October 03, 2020

4 Recipes For Spring Afternoon Picnics

Lately, my favourite way to spend Sundays is sprawled out in the afternoon sun at New Farm Park in Brisbane. My friends and I bring food to share with each other - we dunk fat, spongy fingers of sourdough focaccia into tangy baba ganoush; thick wedges of watermelon drip juice all the way down our forearms, and we compete to catch grapes in our open mouths, usually only succeeding on the second or third try.

After months without bumping into the people I used to see all the time at gigs or my favourite cafes, it feels luxurious to be casually surrounded by lots of other groups! People bring their books, pets, kites, frisbees, cricket bats and art supplies to the park. I love listening to the chatter and laughter that radiates from each pod, while my friends debrief on the week that was.

Since Pigeonhole started stocking picnic rugs and coolers from The Somewhere Co, I’ve been collecting recipes to try out on weekend picnics.

Here are some of my favourites:

The Tivoli Road Bakery Sourdough (Five of the Best)

Find the recipe for sourdough about halfway down this article, which previews some of the recipes inside The Tivoli Road Baker, authored by the owners of the cult-favourite bakery in Melbourne. If you like the look of these treats, you can find the whole book in many of our stores.

Just remember to bring a knife and a chopping board in your picnic bag, or cut slices up at home.

Curried Chickpea Sandwich Filling (Penne Savers)

Claire Scrine, author of The Shared Table, is Brisbane’s patron saint of scrumptious, plant-based cooking for a crowd. And believe me, this filling is the HOLY GRAIL. Slather it on the aforementioned sourdough, spread it on a bun (extra salad optional), or grab a spoon and eat it straight out of the container, shameless. It’s easy to substitute in whatever ingredients you have on hand, and I recommend making a double batch so you can have leftovers on toast all week!

Roast Pumpkin Salad with Lentils and Honey-Miso Dressing (ABC Life)

We’ve all been there: with the best of intentions, you pack last night’s salad in your work bag, only to have it turn soggy and sad by lunch-time. The trauma is enough to put you off any future attempt to venture out of the house with salad, until… this salad. Hetty McKinnon - vegetable-whisperer, cookbook author and the owner of Arthur Street Kitchen - has devised a salad that GETS BETTER the longer it sits around in it’s dressing. I bow down to her.

Chocolate Caramel Bars With a Salty Sprinkle (delicious.com.au)

If these recipes were all skewing a bit tooooo healthy, I’m hoping this one will get you back in my corner. Natalie Paull, owner of the Beatrix cake shop and author of Beatrix Bakes, creates truly joyous baked goods that are guaranteed to have your crowd coming back for seconds.

If you end up taking your new picnic rug out for a spin, let us know! You can make sure we see your Instagram photos by tagging @pigeonholeaustralia.