Homemade Food Jars

Liven up your picnic hamper with homemade food jars – they’re easy to transport and they look amazing! These tasty red berry granola pots are a perfect summer dessert, made with strawberries and raspberry coulis, topped with a layer of creamy yogurt and crunchy granola.

Red berry granola yogurt pots

Ingredients:

  • 150g strawberries
  • 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 4 tbsp quick granola (see below)

For the coulis

  • ½ lemon
  • 150g raspberries
  • ½ tbsp honey
  • For the quick granola
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 150g oats
  • 50g sunflower seeds
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tbsp honey

Method

To make the coulis, juice the half lemon, then put in a pan with the raspberries and honey. Cook over a gentle heat for a few moments, breaking down with the back of a wooden spoon. Blend to a purée, then push through a sieve and discard the raspberry seeds. Divide between the bottom of four little pots or jars.

To make the quick granola, melt the coconut oil, cinnamon and pinch of salt in a medium pan over a gentle heat. Pour in the oats, seeds and honey and stir well to combine. Continue to move around the pan until evenly browned, about 5 mins. Spread out on a baking sheet to cool.

While it’s cooking, slice up the strawberries and divide between the pots, layering up over the coulis. Spoon 1 tbsp of yogurt on top of each pot. Finish each pot with 1 tbsp of granola sprinkled over (the remaining granola will keep in a jar for a week).

 

Stuffed rainbow baguette

Fill a baguette with hummus, pesto and colourful veg such as beetroot, red pepper, carrot and green leaves to make this vegetarian rainbow sandwich

Ingredients

  • 1 artisan-style baguette
  • 4 tbsp hummus
  • 8 slices medium cheddar
  • ¼ red pepper, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cooked beetroot, shredded
  • 2 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow or orange carrot, shredded or grated
  • handful green leaves
  • 1 tbsp vegetarian pesto, mixed with 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Cut the baguette in half so you can open it out like a book. Spread the hummus over the bottom half of the baguette and add the cheese, breaking the slices up if you need to. Scatter the pepper, beetroot, radish and carrot along the baguette, then add the leaves, dribble with the pesto and close the baguette.

Wrap the baguette tightly in baking parchment and tie securely with string. Take a bread knife with you so you can slice it when you’re ready to eat it.

 

Trail Mix for Picnics:

This picnic trail mix is a delightful combo of sweet and salty flavours to munch on while you explore the countryside. Packed with nuts, dried fruit, pretzels and chocolate chips, they’re easy to customise with whatever you have in the storecupboard.

Ingredients:

butter for the tray

150g mix of your choice of: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, chopped dried apricot, raisins, dried cranberries

150g caster sugar

100g milk or dark chocolate chips

25g bag mini salted pretzels

25g bag mini Ritz crackers

rainbow sprinkles, for dipping

Method:

Butter a baking tray. Mix together your chosen fruit, seeds and nuts in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and stir together over a medium heat for 10 mins until the sugar has melted and caramelised. Quickly tip onto the baking tray, press down a little and leave to set (it won’t fill the whole tray).

Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, then half-dip the mini pretzels and crackers in the chocolate. Half-dip some in the sprinkles, leaving some plain. Place on a wire rack to set as you go along.

Once the fruit and nut praline is set, bash it up on the baking tray with a rolling pin to make little clusters. Mix with the chocolate pretzels and crackers and pack in little paper bags.

Source: BBC Good Food