good cold as it does hot. It’s so simple – ham, sliced cheese and passata are sandwiched between two sheets of store-bought puff pastry, then baked until browned. We’d recommend you take the whole pie on its baking sheet, lightly covered with foil. As long as the weather isn’t scorching, you don’t need to keep it in a cool box. Cut into portions once you arrive at the picnic.
Get the recipe for ham and cheese pie here
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Spring vegetable tortilla
This filling Spanish omelet can be made with whatever green vegetables you have to hand. The recipe uses zucchini, broad beans and peas, which can be frozen rather than fresh. You could add asparagus instead. The base is potato and onions, and you could throw in some grated cheese. Slice it into portions, then stack between parchment paper in a lidded box to transport.
Get the recipe for spring vegetable tortilla here
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Quinoa salad with asparagus and kale
The key thing with any picnic salad is to choose recipes where the ingredients won’t wilt or become watery over time. This healthy vegan salad fits the bill perfectly. A mix of blanched kale, asparagus, scallions, radish and parsley is topped with a honey, mustard and lemon dressing. Pomegranate seeds add wonderful color and crunch. Assemble the whole salad before transporting.
Get the recipe for quinoa salad with asparagus and kale here
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Buttermilk biscuits
As an alternative to bread rolls, why not rustle up some buttermilk biscuits? They are perfect filled with fried chicken or pulled pork, or just served on the side with salads and cheeses. Similar to a British scone, they are quick and simple to make. Make them on the morning of your picnic, allow them to cool, then pop into a box or bag.
Get the recipe for buttermilk biscuits here
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Hot and fruity Caribbean slaw
If you’re not a fan of creamy coleslaw loaded with mayonnaise, this spicy version could be the recipe for you. It has all the classic coleslaw ingredients like cabbage and onion, but it’s dressed with a vinaigrette-style oil and vinegar mixture, with some hot sauce for extra kick. It’s the fresh mango which adds the sweetness, to counteract the heat. Mix everything together then pop into a lidded box.
Get the recipe for hot and fruity Caribbean slaw here
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Tenderstem broccoli, beetroot and toasted seed salad
Tenderstem broccoli is perfect in a salad because it keeps its crunch. Paired with cooked beetroot, crunchy seeds and dressed simply with oil and vinegar, it’s a great portable salad. You can bulk it out by adding some roasted butternut squash, or crumble feta or goats’ cheese over it. Make it all ahead and box it up to transport.
Get the recipe for Tenderstem broccoli, beetroot and toasted seed salad here
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Tuna fritters with tzatziki
Everyone loves a corn fritter, but try adding some canned tuna too. These are really easy to make and have a lovely, gentle kick of chili to balance out the flavors. So easy, in fact, they’re ready in 30 minutes. Make them on the morning of your picnic, stack between sheets of parchment paper in a box, and pack the cooling cucumber and yogurt tzatziki separately.
Get the recipe for tuna fritters with tzatziki here
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Panzanella
Panzanella is a tomato, pepper and bread salad which just transports you to the Mediterranean. It tastes better an hour or so after making it and won’t spoil, so it’s a perfect picnic dish. You can buy ready-roasted peppers in a jar to save time. Wrap the fresh basil separately in damp paper towel to add before serving, but the rest of it can all be made ahead.
Get the recipe for panzanella here
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New potato salad
If you prefer a lighter potato salad, rather than a creamy one with mayonnaise, this fits the bill. The potatoes are dressed while still warm with an oil and vinegar dressing. This ensures the dressing soaks right into the potatoes, for the best flavor. Fresh mint and chives are stirred in at the end, but best to take these separately to retain their freshness.
Get the recipe for new potato salad here
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Leek tart
Leek tarts are very popular in France, and for good reason. Leeks are slowly cooked in butter until they are meltingly tender and sweet. Then they are loaded into a pastry case with a creamy egg mixture before baking. You can buy shortcrust pastry for the case, rather than making it from scratch. Best to transport it in its tin, and slice to serve.
Get the recipe for leek tart here
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Picnic pies
These cute little pies are similar to a British pork pie, but are filled with chicken, turkey, dried apricots and pistachio nuts. They are made using a hot water crust pastry, which is easy and quite forgiving – you can’t over-handle it. The pies will keep for three days in the refrigerator, so a really great get-ahead dish for your picnic. Just pack into a box for transporting, they aren’t too fragile.
Get the recipe for picnic pies here
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Grilled vegetable picnic loaf
This picnic loaf makes sandwiches so much easier. You need to make it the day before serving, so all the flavors can meld and to make slicing easy. The loaf is halved, the bread scooped out, then it’s filled with layers of roasted vegetables, mozzarella and pesto. Once filled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Just don’t forget to take a serrated knife with you to slice it.
Get the recipe for grilled vegetable picnic loaf here
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Carrot and apple salad
A food processor makes easy work to grate the apple and carrots for this bright salad. If you don’t have one, use a box grater instead. The zippy dressing is made from lemon juice, salt, brown sugar and oil and the finishing touches are a scattering of chopped scallions and toasted walnuts. It’ll keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator so make ahead then transport in a lidded box.
Get the recipe for carrot and apple salad here
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Chorizo and cheese sausage rolls
A very British snack has been given a tasty Spanish-style makeover. Cooking chorizo and grated Manchego cheese (use Cheddar if you need to) is added to sausagemeat, then it’s rolled up in store-bought puff pastry and baked. This makes four fairly large sausage rolls, so perhaps make eight small ones instead to make them go further.
Get the recipe for chorizo and cheese sausage rolls here
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Spinach and ricotta pie
Spinach, ricotta, feta, mint and nutmeg with cooked onions and garlic make a perfect pie filling, with layers of buttery, crunchy filo pastry. It tastes just as good cold, as it does hot. Prepare the filling the day before you need it, then bake in the morning to prevent the filo going soggy. Transport it in the tin you’ve baked it in, to prevent the pastry cracking.
Get the recipe for spinach and ricotta pie here
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Oatmeal and coconut cookies
Oatmeal cookies are always a picnic favorite, but once you add desiccated coconut, they are so moreish. These are ready in 15 minutes and you can make them the day before – store in an airtight container so they are still fresh and ready to transport.
Get the recipe for oatmeal and coconut cookies here
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Tropical fruit salad
Any fruit salad is a good dessert choice for a picnic, because the sugar syrup preserves the fruit and prevents it from discoloring. In this recipe, lychees (canned is fine), strawberries, pineapple and jackfruit are steeped in a vanilla syrup. Fresh mint is added to serve, so take this separately. Keep it chilled in a cool box. If you’re short of ice blocks, use bottles of frozen mineral water which you can then drink as it thaws.
Get the recipe for tropical fruit salad here
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Peanut butter caramel brownies
It’s time to add a new brownie recipe to your repertoire. Just imagine the combination of dark chocolate, peanut butter, peanuts and caramel. The caramel sauce is from a jar, so there’s little effort involved. Make them the day before, cut into squares when cold, then pack in a lidded box (no need to refrigerate them) between sheets of parchment paper.
Get the recipe for peanut butter caramel brownies here
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