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    Home > Lunch

    11 Picnic Food Ideas That Aren't Sandwiches!

    Published: Aug 2, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Collage of 6 images for picnic recipes

    Who doesn't love a good picnic! These 11 picnic food ideas are perfectly portable - to make your picnic feel really special!

    Collage of 4 images showing some picnic food ideas.

    To be perfectly honest, I love a tasty sandwich as part of my picnic basket! But sometimes a special picnic calls for something a little bit different.

    Our favourite portable picnic recipes:

    Cornish Pasties

    5 from 22 votes
    Cornish Pasties - moist and tender traditional hand pies filled with steak, onion, potato and swede (rutabaga)
    Cornish pasties on a black baking tray
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

    5 from 2 votes
    A simple pasta salad with mozzarella and veggies plus an easy Italian dressing. Customize with whatever you've got in!
    Large bowl filled with pasta salad on a light background
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Coronation Chicken Recipe

    5 from 4 votes
    Coronation chicken - cooked chicken in a creamy, spicy sauce with sultanas and apricots. It makes a fantastic sandwich filler, jacket potato topper or serve with a lovely crisp salad.
    Coronation chicken on a bed of salad, topped with flaked almonds
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Easy Creamy Potato Salad Recipe

    5 from 14 votes
    Easy Creamy Potato Salad - My dad’s recipe that I’ve been eating (and making) for over 30 years!
    Creamy potato salad in a blue bowl on a wooden table. Chopped vegetables in the background.
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Vegetarian Sausage Rolls That Meat-Eaters Love Too!

    4.94 from 16 votes
    A simple pastry treat for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Really easy to make at the same time as meaty sausage rolls - to keep all your guests happy.
    Vegetarian sausage rolls piled up on a cooling rack
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Cheese and Tomato Tarts Recipe

    5 from 3 votes
    Cheese and Tomato Tarts with a rich tomato ragu and creamy béchamel sauce encased in shortcrust pastry. The best vegetarian lunch!
    Cheese and Tomato Tarts with a rich tomato ragu and creamy béchamel sauce encased in shortcrust pastry. The best vegetarian lunch!
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Homemade Coleslaw

    5 from 12 votes
    A quick and easy creamy coleslaw with plenty of crunch - just like those luxury supermarket versions. Made at home in 5 minutes.
    creamy coleslaw in a bowl. Cheese and cherry tomatoes in the background
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Chorizo Scotch Eggs Recipe

    5 from 2 votes
    These Chorizo Scotch Eggs are epic! Crispy and smoky on the outside with a perfect runny-egg filling!
    These Chorizo Scotch Eggs are epic! Crispy and smoky on the outside with a perfect runny-egg filling!
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Sausage Rolls Recipe

    5 from 15 votes
    Buttery golden pastry with a delicious meaty filling. Three ingredients are all you need to make a plateful of fantastic sausage rolls.
    Square image of sausage rolls on a cooling rack on a dark blue background
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Portable Apple Crumble Jars

    5 from 1 vote
    Portable Apple Crumble Jars - with a custard core!! Eat them hot or cold for a fab picnic treat!
    Portable Apple Crumble Jars - with a custard core!! Eat them hot or cold for a fab picnic treat!
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes

    5 from 7 votes
    These blueberry and blackberry mason jar cheesecakes are so quick and easy! Great for picnics and packed lunches. Gluten Free instructions included.
    Square image of individual blueberry and blackberry cheesecakes in mason jars on blue background.
    Made by: Nicky Corbishley

    That's my top 11 picnic food ideas! I Also need to do a special callout to some of my other picnic food ideas that didn't quite make the top 11:

    • Salted Caramel Millionaires Shortbread
    • Chicken Chorizo Puff Pastry Rolls
    • Portable Apple Crumbles
    • Tear and Share Sausage Rolls
    • Pigs in a Blanket Recipe
    • Chewy Amaretti Cookies
    • Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

    Do you have any picnic favourites? Let me know in the comments below.

    What if I want a sandwich recipe?

    Try my French Pressed Sandwich Bites!

    Do I need to bring cutlery on a picnic?

    Only for the dessert recipes!

    Can I make these recipes ahead?

    Yes, all of these recipes can be made ahead.

     

    This post was first written in July 2017. Updated in Aug 2021 with new recipe ideas.

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More
    « Simple Cauliflower Fritters
    Curry Roast Chicken »

    Other Recipes You Might Like:

    Individual berry cheesecake in a mason jar on a blue background next to a gold teaspoon
    Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes
    Pressed mini sandwich bites with different fillings on a marble platter
    French pressed sandwich bites - posh sandwiches for your party table!
    Chicken Chorizo Puff Pastry Rolls - This easy snack uses leftover pasta sauce. Have spaghetti for dinner, and these pastry rolls for lunch the next day!
    Chicken Chorizo Puff Pastry Rolls
    These 3 ingredient sausage rolls are so simple and quick to make. Perfect for parties, BBQs, buffets and picnics.
    Tear and Share Sausage Rolls

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    1. jhon says

      December 31, 2021 at 7:56 am

      Absolutely nice idea, Our family when go to picnic they always do online orders. For online Orders, we Prefer country kebab. The quality of all foods is outstanding. Country kebabs have fast food. Like Chicken Biryani Ballarat, HSP kebab, Cheese Burgers, etc. The taste of all foods is very delicious.

      Reply
    2. Mark wynn says

      August 02, 2021 at 2:53 pm

      Hi Nicky. Not a picnic food but how about chicken egg foo young? I’ve been making it for the last 3 weeks but it comes out as scrambled egg. I reckon you could do it better than restaurants.

      Reply
    3. Alphonse Glauser says

      March 23, 2021 at 8:05 pm

      I agree with you

      Reply
    4. Sonali says

      February 03, 2021 at 12:45 am

      Cheese and Tomato Tarts Recipe, do you serve that cold or warm?

      Reply
    5. Anne Grey says

      July 29, 2020 at 4:31 pm

      Absolutely lovely ideas...I can turn all the recipes into vegetarian ones apart from the chicken, which would end up as fish.

      Reply
    6. Floranet says

      July 04, 2019 at 6:04 am

      Worth Appreciating. Great work.

      Reply
    7. 2pots2cook says

      June 30, 2019 at 11:00 am

      Pinned the beauties to "popular" but to !for my office lunch" also 🙂 Amazing !

      Reply
    8. All That I'm Eating says

      August 03, 2017 at 12:05 pm

      A great set of picnic ideas! I love the sound of those doughnuts and those sausage rolls look amazing!

      Reply

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