It’s a 1981 classic cookery book, which was re-issued in 2001. I don’t know if it’s available in hardback but I’ve got the new paperback version and it’s worth every penny of its £12.99.
Claudia Roden is a leading food writer, who has won numerous awards and this book is a joy to read, as well as cook from. It’s basically divided into four sections; the first being meals to serve in the garden with easy access to the kitchen and the second, larger section, meals to be prepared in the kitchen and transported. Then there’s part devoted to barbecues and lastly an interesting section on holiday cooking for the traveller.
All in all a stimulating read, firing the imagination with both conventional and exotic recipes. Highly recommended!
With much less reading to do than some other picnic cook books, but with fabulous pictures to pour over and be inspired by, is
”Picnics” by David Herbert
with photography by David Loftus.
A colourful book to have on your kitchen shelf, this cost me £6.99. It’s divided into nine small sections, including lunch on the road, picnic on a boat, teatime in the park and bike ride picnic. Each section has about half a dozen recipe suggestions for the outing described.
I can also recommend a kitchen or coffee table book, simply called
”The Picnic” by Jane Pettigrew.
This hard-back book, which cost me £9.99 (now available for less) hardly merits the name picnic cook book as it only contains 8 recipes among its 80 pages. However, it does have interesting pictures and the history of picnics is explored well.
Jane begins by defining the word picnic, telling us that it did not enter the English language until 1748. It is thought, she says, to have derived from the French pique-nique. This marries the notion of piquer (meaning to nibble or peck at) with nique (a small trifle).
She then goes on to describe the first picnics - Georgian, Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian ones as well as a picnic with Mrs Beeton.
Various kinds of outdoor meals are accounted for, such as picnics with purpose, hunting, shooting and fishing picnics, a day at the races, at Henley Regatta, and at the opera.
The scene is set for pleasing al fresco events with colourful photographs and descriptions of furniture, tableware and hampers.
"Whether you're a picnic traditionalist or someone who loves to host outdoor gatherings of a casual kind, this title contains over 175 recipes, including old favourites like sausage rolls and raised pork pie, and 'smarter' fare like prawn and papaya salad and almond friands, which are suited for outdoor consumption."
Any volunteers to buy it for me?! Only joking - but I will say that if you do want to buy any kind of book at all - for anyone - then I can recommend
The Book Depository.
They deliver free of charge anywhere in the world. I'm not sure how long their delivery would be elsewhere, but I get my orders within a few days. Great value.
If, however, you prefer Amazon then here are a few good picnic cook books available from Amazon US:
or why not try out electronic reading with the new Kindle. It took me a while to be persuaded because I love books but I am a real convert now. I find the Kindle so easy to use and carry around with me.
