Annabel Karmel’s Top Picnic Picks

With picnic season well and truly here it’s is the perfect time to head outside with a delicious hamper of light bites, refreshing salads and finger foods to help your little explorers refuel as they enjoy the great outdoors.

Leading children’s cookery author Annabel Karmel shares her top picnic picks! Looking for more food inspiration?  Unlock a world of exclusive recipes, insider news and special offers by joining the AKClub for free at www.annabelkarmel.com.(it’ll make your world a whole lot more yummy!). 

pssst… these recipes work really well in lunch boxes too! 

Prep: 15 minutes (excluding marinating time)
Cook: 5 minutes
Makes: 4 wraps

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp each soy sauce, lemon juice and honey
• 4 tortilla wraps
• A little light mayonnaise
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and sliced
• ¼ cucumber, sliced into thin batons
• Iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 50g Cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1. Put the chicken into a bowl. Pour over the soy sauce, lemon juice and honey and leave to marinate for as long as possible.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade using a slotted spoon. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken for 3 – 4 minutes until golden and cooked through.
3. Warm the wraps for 1 minute in the microwave and set aside on a plate. Spread the mayonnaise along one end of a wrap, top with tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce, then spoon over the chicken and sprinkle with the cheese.
4. Roll up around the filling, tucking in the sides so the wrap is sealed at both ends. Cut the wrap in half diagonally. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

 Read more: A Chat With Foodie Queen Annabel Karmel

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes: 12

Suitable for freezing

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp snipped chives
• 5 spring onions, finely sliced
• 70g mature Cheddar cheese
• 40g Parmesan, grated
• 30g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 large egg
• 200ml buttermilk
• 75ml sunflower oil
• 10 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the chives, spring onion and cheeses in a bowl. Season with a little pepper.
3. Mix the egg, buttermilk and oil together in a jug.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and gently mix.
5. Divide the muffin mixture evenly between the paper cases, top with the chopped tomatoes and bake for 25–30 minutes until well risen and lightly golden.
6. Remove from the oven and transfer the muffins in their paper cases to a wire rack to cool (they will deflate slightly). Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Read more: Breakfasts For Champions: Getting the School Day Started Right

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 12 -15 minutes
Makes: 4 portions

Dairy Free

Ingredients

• 125g fusilli
• 75g broccoli florets
• 40g frozen peas
• 2 cooked turkey breasts, diced
• 60g canned sweetcorn, drained
• 110g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Dressing

• 4 ½ tbsp light olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ small clove garlic, crushed (optional)
• A dash of sugar (optional)

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Add the broccoli for the last 4 minutes and the peas for the last 2 minutes before the end. Drain and refresh in cold water.
2. Tip into a bowl. Add the turkey, tomatoes, sweetcorn and basil.
3. Mix all of the dressing ingredients and pour over the pasta.
4. Season well.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cooks: 10 minutes

Makes: 4 portions 

Ingredients

• 150g bow-tie pasta
• 60g broccoli florets
• 50g frozen peas
• 50g tinned sweetcorn
• 100g cooked chicken, diced
• 50g Emmental, diced

Dressing

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp caster sugar or honey
• 1 tsp soy sauce

Method

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
2. Add the broccoli and peas and cook for 4 minutes.
3. Before the end of the cooking time, drain and refresh in cold water.
4. Mix the pasta and vegetables with the sweetcorn, chicken and cheese.
5. Mix the dressing together and pour over the pasta. Season to taste.

Read more: Children’s Food Allergies: Early Signs and How to Manage