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Planning a Victorian-style picnic
Dining al fresco was all the rage in Victorian England. Its popularity was partly due to Queen Victoria herself. The 19th stylish set liked to emulate the queen’s habit of picnicking with her family on her various estates.

Planning your own Victorian-style picnic is the ideal time to recapture the romance of that era. Find a horse drawn carriage hire service that offers a picturesque lunch stop. Pack a basket with provisions and get ready for an outing that will leave your loved ones enthralled. Don’t forget to check your horse hire company’s policy. Some forbid glass tableware or have other restrictions.

Victorian picnickers firmly believed firmly that meals outdoors should be just as civilized as those enjoyed at the table, bringing all manner of dishes and utensils on their outings. Companies specializing in high-end picnic accessories offer today’s outward-bound diners the same opportunity with products like the Windsor—a fully equipped luxury hamper made of willow that serves four. Anything a diner might desire is there, from wine glasses and a waiter-style corkscrew to cloth napkins and porcelain plaits, from a cutting board and cheese knife to a blanket and salt and pepper shakers.

The choice of picnic fare was quite important to Victorians. Food was expected to be varied, lavish and delicious. A well-stocked hamper included an array of edibles: fruit and cheese; cold meats, including entire spiced hams; wheel-sized game pies filled with grouse or woodcock; poached lobster; and even a calf’s head.

That last item might make some shudder, but no one can argue with the British tradition of bringing plenty of sweets along with well-chilled wine.

Today’s picnicker will probably enjoy a lighter and simpler lunch. We suggest the following menu, which includes elegant and easy dishes that will make yours a picnic to remember.

Tasteful Victorian Picnic
— Chilled champagne
— Lavender lemonade
— Tea sandwiches: chicken, cucumber & cream cheese, celery, and walnut
— Victorian sandwich cake
— Strawberries and cream

Your palate will thank you for preparing these charming recipes:

Lavender lemonade (MyRecipes.com)
(Makes five 1-cup servings)

Ingredients:
— 4 cups water, divided
— 1/4 cup chopped fresh lavender leaves
— 2/3 cup sugar
— 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
— lavender stems

Preparation:
Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Combine the boiling water and lavender in a medium bowl; cover and steep 30 minutes. Strain the lavender mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard lavender leaves.

Combine 3 cups water and sugar in saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. Combine lavender water, sugar syrup, and lemon juice in a pitcher. Cover and chill. Serve over ice. Garnish lemonade with lavender stems, if desired.

Chicken salad sandwiches (www.grouprecipes.com)
Ingredients:
&emdash; Last night’s roasted chicken leftovers (about half a chicken, chopped)
— 1/4 cup chopped red onion
— 1 stalk chopped celery
— 1/2 golden delicious apple chopped
— 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
— 1 tblsp dill weed
— 1 tblsp tarragon
— 1 tblsp parsley
— 1/2 tsp black pepper
— dash Lawry's Seasoned Salt
— 1 tsp dill relish

Preparation:
Cut cooked cold chicken in small bite-sized pieces. Chop the celery, onion and apple and add to the chicken in a medium size bowl. Add the herbs and spices and mayo. Mix well and chill for couple hours. Spread on bread, croissants or rolls.

Cucumber sandwiches (www.gourmet-food-revolution.com)
(Makes 30 to 40 bite-sized sandwiches; consider halving the recipe if your party is small)

Ingredients:
— 1 cucumber peeled and sliced
— 1 loaf white or brown bread, thin-sliced
— 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature
— 1 level dessert spoon finely chopped mint leaves
— squeeze of fresh lemon juice
— salt, freshly milled black pepper and paprika to taste

Preparation:
Beat together the softened butter, chopped mint and lemon juice. Season with salt and paprika and beat until smooth and creamy. Check the seasoning. Slice the cucumber very thinly. Salt the slices lightly and place in colander for 15 minutes to drain. Press to release water; pat dry with paper towels. Spread one side of each slice of bread with the creamed butter. Lay a double layer of cucumber slices onto half of the bread slices. Season the cucumber with freshly milled black pepper. Place a slice of bread over the top of the cucumber and press down lightly.

Trim the crusts off each sandwich. Now cut them into either 3 rectangles, 4 triangles, 4 squares or 4 octagonals (squares with the corners trimmed off). Arrange neatly on a serving platter and garnish lightly with a few sprigs of mint and thinly sliced cucumber. Serve immediately.

*Cook’s note: Prepare the sandwiches as close as possible to the time you intend to serve them. . .otherwise they will become rather soggy!
Cream cheese, celery and walnut sandwiches (http://appetizers-and-snacks.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:
— Cream cheese, room temperature
— 1/4 cup celery heart, finely chopped
— 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
— thin sliced bread
— parsley sprigs (for garnish)

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add celery and walnuts and mix. Spread cream cheese mixture on sliced bread. Trim off crusts and cut into rectangles or triangles. Garnish with a small sprig of parsley.

*Cook’s note: these sandwiches should be served as an opened sandwich (no top slice of bread is necessary).

Victoria sandwich cake (CookItSimply.com)
(Makes 8 slices)

Ingredients:
— 3/4 cup (butter or block margarine, softened)
— 3/4 cup + 2 tbls caster sugar (superfine granulated)
— 3 eggs, beaten
— 1 2/3 cup self-rising flour
— 3-4 tbsp jam
— caster sugar for dredging

Preparation:
Grease and line the base of two 7-inch sandwich tins with greaseproof paper. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in half the flour, using a metal spoon or plastic bladed spatula, then fold in the remaining flour. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and level the surface with a palette knife. Bake in the center of the oven at 375°F for about 20 minutes until well risen and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed in the center.

Loosen the edges of the cakes with a palette knife and leave in the tins for 5 minutes. Turn out, remove the lining paper, invert and leave to cool on a wire rack. When the cakes are cool, sandwich them together with the jam and sprinkle the top with caster sugar. To freeze, bake in the usual way, leave until cold, then wrap separately in waxed paper or cling wrap and overwrap in tin foil.

Strawberries and cream (www.gourmet-food-revolution.com/)
(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
— 1 lb fresh strawberries
— 1⁄2 pint whipping cream
— 1 - 2 tablespoons rosewater
— 2 tablespoons fine white sugar

Preparation:
Begin by gently washing the strawberries in cold water, leaving the stalks in place. Shake off the excess water using a colander. Place the strawberries in a large bowl and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over. Toss very gently. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the cream and whip lightly to the soft peak stage. Fold through the rosewater.
To serve, pile the strawberries into attractive serving bowls (sundae glasses are perfect) and pile some whipped cream on top. Decorate with a strawberry on top of the cream.

*Cook's note: You may prefer to flavor the cream with the seeds from a vanilla pod, or 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract instead of the orange rosewater. This is known as Créme Chantilly.

Queen Victoria on one of her estates, her beloved family surrounding her. Jane Austin’s matchmaking Emma and companions flirting and quarreling while dining outdoors at Box Hill. (Strawberries were included in their meal, by the way). Rat and Mole’s riverside picnic in Kenneth Graham’s “Wind in the Willows,” for which rat has packed a hamper with “coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwidgepottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesoda” as well as cold chicken.

These scenes and more come to mind when we hear the phrase Victorian picnic. Why not create your own memories of a savory Victorian-style picnic?

Let the feast begin!