By Natalie Mellor
Recently, Britain has been blessed with the perfect weather for a picnic; to make the most ouf of the remaining sunshine, more and more people are opting to spend time outdoors. In a world of plastic packaging and supermarket meal deals, we often take the easy way out and buy ready-made sandwiches or bags of carrot sticks for our picnics in a bid to save some time. Everyone likes to dine alfresco every once in a while, but the same old picnic food can get a bit repetitive. However, your picnic doesn’t have to be boring—this is where The Butcher’s Quarter, an independent, boutique butchers in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, come in. They believe that you should ditch the plastic-packed, store-bought food and opt for making your own exciting picnic food. Here are five great ideas for the perfect picnic this summer.
1. Put your culinary skills to the test
Scotch eggs and sausage rolls are a classic picnic staple but we always end up buying them from the supermarket because it’s easy. Rather than buying packs of scotch eggs, why not challenge yourself and try making them at home? This way, you’ll be able to control everything that goes in then—they’ll no doubt end up tasting even better than the shop-bought version!
2. Spice up your sandwiches
Everyone loves a cheese sandwich, but the following tip will take it to a tasty next level. The Butcher’s Quarter recommends using their artisan Smoked Ogden Original cheese and teaming it with some spicy smoked paprika chorizo to give a plain cheese sandwich a flavourful twist.
3. The great British barbeque
Is it even summer if you haven’t yet had a barbeque? Most picnics generally comprise of cold food and snacks, but a hearty burger always goes down a treat. Grab some good quality beef from the butchers—as well as a portable BBQ—and impress all your guests with a great-tasting burger! Ensure to pick up some brioche buns, fillings and accompaniments for a complete feast.
4. Explore more adventurous sandwich fillings
A picnic without sandwiches would be incomplete, but unadventurous, plain-tasting ham sandwiches can feel a bit cliché. To inject some novelty into your summer picnic, branch out and try fillings you usually overlook when walking up and down supermarket isles. The Butcher’s Quarter suggests using bavette steak for the ultimate beef sandwich, an outside-of-the-box alternative that will get every meat lover’s head spinning.
5. Ditch the plastic!
Say goodbye to the shop-bought picnic food and the litter that inevitably comes with it. So much supermarket food is covered in single-use plastic, which pollutes our oceans, kills marine animals and spreads toxins. One plastic bag can kill multiple animals as it can take so long to decompose. Opt for reusable containers or—if using any type of plastic—ensure to recycle responsibly to do your bit for the health of our planet.
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