Recreate our Picnic Recipes

As enthusiasts of good food and great company, we cherish the moments hosting and preparing small plates and drinking wine. In our last post, we shared the allotment picnic we had for which we prepared some seasonal dishes. We thought it would be a nice touch to write three recipes down and share them with you.

S M O K E D  M A C K E R E L  P A T E

INGREDIENTS

• 280 grams Smoked peppered mackerel
• 300 grams Cream cheese (Use light if you desire)
• Juice of 1 whole lemon
• Fresh dill
• Fresh parsley
• Fresh chives
• Salt
• Black pepper

METHOD

1. Start by peeling the skin of the smoked mackerel and roughly break up and add to the blender. Add the whole tub of cream cheese and blend.
2. Chop up the dill and parsley and slowly add to blender alongside with the juice of 1 lemon.
3. Blend until a paste consistency and season with salt and pepper to taste, add more lemon if you like it extra zingy.

SERVE

Serve with your favourite crusty bread and some crunchy vegetables for dipping like radishes and carrots. Pick some of the fresh dill, parsley, and chives for garnish and finish with a slice of lemon. This is one of those dishes that looks like you’ve put a lot of effort in but it’s so easy, it will be great for a dinner party.

B L O O D   O R A N G E , R O C K E T  &   G O A T S   C H E E S E  S A L A D

INGREDIENTS

• 2 blood oranges
• 60 grams of rocket
• 125 grams of goat’s cheese
• Handful of walnuts
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt
• Black pepper

METHOD

1. Start by making the blood orange dressing, get the juice of one blood orange and mix with a drizzle of olive oil with a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Cut the blood orange into segments and lay the plate with rocket, add the segments to the rocket along with chunks of the goat’s cheese
3. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan
4. Dress the salad with the toasted nuts and dressing

SERVE

Serve this salad as a side dish for a dinner party or add your favourite protein to this to make it a main meal.

W A R M   R O A S T E D   B E E T R O O T   S A L A D   W I T H   H E R B S  &  N U T S

INGREDIENTS

• 500 grams of beetroot
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Herb of your choice (We like rosemary or dill)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 200 grams of feta
• Handful of pecans or walnuts
• Juice of 1 lemon

METHOD

1. Start by peeling the beetroot and chopping it into chunks, be careful as the beetroot will dye your hands pink!
2. Toss it into a roasting dish with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper and the herb of your choice. Roast in the oven for 30 mins at 220 degrees.
3. Dry toast your nuts
4. Once the beetroot is cooked plate it up with the crumbled feta, toasted nuts and lemon juice
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SERVE

Pick and add some fresh herbs at the end for colour and crispness. This dish has become a staple whenever we have dinner parties. The earthy taste of the roasted beets and saltiness of the feta really compliments each other.

Enjoy!