Picnic Ideas:

Sitting Arrangements:

Layout a couple of blankies if its a big crowd and  a few cute square pillows. Hang around ballons, pom-poms whatever to make it look more alive

Picnic Basket Ideas:

Toffee Brownies

Servings: 24 large/48 small brownies
Prep Time: 8 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

3 (6-ounce) candy bars with almonds and toffee chips (recommended: Symphony brand)
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (17.6-ounce) package brownie mix with walnuts

Directions

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions.

Line a 13 by 9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. Spoon in half of the brownie batter and smooth with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Place the candy bars side by side on top of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter.

Bake according to package directions. Let cool completely, then lift from the pan using the edges of the foil. This makes it easy to cut the brownies into squares.

Beef Burger:

Ingredients

1 small onion

500g good-quality beef mince

1 egg

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 burger buns

All or any of the following to serve: sliced tomato , beetroot, horseradish sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, handful iceberg lettuce, rocket, watercress

Prep 25 mins

Plus chilling time

1. Peel the onion, slice in half through the root and trim off the top. Place cutside down on a chopping board. With your knife parallel to the board, cut 3 slices through the onion, keeping the root intact. With the knife point at root end, cut down through the onion from top to bottom 4 times. Holding the root end, finely slice to give you small diced pieces. Tip the beef into a bowl with the onion and egg, then mix.
2. Divide the mixture into four. Lightly wet your hands. Carefully roll the mixture into balls, each about the size of a tennis ball. Set in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze down to flatten into patties about 3cm thick. Make sure all the burgers are the same thickness so that they will cook evenly. Put on a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 mins.
3. Heat the barbecue to medium hot (there will be white ash over the red hot coals - about 40 mins after lighting). Lightly brush 1 side of each burger with oil. Place the burgers, oil-side down, on the barbecue. Cook for 5 mins until the meat is lightly charred. Don't move them around or they may stick. Oil the other side, then turn over using tongs. Don't press down on the meat, as that will squeeze out the juices. Cook for 5 mins more for medium. If you like your burgers pink in the middle, cook 1 min less each side. For well done, cook 1 min more.
4. Take the burgers off the barbecue. Leave to rest on a plate so that all the juices can settle inside. Slice each bun in half. Place, cut-side down, on the barbecue rack and toast for 1 min until they are lightly charred. Place a burger inside each bun, then top with your choice of accompaniment.

Peach and raspberry Champagne cocktail recipe: 

1. Makes 8 |
2. Takes 10 minutes to make, plus chilling |

Can you think of anything more wonderful than gently reclining somewhere in the great outdoors, admiring the view and sipping a peach and raspberry Champagne cocktail? If you're not the outdoor type, just curl up on the sofa and enjoy this delicious cocktail.

Ingredients

1. 3 ripe peaches, stoned and quartered
2. 400g fresh raspberries, plus a few extra for decoration
3. Caster sugar, to taste (optional)
4. 3 tbsp raspberry or peach liqueur
5. 75cl bottle inexpensive Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled

Method

1. 1. Put the fruit into a clean food processor and whizz to a smooth purée. Taste and, if itâ??s quite tart, stir in some sugar according to taste. Push the berry purée through a fine plastic sieve into a small bowl. Stir in the raspberry or peach liqueur. Transfer to a sterilised bottle, then chill for a few hours or until ready to take to the picnic.
2. 2. At the picnic, pop a few raspberries into 8 champagne flutes or tall glasses. Add the raspberry purée, carefully pour in the Champagne and gently stir. Serve the cocktail with extra raspberries, if you like.