7 fancy schmancy salads for a posh picnic

Promote your picnic to ‘fine al fresco dining’ with a really special salad instead. From a rainbow of exciting veg to meaty additions, pulses, spices and herbs, the recipes in this list will turn the humblest of side dishes into a bonafide main event. Don’t forget the napkins. 

1. Tomato and mint salad

Never underestimate the power of fresh herbs. Without mint, this would just be the ingredients for a basic pasta sauce; with mint, it’s a burst of summer flavour in a bowl. Pile it high on toasted bread for improvised bruschetta, pop it in a pitta or serve it on the side of chicken kebabs as a swish alternative to ketchup.

2. Peach, pancetta and mozzarella salad

Say ‘peach, pancetta and mozzarella’ – almost like poetry, isn’t it? And that’s how beautiful this salad tastes, too. With fruit, meat, veg, cheese, croutons and a punchy lemon and mustard dressing, it’s almost a three-course meal in a dish. Enjoy!

3. Bean, wild rice and avocado salad

Hark! Could that be… another delicious thing to do with avocado? This veggie South American-inspired bean feast is spiked with chilli and coriander, for flavour that says ‘summer’ even when the weather says, ‘Ooh, more grey drizzle again’.

4. Mild spiced lamb salad

It’s a lot more substantial than your average limp lettuce affair – but we’ve called it a ‘salad’, and a salad it is. Warm and fragrant harissa lends a Moroccan vibe to the lamb, and all the time needed for the meat you’ll win back with couscous, the quickest-to-cook of all the grains. 

5. Potato, pea and coconut salad

Potatoes, yes. Peas, of course. And coconut? NOW we’re talking. This very different twist on a picnic staple uses creamy coconut and spices rather than the usual mayo to tart up your spud salad. Try it with jerk chicken – and sunshine, if you have any.

6. Malaysian-style salad

This is about as far removed from your bog-standard chicken salad as you can get. We love the spicy, zingy lime, peanut and chilli dressing.