Summer Picnic

Summers on Kangaroo Island: as lazy as slumbering sea lions 

In "The Flying Picnic", presenter Annabel Croft sets out to recreate Mrs Beeton's recipes for a sumptuous picnic for 40 on the lawn of Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, UK - roping the help of chefs who prefer to prepare delicious cuisine in the time-honoured traditional fashion. This focus on using the ingredients and cooking methods of old serves up cuisine delightfully ladened with generous servings of rich cream, and even richer applications of equally creamy butter and fine crystal-clear sugar.

This is well and fine in Bedfordshire as maximum summer temperatures normally gets no higher than the slightly chilly low twenties in Celsius. Or when I need an extra layer during an even more chilly summer on Kangaroo Island. But when I can get a leisurely sun tan in a teeny tiny jet black bikini on one of this island's many pristine and secluded beaches, Mrs Beeton's renown recipes doesn't become my idea for the ideal lazy summer picnic: I want to remain aware of my beautiful surroundings. Be it the lapping waters against a jagged cliff front or the amusing antics of wild shrimp safely trapped in temporary mud pools during low tide.  

So I prefer to load up my trusty rattan basket with absolutely fresh produce from Adelaide's Central Market - cheeses that melt instantaneously in your mouth; vine-ripened (and therefore) extra-juicy sweet strawberries, amazingly peachy peaches and lushly green grapes; as well as freshly cured Mac Wests and crackers almost hot from the oven.

But while Maggie Beer's pates are absolutely superb and would be a wonderful addition to my little stash of  picnic goodies, nothing beats the joy of smearing a generous helping of your own home-made variations on those nifty freshly baked crackers from South Australia's capital. Washing it down with copious amounts of lemonade or lemon barley I have freshly brewed becomes icing on my cake. 

You see, unlike the time-consuming process needed to make yummy cheeses and mouth-watering Mac Wests, pates can be done in a jiffy. And you can vary its taste by working in farm-fresh summer produce: add some tangy lemon zest into the yummy basic chicken liver recipe and, with a culinary eye for detail, top it with thin freshly sliced peaches before you cover it with a subtle gelatin. So that it doesn't distract you from the pate or the peachy essence.    

And time has hardly flown as you concoct your home-made brew. This is especially true when I make my sweet and sour contradiction of a lemonade or lime juice. The trick is in pouring the boiling hot water into a jug of all the secret ingredients that makes these drinks delight my senses while quenching my summer thirst.

Now that, my friends, is what makes a summer vacation idyllic!