Whether you’ll be dining al fresco in your local park - or just your back garden - no picnic is complete without a few big sandwiches in your basket. And, arguably, there’s no better big sandwich to indulge in than the picnic loaf.
Summer has (finally) arrived. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, you can hear the chimes of the ice cream van driving around your neighborhood. It’s the perfect opportunity to go on a picnic. Whether you’ll be dining al fresco in your local park - or just your back garden - no picnic is complete without a few big sandwiches in your basket. And, arguably, there’s no better big sandwich to indulge in than the picnic loaf.
Picnic loaves are the perfect snack. To make them, all you need to do is hollow out a loaf of your favourite bread and fill it full of your favourite savoury things. Stuffing the ingredients inside the bread ensures that they stay in the sandwich and don’t end up spilling all over your hands (and your clothes.)
The King of picnic loaves is the Muffaletta. This is an iconic sandwich hailing from New Orleans. Allegedly, it was invented there in 1906 by Sicilian immigrants who needed a more efficient way to eat their lunch. This Mufaletta recipe from Great British Chefs includes ham, salami, cheese, olives, grilled peppers and capers and is flattened so all the different components mingle together nicely. (We’d recommend putting a heavy casserole dish on top of it once it’s made) It allegedly serves six people, but if you make a giant one for yourself and eat it all in one sitting, we won’t tell.,If you’re looking for something a bit more traditional, why not try this Ploughman’s Stuffed Picnic Loaf? It’s stuffed full of ham, cheese and pickles and is a great way to use up those sourdough loaves you (and everyone else) has been baking during lockdown. If you’re wondering what to do with the remnants of your loaf once you’ve hollowed it out, whizz it up and make some fresh breadcrumbs.
Picnic loaves don’t just have to include cured meats. The Pan Bagnat is a specialty of Nice and is filled with Niçoise salad ingredients including tuna, anchovies and hard boiled eggs. Once you’ve filled your hollowed out loaf with all these ingredients, simply pop it on a large baking sheet, flatten it and cut it into large slices. We can totally imagine how delicious one of these would taste accompanied by a class of something cold and fizzy!
If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, this Picnic Loaf recipe from Delicious Magazine is packed full of grilled vegetables and ooey gooey buffalo mozzarella, making it perfect if you’re looking for a way to use up all those wilting veggies wasting away at the bottom of your fridge.
Pesto is the perfect way to liven up a sandwich, particularly when it’s combined with tasty roast chicken, peppers and cheese. Eat Drink Cook describes their Picnic Loaf recipe as being ‘half sandwich, half pie,’ which sounds like a winning combination to us. They also recommend accompanying their Pesto, Chicken, Sweet Pepper and Mozzarella Picnic Loaf with some strawberries and a bottle of chilled Prosecco which sounds like an excellent plan. We don’t know about you, but we’re off to pack a picnic basket… Will you be picking up a picnic loaf this summer? We’d love to see your versions! For a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed, tag @yourprestigekitchen in your pictures.
Picnic loaves are the perfect snack. To make them, all you need to do is hollow out a loaf of your favourite bread and fill it full of your favourite savoury things. Stuffing the ingredients inside the bread ensures that they stay in the sandwich and don’t end up spilling all over your hands (and your clothes.)
The King of picnic loaves is the Muffaletta. This is an iconic sandwich hailing from New Orleans. Allegedly, it was invented there in 1906 by Sicilian immigrants who needed a more efficient way to eat their lunch. This Mufaletta recipe from Great British Chefs includes ham, salami, cheese, olives, grilled peppers and capers and is flattened so all the different components mingle together nicely. (We’d recommend putting a heavy casserole dish on top of it once it’s made) It allegedly serves six people, but if you make a giant one for yourself and eat it all in one sitting, we won’t tell.,If you’re looking for something a bit more traditional, why not try this Ploughman’s Stuffed Picnic Loaf? It’s stuffed full of ham, cheese and pickles and is a great way to use up those sourdough loaves you (and everyone else) has been baking during lockdown. If you’re wondering what to do with the remnants of your loaf once you’ve hollowed it out, whizz it up and make some fresh breadcrumbs.
Picnic loaves don’t just have to include cured meats. The Pan Bagnat is a specialty of Nice and is filled with Niçoise salad ingredients including tuna, anchovies and hard boiled eggs. Once you’ve filled your hollowed out loaf with all these ingredients, simply pop it on a large baking sheet, flatten it and cut it into large slices. We can totally imagine how delicious one of these would taste accompanied by a class of something cold and fizzy!
If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, this Picnic Loaf recipe from Delicious Magazine is packed full of grilled vegetables and ooey gooey buffalo mozzarella, making it perfect if you’re looking for a way to use up all those wilting veggies wasting away at the bottom of your fridge.
Pesto is the perfect way to liven up a sandwich, particularly when it’s combined with tasty roast chicken, peppers and cheese. Eat Drink Cook describes their Picnic Loaf recipe as being ‘half sandwich, half pie,’ which sounds like a winning combination to us. They also recommend accompanying their Pesto, Chicken, Sweet Pepper and Mozzarella Picnic Loaf with some strawberries and a bottle of chilled Prosecco which sounds like an excellent plan. We don’t know about you, but we’re off to pack a picnic basket… Will you be picking up a picnic loaf this summer? We’d love to see your versions! For a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed, tag @yourprestigekitchen in your pictures.