A gourmet picnic

The food is fancy
the drinks expensive

You usually have lots of advance warning of this kind of event, which means that you’ll have plenty of time for picnic planning.

Yes, this is no impromptu affair! The gourmet picnic should be prepared with the flourish and style demanded by the forthcoming event and setting.

Never mind the little black dress, fashion is now focused on the table – so that means a posh picnic must be beautifully dressed, with a fabulous picnic table cloth and attractive tableware. With elegant table decorations and food garnishes, you can give a new meaning to the idea of dressing for dinner!

Using Cath Kidston prints, you can match cutlery to napkins, tablecloth to cushions, plates to parasols!

If sitting cross-legged on a blanket or picnic rug doesn't appeal at a gourmet picnic, then fold-up table and chairs should be included in your picnic packing.

Remember you are restricted by what you can carry but if you keep things simple but as beautiful as possible (elegant cutlery and fresh flowers) you will still impress your guests.

Use clear crystal or glassware, because wine and champagne do not look so attractive in coloured glasses, and try to use ones with a wide base, which are less likely to topple.

See-through, umbrella type, food covers are a useful addition to the co-ordinating tableware and cutlery. They allow the picnickers to see the beauty of the feast, while keeping out unwanted wasps and flies.

It's little touches like these that will linger in the memories of your guests, long after they've forgotten what they ate on that glorious day.

The menu should feature traditional, as well as contemporary favourites to ensure it is perfect for a special family gathering at the races or a theatrical performance in a garden with friends.

The gourmet picnic must suit the season, the location and the traditions of the occasion but with just a few key components you can quickly create an elegant and inviting alfresco table.

It’s of prime importance that you take into consideration how the food is to be transported and served, not forgetting the picnic drinks.

Every detail this picnic should be carefully thought out, well in advance. A list is more important than ever.

Often the occasion will kick off with Champagne or a large glass of Pimms, so you need to be well organised or it might all go horribly wrong!

A guest at such an event cannot fail to be pleased with such elegant picnic starters as:

• a bowl of hard-boiled, and shelled, quail eggs with celery salt and cayenne pepper to dip them into
• Chilled asparagus soup (homemade of course)or asparagus rolls with Hollandaise sauce
• Smoked salmon with caper berries and lemon quarters
• Salmon and trout – or duck – rillettes, or - potted crab with toasted mini bagels or pittas
• kipper pate with watercress served with a hard-boiled egg (with a soft yolk) and melba toast
• Savoury quiches and tarts – smoked trout & watercress, salmon and asparagus, goat's cheese and leek

Then, to follow, a boned and stuffed turkey or perhaps a home-baked ham or fillet of beef with a crisp salad or coleslaw recipe.

Often, in England in the summer, the traditional desert is fresh strawberries bathed in cream but you might prefer an exotic fruit salad, a summer pudding, no bake cheesecake, gooseberry fool, or honeyed grapes in individual crystal glasses.

This tasty menu could be completed with a platter of carefully chosen fine cheeses, with crisp celery and oatcakes.

If you have no time or inclination to create a gourmet picnic menu yourself, you can always order a hamper from a caterer. This is a trouble-free solution and you can concentrate on enjoying yourself!

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