Greetings from the Gaeltacht in the West of Ireland. Haigh!
I’m here visiting my eldest son in Irish college, having packed loads of home-made treats into a dinky little picnic basket. Finding somewhere to eat locally, alongside hundreds of other visiting visitng families, sounds like a recipe for a massive tantrum (erm, by me, not by my son).
Either way, I’m bound to mortify him anyway, waving at the gate holding my picnic basket and dangling a spare pair of Birkies. I’ve even packed CBD chocolates, but they are for me on the M6 back to Dublin.
I adore picnics. They can brighten up a grey flat day like an unsupervised ice cream to a giddy pug. No need to wait for a sunny day.
Below, I’ve written out my top 3 picnic recipes for this summer. All hold their shape well, and can withstand unplanned heat or travel in a way that dairy or chocolate simply cannot.
Green omelet triangles (can also work as a wrap)
Carrot & rooibos brack (sliced thickly and sandwiched with butter)
Filo chive and cheddar tart
Other easy ideas include:
store-bought hummus with flax crackers or carrot strips
excellent olives
jammy boiled eggs with cumin salt
Quinoa tabouli
First up is our green omelet, a current obsession with my eldest sporting nut. All you need is a blender to whizz the dark green leafies into submission. The filling options are endless - smoked salmon and avocado? Feta, broccoli and micro herbs (as pictured)? Basil, white bean and Parmesan? Tomato, olives and red onion?
Then we have a loyal Irish-ish brack, and a flask of hot tea. My boys eat thick slices of brack at a speed that would rival a half-price sale at JD Sports. Obviously, I found a way to profit on this and squeeze more plants into their orbit (carrot and ginger, take a bow).
And if the green omelet didn’t excite you, the filo egg tart certainly will. It sounds much more complicated than it actually is. All you need is a store-bought frozen filo pastry and a round cake tin. The rest is like Play-Doh!
Love, light and picnics,
Susan Jane
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