James Martin offers up his tips to keep your picnic fresh and inspired this summer.
Ahead of this year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, which takes place on 1-4 September, title sponsor Land Rover has collaborated with chef James Martin to encourage Burghley spectators to go the extra mile with their picnics.
The Land Rover Tailgate Picnic Competition – which traditionally takes place on cross-country day – has become a popular feature among horse trial goers. In recent years it has been judged by some well-known faces, including event rider Zara Tindall, Kirstie Allsopp and Matt Baker.
As many dedicated event goers know, it is always a challenge to keep a picnic fresh when it has to tolerate a long car journey, so here are James Martin’s tips for creating the perfect picnic:
5 tips for a perfect picnic
- When it comes to wrapping food, always use greaseproof paper or cling film. So often when the weather is good, if you use tinfoil it can actually end up cooking the food
- Use different types of vinegars like cider vinegar or sherry vinegar to glam up limp salad. It really gives it a lift after a long journey
- Pack a spicy pickle or a chilli jam in your picnic. It doesn’t matter if it gets a bit warm and the kick in the pickle or jam will really enhance the taste of a pie or a scotch egg
- Look for things like hot smoked salmon which is already cooked and therefore doesn’t deteriorate when it has been in the back of a vehicle for a certain amount of time
- Use soft cheeses, ones that don’t like being refrigerated but are actually better when they warm up, such as brie and camembert, or a particularly good one is Vacherin Mont D’Or
The Land Rover Tailgate Picnic Competition takes place on cross-country day at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Saturday 3rd September in the reserved car park. For more information about the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk
