Picnics

This roasted tomato chutney is a summer preserve staple, with garlic and herbs it makes a stunning, intensely flavourful chutney….

Sticky and delicious, this is a comfort blanket of a meal! The pork pairs so well with the crunchy shredded raw…

This is the Jack-of-all-trades dressing. It’s become so widely used because it’s so versatile and we all love it! At River…

This is up there with the best-known salads in the world and it’s a great one for using up the leftovers…

This was first made for one of our staff summer parties almost a decade ago. It was such a big hit that it went on our menus shortly after and has remained there ever since. It’s perfect for a summer lunch, or to roll out once the barbecue is fired up, but its accessible ingredients, chilli warmth and aromatic dressing make it a great year-round salad….

As a kid, when I got home from school I used to snack on apples, Cheddar and mayonnaise. It wasn’t…

This salad is a vibrant summer celebration with crispy toasted bread, ripe tomatoes with juice, cucumber, capers, olives, red onion, and seasonal fruit all tossed with olive oil and fresh basil to soak up the flavours….

Traditional hummus is made with chickpeas, but at River Cottage, we love making dippable purées with fresh vegetables—even better when they’re leftovers!…

Focaccia is an excellent sharing bread, perfect for serving at supper, and it’s really easy to make. You can certainly skip the rosemary and the sprinkle of salt on top, though those are traditional. Feel free to expand this recipe and experiment by mixing various herbs and flavourings into the dough. However, you might want to ask an Italian if you can still call it focaccia! You can also use a food mixer to knead this soft dough….