The sun is shining and I have been given a delicious challenge to try out different products as part of a ‘Picnic Challenge’ for The Unilever Kitchen.

Using some of products from The Unilever Kitchen, I have opted for the wonderful Bertolli margarine with the taste of Italy of course and some very delicious Maille au Miel, Dijon mustard with honey and real Hellmans mayonnaise, delicious. So for a picnic in my eyes you need a delicious frittata and a cake that can be easily transported and sliced.

I will be making a seasonal frittata with British asparagus and dark chocolate and amaretto cake.

I would always use butter when making cakes, the real stuff, no compromising at all. 
So as this is one of my absolute favourite cakes, I thought that I would use the ‘Bertolli’ margarine in replace of butter. It worked a treat, delicious and perfect to take a long to a Summer picnic.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and bake for 50mins.

Use a loose bottom tin 9′, greased and lined.
200g self raising flour
200g amaretto biscuits (the hard ones), broken and crushed, uneven rubble
200g Bertolli margarine spread
50g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
200g dark chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
1 sachet of Pane di Angeli
2 tbsp. Amaretto liquor
Pane di Angeli, can be purchased from Italian Delis, however 1tsp of baking powder and 2 tsp of vanilla will be fine in its place………..
1. For this cake I like to use a large bowl and wooden spoon and not a mixer as you want to keep the texture of the biscuits and chocolate. In a bowl crack the eggs and mix with the caster sugar and butter.
2. Chop the chocolate and bash the amaretto biscuits. The amaretto biscuits are ideal if they are smashed into uneven pieces. The best way to do this is to pop the biscuits into a bag and bash with a wooden spoon.
3. Now into the eggs, sugar and butter add the flour, ground almonds and Pane di Angeli, mix well.
4. Add in the chocolate, amaretto biscuits and amaretto liquor. Stir well. The mixture will smell amazing at this point.
5. In a lined and greased tin pour in the mixture and push down evenly and bake.
PLEASE NOTE, this cake has already been published in The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook.


Frittata

This frittata takes about 15 minutes to make. A wonderful light lunch, perfect for any picnic. 
Frittata is lovely sliced and put in between fresh bread and eaten with a tomato and mozzarella salad.
There are so many different fillings that you can use in a frittata, from courgette and potato, pea and pancetta to chorizo which is spicy and rich.
8 fresh medium eggs, beaten
80g Parmesan cheese, grated
A bunch of basil , chopped
1 tsp dijon honey mustard
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium potato, chopped
1 small bunch of British asparagus, chopped
Salt and pepper to season
1. Add the chopped onion and potato into a frying pan with some olive oil, and fry off until softened.
2. When the onion and potato is cooked through, add the asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. In a bowl add the eggs, whisk and add the mustard. Add the salt and pepper, Parmesan and chopped basil. Give it a good mix and pour into the frying pan.
4. Now this will need a little time and patience. You will need to cook the frittata on one side and then flip it over. I flip it onto a plate and the pop it back into the pan. Cook for a further 4 minutes, and then you should be ready to enjoy
You can eat the frittata with a fresh salad and also pop the frittata in between fresh bread, pittas or wraps. Whatever you like. My favourite is a hot ciabatta dipped in delicious thick mayonnaise slathered over the top.

Enjoy and have a go at a Picnic challenge and try out some new and very delicious foodie products.
Sticky Chicken BBQ kebabs

                    

I have just thrown this one in at the end for you as I simply couldn’t  resist the Coleman’s BBQ sauce.
I cleaned and prepared mini fillet breast and squeezed some of the BBQ sauce all over the fillets, added a generous handful of chopped parsley, a dash of chilli, mixed and covered. I left the chicken for around 2 hours in the fridge.
Then placed the chicken on wooden skewers and on a hot grill, cook, cool and ready to take on our picnic, perfect.