The best picnic recipes for summer 2023 — from top chefs

Who doesn't love a picnic? Eating outside, grazing casually for hours on snacks just because they’re in mini form (oh, go on, just one more cocktail sausage). It's finger food, but so much better.

And if you really want to impress, take a cue from the top chefs. Raymond Blanc makes a delicious tomato tart, while classic British snacks have gone up a notch with Richard Corrigan's smoked-mackerel scotch eggs and Tommy Banks's pork pies with madeira and thyme. Yes, everyone can tuck into an M&S spread, but you’ll seriously show off if you make James Martin's Marmite cheese straws from scratch.

Just because it looks good on gingham, doesn't mean your spread has to be complicated. You can't go wrong with egg and cress