easy picnic

These meat-free pasties are relatively quick and easy to make, but are full of flavour with smoked cheese, mustard and spring onions. 

Smoked cheese and onion pasties

250 grams/9 ounces floury potatoes, peeled

milk

cheese,

tsp English mustard

spring onions, finely chopped

x 320 grams/11½oz ready-rolled puff pastry

egg,

salt and black pepper

Using dark rye or wholegrain bread for sandwiches rather than white will increase the fibre content. This high-protein open sandwich with salmon and quark cheese makes a quick and convenient low-calorie lunch. Try topping with cooked and peeled prawns instead of the salmon.

With a GI of 49 this meal is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/high_protein_low_GI_diet">high protein, low GI</a> and provides 235 kcal per portion.

Smoked salmon open-topped sandwich 

dark rye bread (pumpernickel)

grams/3½oz quark, drained

grams/3½oz salmon

lemon juice

tsp finely chopped fresh chives, to garnish

black pepper

Mary Berry's quick savoury muffins are superb with soup, salads or for eating on the go. The cheese is lovely and oozy if you serve them warm. Eaten cold, they are still fragrant, with a nice saltiness from the cheese and olives. 

For this recipe you will need a 12-hole muffin tin and muffin cases.


Mary Berry's cheesy muffins

275 grams/9¾oz self-raising flour

tsp baking powder

salt

grams/1¾oz butter, melted

free-range egg, beaten

250 milliliters/9fl oz milk

75 grams/2⅓oz Gruyère cheese, grated

basil, leaves only, chopped

75 grams/2⅓oz pitted black olives, chopped

tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

The perfect savoury cheese scone recipe – best eaten warm spread liberally with butter! These scones are so easy to whip up for lunchboxes or picnics.

Each serving provides 143 kcal, 3g protein, 18g carbohydrates (of which 1g sugars), 6.5g fat (of which 4g saturates), 1g fibre and 0.5g salt.

Cheese scones

225 grams/8 ounces self raising flour

butter

grams/1 ounces mature cheddar, grated

150 milliliters/5fl oz milk

These rolls are lovely – the eggs glue themselves to the wrap so that they are easy as anything to roll, making them delicious and portable. 


Egg rolls

free-range eggs

parsley

garlic

½ tsp black pepper

oil,

tortilla wraps

olives

tsp tomato paste

Banana cake, aka banana bread, is one of the easiest cakes to make. Ever. This one is plain but it's only a starting point. Add nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chunks, spices too. Check the tip at the bottom of the page to read how.


Easiest ever banana cake

bananas

eggs

100 grams/3½oz soft light brown sugar

150 milliliters/5fl oz sunflower or vegetable oil

275 grams/9¾oz white self-raising flour

tsp ground mixed spice

Don't worry if you don't have scales. You can make this easy banana cake in no time.

Classic, chewy and good for your soul, Lorraine Pascale’s flapjacks are simple to make and hard to beat!

Each serving provides 318 kcal, 3.5g protein, 43g carbohydrates (of which 25.5g sugars), 14g fat (of which 8g saturates), 2.5g fibre and 0.1g salt.

Flapjacks

golden syrup

muscovado sugar

350 grams/12 ounces porridge oats

½ unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only (optional)

ginger (optional)

A rice bowl is a wondrous thing, but often – despite the simplicity of its title – a rather cluttered and complicated one. Here, I have pared it back, to make a gorgeously seasoned rice bowl, with nothing more than a few seeds, herbs and radishes stirred through it, and an avocado to top it. It’s a simple take on an inspiringly expansive idea. So please use this as a starting point only. It’s very much a non-recipe recipe, and every time I make it, I add something different, depending on what’s to hand.

Rice bowl with ginger, radish and avocado

150 grams/5½oz short grain brown rice

fresh root ginger, peeled

radishes,

1½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce

tsp cloudy apple cider vinegar

tbsp mixed seeds,

coriander

avocado

Looking for the perfect potato salad recipe? Give the humble spud a quick makeover with a delicious tarragon, walnut and honey dressing. Use the best Jersey Royal potatoes when they're in season for the most delicious potato salad you'll eat.

Each serving provides 220 kcal, 4g protein, 25g carbohydrates (of which 3.5g sugars), 11g fat (of which 1.5g saturates), 3g fibre and 0.14g salt.

Perfect potato salad

tbsp walnut pieces (optional)

tarragon vinegar

Dijon mustard

olive oil

walnut oil

tsp runny honey

sea salt and black pepper

900 grams/2lb new potatoes,

tarragon leaves

shallot,

cornichons

We made these protein-packed wraps to take on a picnic and they were substantial and tasty – a feast in a flatbread. They survived the journey in a bicycle pannier well too, so just the thing for a day out in the hills and dales.

Each wrap provides 461 kcal, 39g protein, 45g carbohydrate (of which 4.5g sugars), 14g fat (of which 2.5g saturates), 5g fibre and 1.8g salt.

Tuna Niçoise wrap

green beans,

free-range egg (fridge cold)

mayonnaise

tbsp baby capers, drained

baby gherkins, drained and sliced

¼ tsp dried mixed herbs

x 185 grams/6½oz can tuna in spring water

flour tortillas

baby spinach leaves

tomato,

black olives

I make these easy sausage rolls often – they are always welcome at a picnic or party. Feel free to enhance them as you like.


Easy sausage rolls

puff pastry

flour,

sausages

thyme leaves

This easy baked falafel recipe is made with fresh herbs, garlic and spices. Completely delicious but a spray of oil keeps the calorie count down. 


Healthy baked falafel

onions

garlic cloves, grated

tsp cumin

tsp coriander

tsp sea salt flakes

grams/1 ounces coriander leaves,

grams/1 parsley

grams/1½oz plain flour

olive oil spray

0% fat plain yoghurt

140 grams/5 ounces piece cucumber, grated

garlic clove, finely grated

tbsp finely chopped mint leaves

sea salt

sweetener (optional)

Learn how to make three delicious grain bowls using quinoa, wholewheat couscous and bulgur. Add plenty of veg and healthy fats and you can meal prep your way to healthy lunches.

Make-ahead grain bowls

couscous

200 milliliters/7fl oz vegetable stock

kale

red and yellow baby tomatoes, halved

grams/1 nuts,

sprouted lentils and sprouted beans

tsp za’tar spice blend

milliliters/1fl oz olive oil

quinoa

carrot, thinly sliced

tbsp mixed seeds

orange, juice only

tsp rapeseed oil

tbsp cider vinegar

1–2 tsp dried chilli flakes

tsp honey

60 grams/2¼oz bulgur wheat

salad leaves

pumpkin seeds

beans,

tbsp tahini

tbsp sesame oil

sumac

cumin cumin seeds

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

juice of ½ lemon

Dr Rupy shows you how to cook three delicious grains and then top them with healthy veg.

How to make a healthy grain bowl

You can vary the vegetables and herbs in this puff pastry tart according to what you have. Leave yourself an extra hour preparation so that the pastry has time to rest.

Each serving provides 400 kcals, 13g protein, 43g carbohydrates (of which 8.5g sugars) 18.5g fat (of which 10g saturates), 6g fibre and 0.7g salt 

Mediterranean puff pastry tart

280 grams/10 ounces ready-rolled light puff pastry

baby courgettes,

red pepper, cored, seeds removed,

yellow pepper, cored, seeds removed,

red onion,

garlic cloves, sliced

leaves

thyme, leaves picked

tbsp semi-skimmed milk

grams/3½oz cherry tomatoes, halved

75 grams/2¾oz goats’ cheese, crumbled

Courgette fritters are an easy, cheap and quick vegetarian lunch or dinner. This recipe uses peas and cumin, but you can use whatever vegetables and spices you have.

Each serving provides 283 kcal, 15.5g protein, 24g carbohydrates (of which 4g sugars), 15.5g fat (of which 2.3g saturates), 3g fibre and 1.8g salt.

Courgette fritters

120 grams/4½oz courgette, coarsely grated

½ tsp baking powder

tbsp plain flour

1½ tsp ground cumin

grams/2 oz frozen peas, thawed

vegetable oil,

tbsp plain yoghurt

mango chutney

These easy sweetcorn fritters from the Hairy Bikers are the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken or pulled pork, but also good as finger food for little ones or brunch with sliced avocado and toast. 

Sweetcorn fritters

300 grams/10½oz sweetcorn (you can use tinned

spring onions, very finely chopped

milliliters/1fl oz milk

75 grams/2½oz plain flour

cayenne pepper

Colourful veg are chopped into the shape of couscous for this fresh-tasting and light dish. The dressing is optional if you decide to serve this as a salad – otherwise it makes a great side dish with a stew or tagine.


Rainbow vegetable ‘couscous’

cauliflower,

broccoli,

carrot,

grams/3½oz baby sweetcorn, roughly chopped

¼ red cabbage, shredded

red pepper

½ tsp ground cardamom

This simple lemon drizzle cake recipe is super-quick to bake and perfect with an afternoon cup of tea. It's made in a food processor, so in 10 minutes you'll have it in the oven! 

This recipe makes a lemon drizzle loaf, but if you want to make a cake in a different shape, try our <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/sponge_cake_calculator">cake calculator</a>.
Each serving provides 401 kcal, 5.3g protein, 47.5g carbohydrate (of which 31.3g sugars), 20.9g fat (of which 12.4g saturates), 0.9g fibre and 0.29g salt.


Top 18 easy picnic recipes from across the web

The most viewed easy picnic recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Smoked cheese and onion pasties

Smoked salmon open-topped sandwich

Mary Berry's cheesy muffins

Cheese scones

Egg rolls

Easiest ever banana cake

Flapjacks

Rice bowl with ginger, radish and a...

Perfect potato salad

Tuna Niçoise wrap

Easy sausage rolls

Healthy baked falafel

Make-ahead grain bowls

Mediterranean puff pastry tart

Courgette fritters

Sweetcorn fritters

Rainbow vegetable ‘couscous’

Easy lemon drizzle cake

Top 18 easy picnic recipes from across the web

The most viewed easy picnic recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Smoked cheese and onion pasties

Smoked salmon open-topped sandwich

Mary Berry's cheesy muffins

Cheese scones

Egg rolls

Easiest ever banana cake

Flapjacks

Rice bowl with ginger, radish and a...

Perfect potato salad

Tuna Niçoise wrap

Easy sausage rolls

Healthy baked falafel

Make-ahead grain bowls

Mediterranean puff pastry tart

Courgette fritters

Sweetcorn fritters

Rainbow vegetable ‘couscous’

Easy lemon drizzle cake

The most viewed easy picnic recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine