From chilli cheddar to pork and bacon pies, Sophie Morris tests the latest in picnic snacks and recommends which ones to pack for a picnic
Before we get into picnics, I think we need a moment to discuss the difference between picnic food and the more recent invention of small bites that might also, like a traditional picnic, be eaten somewhere other than at the table – so-called “picky bits”.
Both have the potential to be delicious, there’s no doubt about that. But they are different. Picnics became popular in the UK almost a century ago during the 1930s as the country felt its way out of depression, and increased car ownership and working hours meant people had more leisure to explore the country on day trips, taking food with them. Picnics therefore are made up of foods that can be carried and eaten either al fresco or en route.
Picky bits, however, might be eaten in the home as often as carried to a park. One can invite guests over for picky bits or have an extremely fancy picky bits solo sofa dinner. A clear distinction is that many picky bits require heating up, which isn’t an option for the true picnic.
There are three standout picnic trends for 2025.
First, this is the season of spiced-up picnics. You’ll find chilli cheddar, chunks of chorizo, nduja and hot honey everywhere you look, as well as chipotle coleslaw and potato salad.
Second – listen up protein girlies and gym bros – there is a clear move away from carbs and towards high-protein snacking products.
Finally, the focus on real food – cured meats, olives and cheeses mostly with a Mediterranean slant – shows a move away from highly processed UPF-heavy picnic bites.
Below is my pick of the best and best value products for super easy summer picnics.
Tesco Finest Italian Aperitivo Trio, £4/180g
“These taste ten times better than they look,” says Morris (Photo: Tesco)
If not a revelation in the strictest of religious senses, then this deceptively simple three-part aperitivo platter from Tesco is nonetheless a shining miracle amid a slew of dissembling con artists. Taralli are an Italian biscuit-cum-cracker that taste ten times better than they look, and are an ideal foil if you’re drinking alcohol. Sicilian Nocellara olives are wonderfully fresh-tasting, fleshy and somewhat buttery, and the cheese is salty and crumbly and similar to Parmesan. Tesco calls it ‘Spinoro’, which I hadn’t heard of, but which is apparently a branded vegetarian cheese. All the important food groups covered here.
Unearthed Spanish Spinach Tortilla, Ocado.com, £4/500g 
This is a quiche replacement
This is controversial, but I’d like to put forward the Spanish tortilla as a worthy replacement for the picnic quiche. I do adore a quiche, no need to cancel me on that front, but I’m afraid they don’t always work well in picnics: cold, claggy fillings, pastry like wet cardboard. A good quiche is either homemade or nicely warmed up à la maison, whereas this chic tortilla works really well cold, holds its shape well and is easy to serve and share.
There’s no crap in this one, either, just potatoes, free range eggs, spinach, onion, salt and oil. I’ve chosen this spinach version as it’s vegetarian, but you can buy plain or chorizo options, too. Bravo!
Waitrose No. 1 Italian Grazing Platter, £12/400g 
Waitrose products are great quality
Truly the no-effort picnic platter. Grab this from Waitrose on your way to the event, take along a few pretty paper napkins and possibly (though not essential) some cocktail sticks, and you’re good to go. As you’d expect from Waitrose, the products are great quality: chargrilled artichokes, chunks of Asiago cheese, olives, caperberries, balsamic onions and two kinds of cured meat: fennel salami and cured pork neck.
Cypressa stuffed vine leaves, Ocado.com, £2.10/280g 
These last at least five years from the purchase date
Continuing our jaunt around Europe with these Greek stuffed vine leaves – an indestructible and multi-purpose picnic item. Indestructible as the tin is hard-wearing and the flavoursome rice-filled vine leaves last almost forever – at least five years from the date of purchase! They’re pretty substantial too, so play to a few levels in picnic terms, being chic and meat-free but also a solid stomach liner. Listen up preppers: this is the bombproof picnic essential to stash in your cave for 2025 and beyond.
Tesco Finest Prosciutto Crudo and Cheese Rollitos, £3.50 
Tesco’s rollitos were a pleasant alternative to other supermarkets
Everyone does a rollito these days. I think credit goes to M&S for being the first – and you can reliably find them in the 3 for £8 picnic bits offer – but my head’s been turned this summer by Tesco’s herby caciotta cheese wrapped in prosciutto, which for me was a pleasant alternative to the Gouda and Edam used by other supermarkets.
M&S 6 Serrano Ham & Gouda Tapas Bites, £3.90/80g 
These are perfect for sophisticated picnics
Trust M&S to take things up a notch. They’re calling these bits ‘tapas’ but really they’re Basque-style pintxos, a little bite to have with a drink that combines salt, fat and spice to awaken your palate and soak up any excess alcohol. If you’re after a sophisticated picnic, kick off with these.
Morrison’s The Best 8 Dinky Pork and Smoked Bacon Pies, £3.50/200g 
These were the best tasting and great value
I couldn’t leave you without some stellar British snackage. I think a lot of picnic goers enjoy some classic pork-based picnic bites, whether sausage rolls, pork pies or a little cocktail sausage. I tried a lot of sausage rolls for this piece, and there’s plenty of innovation in the area at the moment, such as spicy sausage rolls – a lot of supermarkets have an nduja-flavoured sausage roll, which is kind of the Italian chorizo and very in right now – while M&S has just launched something with Marmite. I didn’t love any of them, however, but these very sweet dinky pork pies caught my eye and my tastebuds. They’re great value for eight little pies, and the smoky flavour stands out.
That said, I’ve just investigated nitrate-free sausages, and these babies sadly don’t pass that test.