Which Bag is Best For The Job?

The best picnic bags can accommodate as many bottles as might be required! We recommend our Silverstone Tote – eager for a party at all times and cavernously capacious.

But what to drink?

Aside from the classic British cup of tea of course, we love a glass of classy English fizz – Gusbourne makes one of the finest in its Kent vineyard.

Mrs Tusting’s Family Scones

No picnic is complete without a sweet treat and a family recipe is always the best. Mrs Tusting’s scone recipe was given to her by her grandmother’s faithful cook, Elsie, and has been treasured ever since. We persuaded her to share:

450g self-raising flour
3 rounded tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
100g cold butter, cubed
45g fine sugar
2 lovely free range eggs mixed with 275mls of milk

Keep a little of the milky egg mixture aside to glaze the scones.
Whizz the flour, salt and baking powder together with the butter in a food processor until you have a fine crumb (or do it Elsie’s way by rubbing it all together with cold hands!). Mix in the sugar and then pour in most of the eggy milk – as much as you need to get the mixture to bind into a dough – you don’t want it too wet.
Turn it out onto a lightly floured cold worktop and kneed lightly to bring it together and get it smooth. Press it out with your hands to a layer of about 2cm / ¾ inch deep (or use a rolling pin) and cut into whatever shapes you fancy – by knife or cookie cutter. Glaze the tops with the remaining eggy milk.

Cook at 220°C for 10 to 15 minutes until risen and golden – cool on a rack for as long as you can bear, then spread with whipped or clotted cream and some heavenly strawberry jam.