Food for thought: With seasonal

Food for thought with seasonal food guru Jo Richardson

PICNIC PERFECT

Enjoying a glass or two and a bite to eat outdoors has become the new normal as a focus for sharing precious time with family and friends. But now let’s seize the chance to up our al fresco game and stage some picnics to remember, making the most of our stellar produce, such as sumptuous seafood, in our sensational setting while the sun still shines.

Fine and faff-free dining

The key to a joyful picnicking experience is to minimise fuss, mess and hygiene safety concerns, so think neatly packaged individual servings rather than something that needs portioning up onto plates. Pastry parcels always punch above their weight and are as easy as pie to knock up using ready-made pastry, whether filo, puff or shortcrust (many being suitable for vegans), for oven baking and serving warm or cold. Filling options are almost endless, but for a touch of high summer decadence, try Island lobster meat mixed with double

cream, a little grated Parmesan, lemon zest, chopped tarragon and parsley and a pinch of cayenne à la thermidor, or Thai-style with chopped spring onion, chilli, coriander and lime. Or go for white and brown crabmeat combined either with charred fresh sweetcorn kernels, diced onion and red pepper flavoured with smoked paprika and cumin. And for a reinterpreted veggie Greek holiday special, make filo parcels stuffed with crumbled Briddlesford feta-style cheese and local rainbow chard wilted in a dash of olive oil with crushed garlic. Airtight jars are not only securely portable single-serving containers but visually appealing with their contents invitingly displayed, especially so where you can arrange the ingredients in colourful layers. Seafood stars again here – lobster, white crabmeat or prawns – in an orzo (or rice) salad with chopped local apricots and salad leaves, with a vinaigrette added to the jar first ready to shake and mix before diving in, or toss pan-fried freshly caught mackerel fillets with potato salad featuring waxy pots (like local Harlequins) dressed with The Garlic Farm mayo and chopped boiled egg. And for dessert, layer toasted Calbourne Water Mill muesli with New Forest raspberries drizzled with Island honey (or agave) and whipped cream (or dairy-free alternative) for a southern take on cranachan, or crushed IOW Biscuits’ Chocolate Crumbles, Godshill cherries and cream/dairy-free yogurt for a taste of the Black Forest – fitting for a foray to Bouldnor, Brighstone, or Parkhurst Forest! Chilling out

Dust down the Thermos and put it to work in keeping a classy chilled soup just that, such as a classic gazpacho using super-sweet IOW toms and Wild Island’s raspberry vinegar instead of the traditional sherry vinegar, or blend locally grown cantaloupe melon with cucumber, avocado and lime, and top with a little seafood for a finishing

flourish. Pre-mixed cocktails using Mermaid Gin or Tipsy Wight vodkas and liqueurs can be kept ice-cold in the same way, or chilled Wight Crystal spring water infused with New Forest blueberries and lemon or hedgerow blackberries and orange. But if you just need to cut to the chill, look no further than the Island’s top-notch delis and farm shops, butchers and bakeries and other artisan food suppliers for handcrafted pies, pastries and other picnic treats, as well as entire spreads and bespoke hampers. SEASONAL SWAPS

Stockpile wide-necked screwtop glass food jars once they are empty ready to sterilise and use for picnic foods, rather than buying jars specially. For wrapping picnic food, use beeswax or vegan plant wax wraps in place of clingfilm.

Instead of disposable or plastic picnic ware, use long-lasting reusable alternatives such as enamelware or wooden or bamboo plates and bowls, including sporks – a handy mini spoon and fork in one.

If barbecuing outdoors (always be sure to grill safely and responsibly), in place of standard disposable barbecues, look for 100% biodegradable Eco Grills made from alder (birch), including the charcoal.

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