National Picnic Week

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Year round, we have a picnic basket on standby just incase our timid sun decides to show it’s warm smile. Few things beat a picnic in lush countryside, in your local park or even a garden square. Ready to go at the first glimmer of sunshine, our basket contains two large picnic rugs, plastic plates, cutlery, cups, sun tan lotion, a frisbee, a badminton set and a thermos flask.

Food wise, I prefer to have lots of vegetables and keep the meat and bread to a minimum, to make it a lovely and healthy alfresco experience. Try a mix of the following in Tupperware pots: grated cheese and a piece of Brie, cold roast chicken, homemade mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes cut in half with mini mozzarella balls, olive oil and chopped basil, houmous with carrot, celery and cucumber sticks for dipping, couscous with raisins, apricots, a little cumin and cinnamon with chopped parsley mixed in, boiled quail’s eggs, and a mix of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. As for a drink, Elderflower Cordial made with fizzy water and a few sliced strawberries looks pretty and is wonderfully refreshing try Belvoir, perfect for a picnic.

For maximum fun and giggles on your picnic you could try taking one of my Burgon and Ball ‘Buckets of Fun’. There are five in all, perfect for all outdoor activities; from camping, to games, to lemonade making. A great addition to chuck into the back of the car with the hamper, one of these will provide endless entertainment, especially if you’re partial to an egg and spoon race! My buckets of Fun are available here and for more picnic inspiration visit http://www.nationalpicnicweek.co.uk/.

lemonade

The Great British Barbeque

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It might be a bit rusty, but most of us have got one lying around somewhere, and it’s time to get it out! The word Barbecue derives from the word barabicu, which is found in the language of the ancient Taino people of the Carribean and the Timucua people of Florida, and it literally means ‘Sacred Fire Pit’. As it’s Father’s Day this Sunday, why not treat your father to a brilliant British Barbecue – but don’t forget to ask permission from the Chief first, as some fire pits are more sacred than others and you may well find he’ll take over the cooking!

Burgers, marinated lamb or spatchcock poussin, my potato salad recipe goes with everything, so pop it onto the table accompanied by a bowl of fresh green leaves and have a very happy Father’s Day.

pot salad capers

Image credit: Roger Stowell http://www.rogerstowell.com/

 For the salad you will need:

100ml Virgin Olive Oil

¼ tbspn Dijon mustard

2 tspns sherry vinegar

1 banana shallot halved and finely sliced

Handful of capers (the mini ones are the best)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

500g new potatoes

A little chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

Cook the potatoes until tender, drain and allow to cool, then peel with your fingers.

Meanwhile, mix the mustard and vinegar in a bowl.  Then slowly add the oil, mixing all the time until it is combined.

Cut the potatoes in half and dress with the vinaigrette, add the capers, shallots and parsley and serve.

 

Eton Mess

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This totally yummy British dessert is a perfect way to celebrate the weekend of the Queen’s official birthday, especially good for lunch in the garden.  It is traditionally served at Eton College’s annual cricket match against the pupils of Harrow School – hence the name, and the word ‘mess’ could very well refer to its appearance. Legend has it that a dessert, on its way to a picnic at Eton, was disastrously crushed by a yellow Labrador. The day was saved, however, in a very British manner by salvaging the remains and the Eton Mess that we know and love was born!

TG Strawbs

Image credit: Pauline Joosten Photography

Although usually made with strawberries, for extra variety, texture and a healthy boost I like to add other fruits including blueberries and pomegranate seeds, both of which are full of vitamins and anti oxidants.

Make sure you assemble this just before eating as the cream can make the meringues go soggy!

You will need

300ml double cream

½ tbsp caster sugar

½ tbsp vanilla essence

800g strawberries

150g blueberries

3 bananas

10 small meringues

The seeds of half a pomegranate

 

Pour the cream into a large bowl and whip into stiff peaks, adding the sugar and vanilla at the end of the whipping process.

Wash the strawberries and remove the stalks and leaves from each berry.

Carefully cut the strawberries into quarters and slice the bananas into discs.

Crumble each individual meringue into the cream and add the blueberries and strawberries.

Gently stir through to ensure an even mix.

Scatter three quarters of the bananas onto a large serving platter.

Dollop about half of the cream and meringue mixture onto the platter and flatten into a disc covering the bananas.

Cover with the rest of the bananas.

Dollop the remaining cream and meringue mix on top.

The end result should look a bit like a rocky mountain. Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds to add a delicious and nutritious crunch.

The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings

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set table cover

The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings. Photography by Charlotte Bland

The beautiful photography by Charlotte Bland makes The Art of Small Gatherings an absolute joy to browse through, but delve deeper and you will find an effortlessly artistic guide to elevating even the simplest picnic lunch for friends on the living room carpet into beautiful and memorable experience. Hannah Shuckburgh, the author, writes for Vogue, The Times, The Independent and The Huffington Post, all of which is evident within this gorgeous book.

Apart from the celebration of eating well with uncomplicated and beautiful ideas for setting the table, I love her take on flower arranging –

“Whatever the time of year, when it comes to putting flowers on your table, lose the idea of flower arranging. Flowers should always look fresh and spontaneous, never overworked or designed. They should look like they’ve come straight from the garden: sunkissed, dewy or frosty, rambling and natural.” 

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Image credit: Charlotte Bland, taken from page 89 of the book.

I adore flowers that look freshly picked and even inexpensive flowers can be made to look gorgeous with a little intervention. As Hannah writes, “you can make a single bunch of petrol-station carnations or chrysanthemums go really far if you separate the blooms into single, open heads and pop them into individual glasses”. Dot these around the room and on the table, and with the addition of candle-light you can create a warm and friendly atmosphere. Remember to keep the flowers at a low level on tables, so that you can see and appreciate the whole flower head as it opens, but also so you’re not having to duck under an explosion of blooms to engage the person opposite in conversation!

There is nothing more summery than fresh flowers on a table, and as Hannah explains in the book – by reminding you of what grows in the earth they make food look better and appear more wholesome; “Which is why a little egg cup of daisies will make even a slice of leftover pizza look quite special.”

The Art of Small Gatherings is available here as well as through other retailers. Visit Hannah Shuckburgh’s Blog too - http://hanpicked.blogspot.fr/

Cockpit Arts Open Studios

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I couldn’t celebrate my ‘Best of British’ week without a nod to the brilliant designer makers and the amazing people behind the creative business incubator that is Cockpit Arts. It’s the only social enterprise of its kind in the U.K and according to Vogue, it fosters some of ‘London’s most exciting talent’.

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Sian Zeng’s Magnetic Wallpaper – www.sianzeng.com

With 165 studios supporting a wonderfully talented and diverse group of designers, from Sian Zeng, whose delightful narrative magnetic wallpaper comes complete with a cast of moveable characters that bring fairy tales to life, to Ruth Tomlinson, who creates exquisite, organically inspired fine jewellery exploring the themes of life cycles and changes in nature. The Cockpit Arts Open Studios are not just an opportunity to buy fabulous products, but a fantastic chance to get to know the designers too.

Cockpit Arts is spread over two locations in London, Holborn and Deptford, and the Deptford Studios will be open to the public from 14th to 16th of June. For more details click here www.cockpitarts.com

My ‘Best of British’ Week

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Along with the Queen’s birthday parade – the magnificent Trooping of the Colour, which happens this week, it seems as though summer has officially arrived. There’s definitely an air of celebration and excitement in the capital right now, so I’m going to fly the flag for Great Britain and declare this week my ‘Best of British Week’.

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It’s all about relaxing and enjoying the freedom of our British summer, so I’ll be encouraging you to eat al fresco, with some delicious, quintessentially British recipes and with the help of my ‘book of the month’ feature, I’ll be sharing with you how to bring elements of the beautiful British countryside inside with gorgeous cut flowers (I don’t think anything says summer quite like a lovely fresh bunch on a table…) I’ll also be sharing with you one of the very best destinations for fabulous New British Design shopping with the Cockpit Arts Summer Open Studios, so get out and enjoy this wonderful weather, but don’t forget to check back all this week to find out how to make the most of our long awaited glorious British summer.

Open Garden Squares Weekend

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The beautiful garden square that I have the very good fortune of overlooking, is open to the public this weekend as part of a magical two day event in association with the National Trust. The Open Garden Squares weekend provides public access to a myriad of beautiful spaces, from historical garden squares and contemporary roof gardens through to prison gardens and floating gardens perched atop barges on the Thames – you can even visit the garden at Number 10 Downing Street. More than just open gardens there will be talks, stalls and tomorrow afternoon, in Arlington Square, you can even enjoy a gin home-made from the square’s very own produce.

tulips

One of the green-fingered residents on my square, Suzanne, spends all day, every day making our garden look fantastic, so pop along to see not only her hard work, but that of many others across the garden squares in London – and because spring has been so late this year, the summer flowers are beginning to overlap with spring blooms, creating a stunning riot of colour and scent.

Visit the Open Garden Squares website here for more information.

 

Ham and Cheese Picnic Pie

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When moving house, it’s essential to have some delicious morsels ready to serve up at a moment’s notice, and this delicious pie fits the bill perfectly. It is a nice firm pie perfect for carting about and is delicious warm or cold. It is based on a flan made by the lovely Anna, my friend Nick Lee’s mum, in the Swiss Alps. It is the perfect dish to store in the fridge ready for a house move!

cheese and ham

Credit: David Loftus

SERVES 8

  •  2 tbsp olive oil
  • a knob of butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 leeks, chopped
  • 400g short-crust pastry
  • 250g piece of ham in a thick slice
  • 3 eggs and 1 extra egg yolk
  • 50ml double cream
  • 300g Emmental cheese, grated
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre heat the oven to 220˚C, 425F, Gas Mark 7.

In a large pan heat the oil and butter. Add the onion and gently fry it for 5 minutes. Add the leeks and fry them for 10 minutes or until they are soft.

Roll out two-thirds of the pastry on a floured board, to a thickness of about 3mm. Grease a 27cm flan tin and line it with the pastry. Prick the base with a fork about 15 times, and then cover it with foil. Place it in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes until golden. Remove the pie case from the oven and allow to cool.

Chop the ham into 1cm cubes and set aside. Beat the eggs and cream together, and mix in the cheese, leeks and onion, and ham. Season the mixture with salt and plenty of pepper. Pour it into the baked pastry case.

Roll out the rest of the pastry into a disc big enough to cover the pie. Lay the disc over the pie dish and trim to fit, decorating the top with any excess pastry. Cut a small hole in the top to let steam escape. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cover with foil. Bake for a further 10 minutes. Allow the pie to cool slightly before turning it onto a plate. To do this, cover the top of the pie with a plate, flip it over, lift off the flan tin and then flip it carefully back onto another plate.

This recipe comes from my book ‘Pies’ published by Collins.

 

Moving House Tips

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Moving house can be a very stressful time however, I was determined that as I embarked upon moving out of my house last week, that it would be a cathartic exercise rather than a major upheaval. I haven’t had to move house before – even when I moved to Australia, I returned with my husband and a new baby and we slipped seamlessly back into living in my flat. Now I’ve been there, done it and have emerged on the other side with a sense of calm and even budding excitement about the next chapter, I thought I’d pass on a few tips:

- This is a great opportunity for a clear out. Be ruthless - you won’t miss any of the clothes that have been languishing at the back of the wardrobe, set aside one box for life’s little mementoes and send the rest to charity or recycle them.

- Order a skip if you can – this is brilliant for chucking out all the bits that are too big for the bin!

- List keeping – this is vitally important and something I rely upon, just make sure you don’t pack the list!

- Run down your food stocks a couple of weeks before the move and invite all of your friends around to clear your food cupboards and take anything they’d like with them.

- Leave little necessities for the new owners, like light bulbs and loo paper (your reward will be in heaven..!)

- Make sure you have a stock of tea, coffee and biscuits for the removal men, they will be your saviours. You might need an electrician and painter for touch ups too so get all hands on deck.

- You probably won’t feel like cooking on your first night so try and prepare something in advance that you can just pop into the oven or eat cold - check my blog later this week as I have just the thing in mind.

 

On the first night in your new home, you’ll feel like celebrating. You probably won’t have a champagne bucket to hand, but then you probably won’t be able to find your bottle opener either – which makes Champagne the ideal tipple. As a cautionary tale, my great friend, the wonderful florist Nikki Tibbles (of Wild at Heart) turned up to welcome us into our new home with a bottle of wine, but without a bottle opener. We proceeded to open the bottle with a pen – which redecorated both us AND our pristine walls. So, pack a bottle of bubbly and this can be avoided!

Flutes

Opening a bottle of Champagne is such a special occasion that I think it deserves beautiful glassware. Champagne flutes work exceptionally well in retaining the carbonation (bubbles) by reducing the surface area – which is great with our modern dry Champagnes and sparkling wines. You can buy my Sophie Conran for Portmeirion glassware here.

Cheers!

Asparagus

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May is National Asparagus Month in the UK and as we are now in the middle of the season, it is the best time to harvest these delightful, seasonal green shoots. British asparagus is debatably the best you can find and has numerous health benefits, as well as being a hugely versatile and healthy ingredient for cooking with.

Rich in fibre and containing high levels of vitamins A, C, E and rutin, asparagus is said to help boost your immune system. It is also very low in calories so great as part of a healthy diet, and a natural detoxifying vegetable. What is not to love!

Now that the season is in full swing, I thought it would be nice to share with you one of my favourite and most simple recipes, which is great for a starter or summer salad.

Asparagus Sophie Conran

Photo Credit: Roger Stowell

You will need:

  • 1 Pack of British Asparagus spears, with an inch or so of the woody end chopped off the bottom
  • 75g salted butter
  • Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Once the ends are removed pop the fresh spears into boiling water for 3-5 minutes, making sure they do not become too soft and limp-you still want to retain a little crunch.

Melt the butter in a pan. Drain the asparagus and pour over the melted butter, grind over some salt and black pepper to taste and enjoy!

This goes very well with most fish and is lovely on its own as a starter before a summer lunch or supper.

Asparagus is also delicious dipped into a soft-boiled egg; a healthier and more adult friendly version of the classic dippy egg and soldiers!

You could also try frying a few spears in a little hot oil for about 4 minutes, adding a desert spoon of Tamari. Continue frying for a couple of minutes and serve as a side dish with fish or chicken.

This delicious asparagus image comes from the brilliant Roger Stowell who used to work with my Dad and who I remember fondly. He now lives in France and you can see his blog here. I am looking forward to working with his son Sam Stowell, a very accomplished food photographer himself, so look out for his photography on the blog in the future.