In praise of 'inconvenience' food: an easy and elegant picnic plan for you!

Eating outside in the fresh and natural beauty of the English countryside is an unrivalled pleasure during the summer months. Here's a wild idea: why not eat fresh and natural food too!

This year has been challenging in many ways. We realised early on that we might not be able to go away on holiday so we planned in some top treats instead. Last week we had an amazing time deep in the Sussex Downs, hobnobbing with an eclectic bunch of music lovers in the glorious grounds of Glyndebourne. For the Summer Season it’s traditional to take a picnic to enjoy both before the show and during the interval - which is ninety minutes long to accommodate a leisurely meal.

Off we went with a couple of lovely local friends, ready to make the most of the occasion, with posh frocks and posh food, lovingly prepared during the morning while looking forward to the delights of the afternoon.

Imagine the scene: the rolling downs, beautiful gardens, smiling staff, sunshine and showers, and dozens of other lucky opera-goers. With Mary Poppins-like efficiency, people were removing all the accoutrements of fine dining from vicariously vintage wicker hampers. There were napkins and tablecloths, candles and vases (with hand tied posies to grace them), shiny cutlery, pretty plates and twinkling glasses. And then… a deafening rustle of plastic and cellophane as the food was unpacked. Packets of crisps and sausage rolls were opened, the film on tubs of supermarket salads and slaws peeled back, cans pulled and plastic bottles poured, together with the occasional pop and hiss of a special cork being released.

A modern dining experience - where the trims and trappings are more important and attractive than the food. The diners were well heeled and well spoken but definitely not well fed.

If I sound judgmental, that’s not the point. It’s not about disapproval, it’s about disconnection.

I have written before about the problems of normalising processed food - by which I mean food made by other people whose ingredients and cooking methods we foolishly take on trust. We gather round a table and tuck in to take away. We celebrate with cake that comes from a supermarket. We fancy a lasagne, and pop one in our shopping trolley. No matter that the food doesn’t taste that good, and rarely lights up the pleasure centres in our heads, it saves us time and allows us to believe we’re living well. And because the photos on the packaging are carefully lit to look enticing (and nothing like the food inside) we buy the ‘idea’ of the food, barely noticing that the reality is not what we crave. This is not just food: in fact it’s not really food at all.

We are increasingly living in a post-food society where we go through the motions of eating - but we don’t really care about what we eat. Neither its impact on us, nor on the environment. We have been thoroughly brainwashed.

If we are to avoid being a cancer statistic, we urgently need to start eating better. Not just on week nights but also when we are out to enjoy ourselves. On picnics, on holiday, on trains, on Saturdays and on a daily basis.

So - having delivered a grumpy rant - I’d now like to deliver you a deceptively easy, reassuringly quick and elegantly edible picnic plan. I think it will work for almost all ages, almost all dietary preferences and almost all weathers!