profile

Family Friends Food

Fresh air, fresh flavours! 🧺

Published over 1 year agoΒ β€’Β 2 min read

Hello again my friend!

We're well into July now, which for us is prime picnic season. Apparently July is actually National Picnic Month in the USA! But even without the official endorsement, this is a time when we like to pack up our lunch and/or dinner and eat it sitting on the grass somewhere lovely.

I'm lucky that there are lots of free concerts and other events in our local parks, which are perfect picnicking opportunities. We also have a number of National Trust properties nearby where we can combine a visit and a walk in nature with an al fresco feast on a blanket. But even if you only make it as far as your own back garden, a picnic is just a fun and summery thing to do! Everything tastes better in the fresh air!

A while ago I created my guide to the perfect picnic, which includes not only food suggestions and recipes, but also advice and top tips on bags, blankets and all the extra bits that make a picnic special. I've just updated it for 2025, and you can read the full guide here.​

Below I've shared some of my family's top picnic favourites. From dips and spreads to breads, salads and desserts, I hope you'll find something to pop into your own picnic basket!

Perfect picnic food ideas

Whether you've got time to plan, or just need to make something quick for a spur-of-the-moment outdoor feast, here are some recipes that always prove popular at a picnic.

  • ​Sundried tomato and pesto savoury muffins​
    Packed with delicious summery flavours, these quick and easy muffins are simple to make, and to eat!
  • ​Vegan muffins with caramelised onion and smoked tofu​
    Delicious savoury muffins with no eggs or dairy, but packed with flavour from the onions and smoky tofu.
  • ​Home-made pita​
    These authentic fluffy pita travel well and are ideal for scooping humous, pate or dips, or stuffing with delicious salads.
  • ​Quick focaccia in one hour​
    Flavoursome Italian-style bread is great for a tear-and-share picnic lunch, or cut into squares to upgrade your sandwiches!
  • ​Smoked mackerel and avocado pate​
    Ready in 5 minutes from just 4 ingredients, this scrumptious, nutritious spread is a picnic staple.
  • ​Beetroot humous​
    Your favourite healthy dip gets a vibrant upgrade! Scoop up this tasty, healthy humous variation with crips, tortillas chips, or pita.
  • ​Chopped and fried gefilte fish balls​
    ​    Perfect finger food! These classic bite-sized Ashkenazi fish balls pack simply into a plastic box for easy transport.
  • ​Apple and blackberry crumble cake​
    This moist and delicious fruity bake is sturdy enough to withstand a trip in a picnic basket! A lovely dessert option.
  • ​Fresh strawberry banana bread loaf​
    Upgrade your banana bread with fresh and juicy Summer strawberries. Serve with extra fruit for a nutritious end to your perfect picnic!

Shabbat Shalom

As we cruise towards the end of the school term, and the start of the long Summer holidays, I hope you're finding time to enjoy the season. Get out in nature - with or without a picnic! - and breathe in some fresh air. It's good for you!

Here's wishing you and yours a lovely weekend and a great week ahead. Shabbat Shalom - Good Shabbos! - to one and all. May it bring us health, happiness, peace, and many blessings.

With love, Helen x.

TEA FUND!

All my cooking, recipe-writing, photography, research - even this newsletter! - is fuelled by TEA! So every cuppa you provide is very much appreciated! πŸ™

​You can buy me a cuppa here β˜•οΈ Thank you!

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

If you've ever searched your inbox to find a recipe link, recommendation etc, you can now find the Family-Friends-Food newsletter archive here.
(It currently goes back to December 2024 but more will be added soon!)

Family Friends Food, Unit 138524, PO Box 7169, Poole, Dorset BH15 9EL
​Unsubscribe Β· Preferences​

Family Friends Food

Family, friends and food are three of life’s most important things. Let’s celebrate them!

Hi, I'm Helen. I share easy, nutritious, seasonal, flexitarian recipes, often with a British-Jewish twist. Expect a weekly dose of delicious dinner ideas, news and positivity!

Read more from Family Friends Food
A bowl of porridge, topped with sliced banana, blueberries and pieces of walnut.

Hello there my friend! Tomorrow is World Food Day, celebrating the UNFAO and its work towards creating a sustainable, prosperous, and food-secure future for all. It's a great opportunity to consider the origins of our food, and to thank the people who worked tirelessly to get it from a seed all the way to our plates. Shabbat recipe of the week - Quapple Spomble!! Quince and apple sponge crumble, or 'quapple spomble' as it's known in our house, is an absolutely gorgeous pudding that I'm sure...

2 days agoΒ β€’Β 3 min read
Overhead image of slices of pear and apple crumble cake on a paper-lined board. On the left is one of the slices on a plate with a fork, and a white napkin.

Hello there my friend! High Holiday season has finally come to a close, and regular, everyday life can resume. After a month of special foods, it's good to be eating a bit more 'normally' again! And while we've been distracted with festivals, loads of gorgeous Autumn fruits have appeared. So this week, I'm suggesting some delicious ways to enjoy them. A post-YomTov treat, if you like πŸ™‚ Recipe of the week - Baked mujadara Mujadara is a classic Middle Eastern dish, combining lentils, rice, and...

9 days agoΒ β€’Β 2 min read

Hello again my friend! The cooking and eating marathon that is the High Holydays and Succot is almost at an end. If like me, you're running out of energy and enthusiasm, check out my easiest, tastiest, most bang-for-your-buck recipes below. These deliver max flavour and wow factor, for minimum effort. Phew! Starting with... Recipe of the week - 10 minute chocolate tart With just three ingredients and a few minutes work, you have a lush and luxurious vegan dark chocolate tart that's a...

16 days agoΒ β€’Β 3 min read