Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace’s top tips for the perfect post-lockdown picnic

LOCKDOWN life has been no picnic. But from now on, rules have been relaxed to let households enjoy lunch in the park.

You can even invite one other person to your al-fresco feast – as long as you stay a safe distance of two metres apart.

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Today, MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace shares ten tasty recipes for Sun readers to take to the park.

Gregg said: “Everybody loves a picnic in the sunshine. It was always so magical when we were kids. Picnics enable you to be outside, eat fun finger-food and enjoy that greatest of pastimes: People-watching.”

From mini filo pies to sumptuous sarnies, Gregg shows how preparing the perfect picnic food can be a walk in the park.

Spinach & feta filo tarlets

(Serves 6)

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YOU NEED:

• Olive oil, to soften the onions and more for brushing the filo
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 280g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• Black pepper, to taste
• 150g feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 120g ricotta cheese
• 6 sheets of filo pastry

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 175C/165C fan/gas mark 3.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and soften the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes.

In a bowl, add the softened onions and garlic along with the chopped spinach, then crumble in feta.

Whisk the eggs, add the milk and ricotta then stir until it is all combined.

Add your onion and ­spinach mixture to this.

Take a Yorkshire pudding tin or bun tin and brush the insides with a little oil.

Brush a sheet of filo with olive oil, fold into a square large enough to fit inside the cavity, then nestle it in to create a cup.

It doesn’t have to look neat. The rougher it is around the edges, the prettier it will look when it is cooked.

Spoon the spinach mixture into the cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden-brown.

Scotch eggs

(Serves 4)

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YOU NEED:

• 300g pack sausage meat
• 1 pinch each salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 4 small hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 250g natural breadcrumbs
• 1 egg to coat, lightly beaten
• Oil for deep-frying

METHOD: Place the sausage meat, salt, pepper and flour in a bowl. Leave to one side.

In another bowl, crush the eggs using a fork and add mayonnaise.

Take a small amount of sausage meat in the palm of your hand and flatten it.

Take a heaped teaspoon of egg mayo mix and roll into a ball.

Cover the egg mix with sausage meat then coat in the beaten egg. Now roll in breadcrumbs.

Heat the oil until very hot over a medium-high heat.

Place the Scotch eggs in a few at a time until they are browned on all sides. This should take about eight to ten minutes.

Drain on a plate lined with paper towel and let cool.

Mini sausage rolls

(Serves 12)

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YOU NEED:

• 1 pack ready-made puff pastry
• 500g good-quality sausage meat
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Take your pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured surface and cut into quarters.

Then cut each quarter into three, so you have a total of 12 sections of pastry.

Place a good dollop of sausage meat on each piece of pastry.

Brush the pastry with beaten egg and fold over the sausage meat, squeezing the edges together. Trim off any excess.

Place the sausage roll on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and brush all over with more beaten egg.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until lightly golden.

Three-bean salad

(Serves 6)

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YOU NEED:

• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

METHOD: In a bowl, add the kidney beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans and chopped spring onions.

For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, mustard and parsley.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat.

Let marinate for two hours. The longer the better.

Classic BLT

(Serves 4)

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YOU NEED:

• 12 bacon slices
• 8 lettuce leaves
• 8 tomato slices
• 8 bread slices, toasted
• 60g mayonnaise

METHOD: Drizzle a large frying pan with a little oil and fry the bacon over a medium-high heat until brown.

Put the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.

Place the crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato slices on one slice of bread.

Spread one side of the ­remaining bread slice with mayonnaise.

Bring the two pieces together to make a sandwich.

Salmon & cream cheese bagels

(Serves 4)

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YOU NEED:

• 4 white bagels, halved horizontally
• 150g smoked salmon slices
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 200g cream cheese
• A pinch of ground black pepper

METHOD: Place your bagel halves into a toaster and toast until golden-brown. Set aside.

Put the smoked salmon slices in a bowl and add lemon juice, then stir.

Soften the cream cheese in a mixing bowl using a spoon, add ground black pepper and spread on to the bottom half of the toasted bagels.

Place smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese.

Top with the other half of the toasted bagel.

Chocolate brownies

(Serves 6)

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YOU NEED:

• 300g chocolate hazelnut spread
• 2 eggs
• 80g plain flour
• Handful of chocolate chips (any variety)

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.

Take a 20cm baking tin and lightly grease.

Using a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Place in the oven for 25 ­minutes.

Allow to cool and slice into six squares.

Lemon shortbread fingers

(Makes 20)

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YOU NEED:

• 450g softened butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 60ml lemon juice
• 4 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated
• 300g all-purpose flour

METHOD: Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.

Lightly grease a 15in x 10in x 1in baking tray and set aside.

Add all the ingredients apart from the flour into a large bowl.

Using a hand mixer at a medium speed, beat until creamy.

Now add the flour. You will need to mix this using your hands or a wooden spoon, as the mixture might be too thick for a hand mixer.

Take your dough and press down evenly into your greased baking tray.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a light golden-brown. Cut into 2in strips.

Strawberries & cream mini cupcakes

(Serves 12)

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YOU NEED:

• 100g butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 110g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 120g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 400ml double cream, whipped
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• 30 small strawberries, chopped

METHOD: Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar then add the eggs – one at a time, so they don’t curdle.

Fold in the flour and baking powder then pour the mixture evenly into 12 cupcake cases.

Bake for 15-20 minutes and leave to cool.

When the cupcakes are completely cool, pour ­double cream into a bowl and add the vanilla paste, whisking until thick.

Spread the vanilla whipped cream on top of each cupcake and cap with chopped strawberries.

Iced tea with mint and strawberries

(Makes 2 litres)

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YOU NEED:

• 1 litre boiling water
• 4 plain teabags (use your favourite type)
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 lemon
• 10 strawberries, cut into halves
• Fresh mint, to taste
• Ice

METHOD: Add the teabags to boiling water and brew for five minutes.

Do not leave for much longer or the tea will taste bitter.

As the teabags are brewing, mix the sugar and cold water in a jug until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the teabags and discard.

Add the hot tea to the jug and stir well.

Chop the lemon in half, then juice one half and add the juice to the jug.

Slice the other half thinly and add to the jug.

Add strawberries then the mint sprigs.

Leave to chill for at least a couple of hours then serve over ice.

If you like, you can add more fresh mint and fresh lemon slices once the tea has chilled.

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