Occasions

Sundays when the sun shines there is nothing I like more than to get up early and head out to the west coast for a morning picnic. The west coast is about an hours drive away. With its black sands, wild seas, and windswept untamed landscape, the west coast offers a real sense of escape, blowing out the cobwebs of city life. If we can get out there by 10 or 12, the beach is almost to ourselves. If we are not staying for the day, nothing more is needed than a thermos of coffee and some fresh pastries. With a little more time we light a fire and cook Italian fennel sausages, and eat them with fresh bread, and spicy sauce or and chutney.

For a perfect picnic that you can assemble on site, pack a cooked roasted chicken (cool and put into a chilli bin with ice packs if your journey is more than an hour), condiments such as tomato sauce, kasundi, mustard and mayo, accompaniments such as gherkins, olives, cherry tomatoes, a bag of rocket or salad greens, and a cucumber, and the freshest best crusty French stick or rolls you can lay your hands on. Alternatively frittatas and pies make for easy picnicking - just be sure to pack plenty as the outdoors stimulates appetites and everyone gets hungry.