Winter picnic

MMF007

I am planning a winter picnic. We cannot use a stove or bbq at the location but I have just seen a fab idea for taking hotdog sausages in a wide-mouth flask!

Aside from soup and hot drinks what else could I take?

carolbee

We're having a bonfire and picnic at our allotment later. I'm cooking sausages and onions and will put them hot in foil and pop in insulated bag. Soup in flask and hot water in flask for hot choc too.

Enjoy your picnic, great idea about flask , I've heard that before.

trailingspouse

I don't see why you can't have cold food too, maybe go easy on the salad and have fairly 'stodgy' food - turkey and stuffing sandwiches, crisps, sausage rolls etc. Nothing too messy if you'll be eating it with gloves on!

One year my parents took us off hiking on Boxing Day. Frost on the ground, very chilly. We took a wide-mouthed flask with baked beans and sausages, and cheese and onion sandwiches, which we ate in the middle of nowhere. A very happy memory.

Enjoy yours!!

ancientofdays

If you have an insulated container, baked potatoes should keep warm for alittle while

[Deleted User]

We always took carrot sticks and hummus on a winter picnic, a flask of home made soup, hot sausages and rolls already 'ketchuped' and cut, ginger cake, peeled clementines and a big bar of dark chocolate to eat with the flask of black coffee. We've sat in the car in -10C and enjoyed ourselves up a mountain and this always filled the gap.

MMF007

I am now wondering if I made pasties whether these would stay hot / warm if wrapped in foil in an insulated bag, OR, would they go soggy??

Ginger cake would seem festive somehow, and I have a foolproof recipe

I love turkey sandwiches!

PasturesNew

What you've not given are any clues.

Will you drive, park, take your food with you and walk 6 miles, stop, eat, walk back?

Will you drive, park, walk around a bit, then go back to the car to eat by getting out the folding chairs?

How far, how long, you're carting food about changes what's suitable/not. Eating sitting on a log, or beside the car on folding chairs, brings to mind different options.

If you're eating AT the car ..... all manner of "Hay box" solutions could come into play

MMF007

^^ Good points, PaturesNew!
We are meeting up as a small group (having travelled for about an hour and a half), attending an event that will prob last another hour n a half or so, then eating adjacent to our vehicles.

So biggest prob is keeping stuff warm for roughly 4 hours (total time from making to eating). Obviously flasks rule! I shall also take mince pies because the event is xmas-themed and I'll bake another sweet treat to go with cups of tea or hot chocolate so there will be a choice.

As the temperature is pretty certain to be chilly I was looking for inspiration for hot food if poss.
I love the idea of baked potatoes and l imagine they will indeed keep hot well insulated and nestled together.

martinthebandit

Instead of using freezer blocks in a cool box try using a couple of rechargeable hand warmers.

freyasmum

We tried the hot dogs in a flask on a 4.5-hour trip this Easter. The hotdogs themselves were great and it was a real treat to be able to have a nice, warm hotdog in the car after the journey rather than a burger in a dirty service station!

However, my flask STILL smells of hot dogs...

PasturesNew

MMF007 wrote: »

^^ Good points, PaturesNew!
We are meeting up as a small group (having travelled for about an hour and a half), attending an event that will prob last another hour n a half or so, then eating adjacent to our vehicles.

So biggest prob is keeping stuff warm for roughly 4 hours (total time from making to eating). Obviously flasks rule!

Ah, that's easier then as you've got the option of packing those flasks immediately into other layers of insulation and packing them tightly to retain all heat.... as opposed to having to carry the flask outside, in the cold, with you, for X amount of time.

You don't actually need "flasks" as you've the opportunity of making up your own heavily insulated box and packing food into that as you're never carrying the food about with you.

Hot dogs are "most exciting" for what you've described. An alternative would be jacket potatoes and curry or chilli... but that's more effort/washing up. People will be excited by a hotdog and be happy that's what they got!

I've three food flasks ... with the wide mouths ... two Stanley brand and one other. But flasks can be limiting, so, in your scenario, a well packed/insulated package/box would work better as it'd give you more space/flexibility of space.

I really fancy hot dogs now!