The ultimate treats for National Picnic Week 2020

Picnic season is in full swing in the UK, and with National Picnic Week being celebrated from 22nd-28th June, it’s the perfect excuse to put together a delicious veggie spread and enjoy a socially distanced meal al fresco. Whether your preferred picnic spot is under the tree canopies or by the seaside, these goodies are worth adding to your basket for a delicious treat.

1. Lazy Day Foods Afternoon Garden Tea Variety Box, £15, lazydayfoods.com

Food lovers with intolerances shouldn't have to miss out on tasty picnic food. Lazy Day Foods is the idea of Sally and Emer, professional food scientists, individuals who have experience with food intolerances, and mums. All of their goodies are hand baked at a dedicated free-from bakery, which is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, with no nuts on site either. So on those sunny days when a socially distanced picnic with friends or family is in order, these are treats you can trust. The new Afternoon Garden Tea Box is ideal for those occasions, offering the complete free-from picnic spread to your door! Keep an eye out for the brand's new vegan celebration cake, too, launching online and in Sainsburys from 9th July.

2. Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar, £24, barbers.co.uk

Is there anything quite as classic as cheese at a picnic? Whether it's served with a dollop of chutney on fresh bread, or sliced onto crackers with fresh or dried fruit, it's a real staple for any picnic basket. Powerfully intense, with an exceptional depth of flavour, Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar represents the pinnacle of nearly two centuries of cheesemaking. The Barber family has been farming and cheesemaking in Somerset since the early 1800s. The family put much of the continued success of the business down to the authentic family recipe, which has been handed down from generation to generation. Barber’s is unique in that it has created its own Starter Culture facilities designed to protect the last remaining collection of ‘cheese mother cultures’ to have its roots in the original Cheddar-making region. Crafted using vegetarian rennet and these unique starter cultures with the finest West Country milk, Barber’s 1833 is complex with a real depth of flavour and a crystal-rich, brittle but creamy body.

3. Oumph! Sticky Smokehouse Rib Style Fillets, £3.49, Tesco

Oumph! is epic food from the plant kingdom. Made from soya, the products are free from gluten and dairy, plus they're versatile and easy to cook, which makes them great options for people who love to cook at home as well as professional chefs. It's equally as popular among families as it is with millennials, and flexitarians and meat reducers will enjoy it as much as the vegetarians and vegans! As well as the succulent Oumph! Sticky Smokehouse Rib Style Fillets, popular products include Pulled Oumph!, Oumph! Kebab Spiced, The Chunk, The Oumph! Pizza, and award-winning The Oumph! Burger. These goodies will make an ideal base for your picnic dishes, whether you're making an Oumph! OLT or an Oumph! Potato Salad. Find recipe inspiration on oumph.uk/recipes

4. Fudge Kitchen Fudge, from £17 for a box of 4, fudgekitchen.co.uk

Every picnic spread needs a delicious, sweet pick-me-up – and you can’t go wrong with a gorgeous box of Fudge Kitchen fudge. A small artisan producer of luxury fresh fudge, Fudge Kitchen cooks its confectionery to perfection in copper pots using only natural ingredients and traditional recipes from the 1800s, expertly hand-crafted on Italian marble slabs. You’re guaranteed an impressive reveal, from each selection’s gilded box, to the first delicious bite; artisan decadence at its finest. There are so many flavours to choose from, and you can even add a vegan flavour or two to keep everyone on the picnic blanket happy. Fudge Kitchen has seven high street shops, where you can watch the fudge-making magic happen, or you can always find them online. Receive 20% off orders over £20 with code VEGGIE20 online via fudgekitchen.co.uk

5. Black Garlic Gift Wrap, £7.50, hawksheadrelish.com

Relishes are extremely versatile, and make a great addition to a picnic spread. The Black Garlic Gift Wrap from Hawkshead Relish is unique, and offers the perfect opportunity to sample all three of the brand's Black Garlic Range in smaller sizes. The wrap includes: Black Garlic Ketchup, Black Garlic Pickle and Smoky Black Garlic Ketchup – all of which work well with cheese, sandwiches and veggie pies, perfect for a picnic! These delicious condiments are made with whole black garlic cloves that have been cooked for 45 days, leaving a sweet, unctuous savoury flavour which is then turned into a versatile condiment. All three varieties are also gluten-free, nut-free and are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Order before 31st August using the code VEGGIE to get 15% off your order.

6. Vita Coco Pressed, £1.69, Waitrose

It's important to stay hydrated when you're dining al fresco, but sometimes plain water just won't cut it. So why not pack your picnic basket with coconut water instead? Vita Coco Pressed has all the benefits of coconut water with a sweet coconutty taste. Vita Coco has blended its coconut water with fresh pressed coconut. This way, you receive all the benefits of coconut water, like electrolytes and vitamin C, but with a much richer taste that will transport you to a tropical paradise. The refreshing drink is perfect for a morning thirst-quencher, an afternoon boost, a tasty base to your smoothie and everything else in between. If you prefer to keep things classic, the original coconut water is equally as refreshing, full of naturally occurring electrolytes, low in sugar and high in vitamin C.

This feature is sponsored by Lazy Day Foods, a dedicated free-from bakery based in Scotland. Visit the online shop to explore the company’s range of gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free goodies.