With the Coronation of King Charles III just around the corner, you may be thinking of throwing some kind of celebration. For me, when the Spring weather kicks in, there is nothing I love more than getting out into the sunshine and having a picnic.

Today I thought I would share some of my favourite al fresco recipes that are simple, but delicious, that you can prepare with ease, for the most elegantly British picnic imaginable.

Fresh Tomato Tart

Buckingham Palace recently revealed a new official recipe to celebrate the Coronation - The King’s Coronation Quiche - a recipe made up of spinach, broad beans, and tarragon. Although this sounds interesting, I much prefer my tomato tart - a rich, elegant tart that is packed with flavour.

For the Crust:

6 oz / 170 g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sunflower or light olive oil

6 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

13 oz / 365 g plain flour

Preheat oven to 410 F / 210 C

Combine butter, water, oil, sugar and salt in a pyrex bowl and place in oven for 15 minutes. Use oven gloves to remove the bowl from the oven. The mixture will be bubbling and brown around the edges. Tip the flour straight into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Allow to cool and then transfer the dough to a 23cm/9inch fluted loose bottom flan tin. Remove a golf ball sized piece of dough just in case you need to patch up the crust after baking. Press the remaining dough into the flan tin with your fingers to make a nice even crust on the base and sides of the tin. Pierce the base all over with a fork and then place the tin on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180 C

For the Filling:

1 small knob butter

1 shallot finely diced

4 large eggs

300ml / 10 fl oz double cream

4 oz / 115 g grated cheese ( I used mature cheddar here but you can substitute for another hard cheese or even torn mozzarella if you prefer)

20-25 piccolino or cherry tomatoes in a variety of colours if available

Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Small, fresh basil leaves to decorate

Melt the butter in a small frying pan and gently fry the shallot to soften.

Beat the eggs and cream together and season with salt and black pepper.

Spread the softened shallot over the base of the cooled tart crust and then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.

Pour over the egg and cream mixture and place the baking tray and tin in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes until the tart just begins to set and then remove from the oven and place the halved tomatoes, cut side up on the surface of the tart and season lightly.

Waiting till the egg mixture has set a little means that the tomatoes won’t sink completely under the surface and disappear from sight.

Place the baking tray and tin back in the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the tart is set.

Remove from the oven and just before serving scatter the small, fresh basil leaves on the surface.

PARMESAN & ASPARAGUS TART

Another elegant savoury dish, this parmesan and asparagus tart is a super-simple recipe that even a novice could rustle up. The asparagus neatly lined up in rows like attentive soldiers, and the sprinkling of parmesan makes this not only delicious, but also pleasing to the eye.

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

3/4 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for brushing

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

3/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1 Tablespoon lemon juice (from about 1/2 a lemon)

Preheat the oven to 400degrees. Unroll the pastry onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, prick all over with a fork and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and puffed.

Bring a large skillet of water to a boil, add the asparagus and cook for 2-4 minutes until bright green. The asparagus should still have a bite to it. Remove to a plate and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the ricotta, half of the parmesan, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Once the pastry has cooled, spread the mixture over the pastry leaving a one inch border around the circumference.

Layer the asparagus stems evenly on top of the tart, then brush the exposed crust with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle the top with the remaining parmesan cheese.

SMOKED SALMON DIP

This smoked salmon dip is the perfect accompaniment to a variety of grazing foods such as breadsticks, carrots, and cucumbers. Another supremely easy dish, this will impress your friends and keep everyone happy at your picnic.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1/4 teaspoon Tasbasco

4 ounces smoked salmon, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives

Salt, to taste

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers, and Tabasco in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until blended. Add the salmon, dill and chives and pulse, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the salmon is finely chopped. Taste and add salt, if necessary.

CHOCOLATE SQUARES

These no-bake chocolate squares are the perfect ending sweet treat for your Coronation Picnic. Based on the recipe used for Prince William’s wedding, they are a great choice for a Royal celebration.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BASE

400g / 14oz Digestive Biscuits

200g / 7oz Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa)

150g / 5oz Unsalted Butter

4 tbs Golden Syrup

1 tbs Cocoa Powder

Put the Digestive Biscuits in a large freezer bag and break them up into crumbs using a rolling pin. Place the remaining ingredients in a glass bowl set over a pan of boiling water and stir until melted. Remove the bowl from the pan and tip in the broken biscuits. Mix thoroughly and then press the chocolatey biscuit mixture firmly into a 9 inch/23cm by 9 inch/23cm baking tray. Place in the refrigerator to harden for at least 30 minutes while you melt the chocolate for the topping.

INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING

200g / 7oz Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa)

50g / 2oz Milk Chocolate

50g / 2oz White Chocolate

Again using a glass bowl set over a pan of boiling water melt the Dark Chocolate and spread evenly over the biscuit base. Using a clean bowl melt the milk chocolate and then pour it in swirls over the dark chocolate. Return to the refrigerator to harden for a few minutes. Finally, melt the white chocolate and pour it in a swirl pattern over the chocolate topping. Return to the fridge overnight and then cut into squares in the morning and remove from the baking tray.

THE VERY BEST ENGLISH SCONES

This scone recipe, created when Nicolas was vegan has become a fool-proof way to bake these most quintessential British teatime treat. Serve with Jam and clotted cream for the ultimate pleasure.

INGREDIENTS

350g / 2 3/4 cups self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

95g / 1/2 cup vegan butter (or regular butter if not making plant based scones)

3tbsp caster/super-fine sugar

¼ teaspoon of salt

150ml oat milk (or regular milk if not making plant based scones)

A handful of fruit such as raisins, cherries, blueberries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180ºc

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and butter into a large bowl

With your finger tips, knead everything together until you have fine breadcrumbs. It is very important to work lightly if you want to achieve a good texture. Running you hands under cold water before you do this step will keep your hands cool and help with this too.

Stir in the fruit (if using) and milk. Make sure you stir with a knife - again delicately - so you don’t overwork the mixture.

With your hands, knead everything together until you can form a ball of dough.

Dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about a 1 inch thickness.

Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into small rounds. If you don’t have a cutter - simply use the rim of a glass.

Place the scones on a baking tray and brush a little milk on each one to glaze.

Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

Allow the scones to cool for 5 minutes and dust with a little icing sugar