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 S.M. King dips into the picnic basket.
There is no greatness where there is no simplicity. If memory serves (as it often doesn’t) Tolstoy said something along these lines. He was probably talking about 19th century novels. But he may as well have been talking about picnics.
Elegance, ease and pleasure are best achieved with a minimum of clutter.
Honestly, a great picnic is a simple picnic. Anything that needs to be constructed on site is best avoided. Foolproof picnic staples are cold fried chicken, the kind of good quality ham that can’t be bought at the supermarket, cheeses, fresh bread and pickled vegetables.
Classic salads like coleslaw and potato salad travel well and are easy to serve. Novice cooks pay heed: these are hard to stuff up.
Potato salad can be a blank canvas to carry any flavours you like. A zesty version is made by mixing Malaysian curry powder, crushed peanuts and spring onions with cooked potatoes and mayonnaise. A note on mayo: only use the best whole egg stuff, nothing else will do. Nothing.
Coleslaw is also adaptable. I like making it with Chinese cabbage and vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise; especially if I’m also serving potato salad.
Buying goodies at your destination is the only way to go if you’re headed for a corner of our state known for good nosh. A picnic by the lake in Daylesford demands local stars: Holy Goat cheese, Tuki smoked trout, Macedon Grove olives, and perhaps a Tuki lamb chipolata salad from Gourmet Larder on Vincent Street, Daylesford’s main drag.
A trip to Yarra Ranges National Park, however, screams for Persian Fetta from Yarra Valley Dairy and a jar of local Anne Creber’s divine relishes and chutneys. Nearby, Tommy Finn’s trout farm sells fresh trout for barbequing and smoked trout for a picnic. Healesville Sanctuary is a brilliant place to take friends and relos from interstate or overseas. Picnic hampers featuring a range of local Yarra Valley produce may be pre-ordered.
Many of the region’s wineries also have picnic areas, so pick your favourite and take a hamper of local goodies from The Cheese Shop at Yarra Valley Dairy with you.
Another idea is to base your picnic around market day in a foodie country town. Red Hill Community Market is on the first Saturday of every month. At the centre of the Mornington Peninsula, it’s a great place to pick up local treasures before heading to your favourite beach.
For a lazy and low-maintenance day, order a hamper from Red Hill Cool Store before you leave home and pick it up on your way through.
(And do remember to take an esky, even if it’s empty. You’ll need it to bring home the leftovers of your gourmet acquisitions.)
In the picnic, as in life, the most direct route to bliss is by simple means. Any Russian novelist will tell you that!
Red Hill Cool Store, 1012 Mornington-Flinders Rd Red Hill 5931 0364 | Gourmet Larder Delicatessen, 57a Vincent St Daylesford 5348 4700 | Yarra Valley Dairy, Mc Meikans Road, Yering, 9739 0023 | Healesville Sanctuary picnic hampers, 5957 2837
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