How many of us have paid a small fortune for a mediocre meal in a café or restaurant?
My tipping point came after paying £50 for an ordinary Saturday lunch in a local pub (and the girls only had garlic bread and juice!)
‘Never again’….I said…..’in future meals
out are for special occasions only’.
Rather than have to dash home to eat every time we want a day out, the plan is to eat well but spend less and here’s how……
It’s a pastime that I think is vastly underrated and we don’t do enough.
I know I know, the British weather is challenging and unpredictable, but be inventive!
Shelter from the rain under the boot of your car clutching a steaming cup of tea, enjoy a scone in a gale on the top of a crag, nibble a sausage roll huddled around a campfire on the beach. The possibilities are endless.
Some of my fondest childhood memories
involve picnicking, in particular snuggled
in a towel on a Gower beach or on a
snowy Peak District hillside with a mug
of cold soup and a primus stove that
would not ignite!
Picnics are not only fun, but can be inexpensive too – of course, you can go to town and make the whole works; complete with hamper, posh rug and champagne – but generally you don’t need to spend much.
Dining out, especially with a family, can be very costly and a picnic is a fun, low cost alternative. With a little planning and preparation a great day out can be had by all and store up those precious memories for children in the future.
Why not challenge yourself to undertake a picnic in the strangest place you can think of? With fantastic homemade food, of course!
Start with this fabulous Picnic Ciabatta and finish off with these delicious Apricot Cookies.
AND don’t forget the drink too. Elderflowers are in bloom, so get picking quick!
I can still remember the taste of my Grandad’s homemade elderflower ‘champagne’, 30 years later.
Of course, it wasn’t really champagne, but a fizzy elderflower pop that was just divine! As an avid cyclist and walker he would discover an abundance of elderflowers on his travels, which we would collect for his wonderful home brewed concoction. As a wartime cook – he even once cooked for the king! – my grandad was a master at frugal cooking, and what better, than foraging for free food then creating something delicious!
Try our fabulous Spiced Elderflower Cordial.
A collection of Dairy Diary recipes:
Picnic Ciabatta
Apricot Cookies
Spiced Elderflower Cordial
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