Vegan Summer Picnic + Recipe Ideas

Tuesday, June 27, 2017
The weather in the UK recently has been amazing with gloriously sunny days and a ridiculous 31 degrees celsius in Manchester which is completely unheard of so it's perfect picnic weather but obviously now that I'm finally getting round to writing this post (I have a full blown cold and throat infection so it's a bit late), it's raining...although I don't mind as I can now have a more cosy picnic indoors *so British*.

The incredibly lovely people at La Juniper very kindly sent me a range of their handmade and gorgeous wooden homeware that would be perfect for a picnic or afternoon tea! Today's post will be a review of their lovely homeware and some vegan recipe ideas that would be great for an afternoon tea or summer picnic!

*La Juniper Small Beach Wood Scoop (£1.25)
I actually have a couple of these wooden scoops that I use for my bath products and I've never considering using them for anything else but they're great for sugar, coffee, honey, chutneys, dips or jam. It's so cute, I love anything in miniature and I think it would be great for a picnic. It's made from sustainably sourced beach wood, it's handmade in Slovenia which makes it feel quite special and unique. I've been keeping it with the sugar and using it that way and I love it.
*La Juniper Wooden Spoon (£1.50)
I use wooden spoons while baking so often so I'm happy to have another as they're so useful and look great in the kitchen. I use them for making cake mixes and especially biscuit dough as you need a stiff spoon/tool to mix the dough and plastic spoons are just too flexible. It would also be great for mixing big mixes of dip, pasta salad or fruit salad, all of which would be perfect for a vegan picnic.

I have been loving cold, creamy vegan pasta pastas recently particularly in the heat we've been having in the UK. Here's a quick recipe for a ranch style pasta salad that is vegan and so delicious, creamy:

I cook whatever pasta I want and while it's cooking, I chop up cucumber, salad leaves, carrot and herbs for the salad (I always use rocket leaves, chives and dill). For the sauce, I made cashew cream which is just soaked cashew nuts blended in my NutriBullet with oat milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt/white pepper and lots of dill as well as a little vegan garlic mayonnaise and a splash of apple cider vinegar. It makes a gorgeous, creamy and perfect pasta salad sauce. Just combine everything and leave to cool, unlike other vegan sauces, this one stays creamy and thick.
*La Juniper Wooden Knife (£2.50) 
Another perfect item for a picnic! I love the natural look and feel of the wooden tools, they're so much nicer and just don't compare to the cheap and flimsy Ikea plastic tools we have. It's lightweight and not too sharp so great to take on a picnic but it's still really useful. I've been using it for sandwiches and fruit and I think it would be great for an afternoon tea and more suitable for younger teens/children to use but obviously supervision is needed.

*La Juniper Beach Wooden Small Board (£3.95)
The final two items are my favourites as they're fantastic as either mini serving boards, mini chopping boards or a mini trivet. We've recently gone through a complete kitchen redesign which was a long and awful process but I love it now and these cute little boards look great on the new kitchen island to serve food and drinks on!

As with all of the other items, these boards are new and are designed, sourced and handmade either in Wales or in Slovenia. They are all so well made and I love that they are made from sustainable sources and have a low carbon footprint/impact.
*La Juniper Small Round Wooden Board 
Last but not least is a cute wooden serving board that is a great size for sandwiches or fruit on a picnic as a clean, flat surface or as a cute board as part of an afternoon tea or dinner party for starters or canapés. You can already see some of the snack ideas above such as mini bruschetta, they're the perfect size for the mini boards that I've featured.

I made mini bruschetta, one with truffle olive oil, wholewheat baguette slices and vegan cheese (the Violife brand) which I loved and I could eat them everyday. I also made a more unconventional option with crushed strawberries and basil from our garden. It sounds odd but strawberries and basil are so delicious together especially for summer! Garlic crackers with vegan cheese and cracked black pepper would also be great to serve as part of a vegan picnic. Ice tea is also a summer picnic or afternoon tea essential and I've been loving the new Teapigs peach lemonade and apple spritz tea!


To get 10% off and FREE POSTAGE use the code Heather1 but be quick as it ends this month! 

What do you think of these cute wooden kitchen and picnic items from La Juniper? Do you have any vegan recipes or picnic/snack ideas? 

13 comments

  1. Lovely post with some really nice products and ideas!

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  2. This was a great read, the bruschettas you made sound really lovely too.

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  3. I love the sound of the bruschetta and I agree with you when it comes to Strawberries and Basil x

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  4. I love a good picnic and some lovely recipes here!

    Cass | CassandraMyee

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  5. Some lovely recipes here! Xx

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  6. Ok that vegan pasta dish sounds amazing, definitely giving that a try!!
    Chantelle x
    The Girl In The Tartan Scarf

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  7. These are lovely kitchen items! Can't wait to go on a picnic when the weather gets better x

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  8. Your photos are beautiful! I need to plan a picnic before the sun disappears again.

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  9. I love wooden items especially in the kitchen it always looks so beautiful! Stunning photos

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  10. I've not heard of this brand before. They have some lush homeware bits, I love the round board! Xx

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  11. Some great items and ideas here x

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  12. This is such a lovely post and some fab idea's.

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