Stuffed picnic loaf

I have four picnic baskets. They are all stacked up prettily in my conservatory, housing my napkins, tea towels, tablecloths and aprons.

It’s a sad situation. They’ve never been out of the house.

I can’t resist a picnic basket you see. It’s the thought of sitting somewhere idyllic with my family on a long, lazy summer afternoon. Pulling out homemade delight after delight. Tucking in with lots of chat, then lying lazily in the sun reading a good book.

Of course reality isn’t anything like that. Since I had my little boy Cooper, who is now three, we haven’t had a good summer. We do get the odd great day, but sods law dictates that I am at work or we have something else planned.

I’m optimistic for this year. June is turning into a right corker. Lots of sunshine and a bit of warmth, so I am planning my first picnic.

In honour of this sacred event, when one of my picnic baskets actually leaves the house, I have created a colourful stuffed picnic loaf.

A stuffed picnic loaf is stunning to look at, but so easy to create.

First buy or bake a cob loaf. Slice the top off and this will become the lid. Next, scoop out the soft middle to create a bowl. Spread the base with something delicious like pesto or hummus, and then simply layer up your choice of filling until it is very full. Once the lid back on, it needs to be chilled in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Check out my tips in the recipe below.