Ahead of this year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, which takes place on 1-4 September, title sponsor Land Rover has collaborated with TV chef James Martin to encourage Burghley spectators to go the extra mile with their picnics this year.
The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials has become almost as synomous with picnicking as it has world class equestrian sport and the Land Rover Tailgate Picnic Competition - which traditionally takes place on cross-country day - has become a popular feature among horse trial goers. In recent years it has been judged by some well-known faces, including event rider Zara Tindall, Channel 4’s Kirstie Allsopp and TV presenter Matt Baker.
To inspire this year’s Burghley picnickers, Land Rover, whose vehicles are renowned for their famous tailgate - a feature that is commonly used as the perfect accessory for a picnic, has worked with James to create two picnic recipes which benefit from sitting in the back of the car for a long-distance journey.
The former Saturday Kitchen presenter said: “It can be a real challenge keeping picnic food fresh when you have to travel a few hours to get to an event like The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, but these recipes are specifically designed so that they actually taste better after sitting in the back of a vehicle for a long time.”
If you want to impress your fellow picnickers, check out James' tips for the quick and easy methods for creating ‘The Burghley Bloomer’ and ‘Teriyaki Steak’.
“The Burghley Bloomer is a variant of the Italian Sandwich,” James explains. “The idea of this is you do the preparation at home and bring it with you. The longer you leave it wrapped up, the better it tastes.”
He goes on to say: “Forget burgers and sausages and other burnt offerings on a barbeque, Teriyaki Steak is far nicer. It is wonderfully light and really simple to make.”
As many dedicated event goers know, it is always a challenge to keep a picnic fresh when it has to tolerate a long car journey. As well as clever recipes like the Burghley Bloomer and Teriyaki Steak which are enhanced by a long car journey, James also has some useful tips to make sure your tailgate picnic is at its best when you arrive at an event.
JAMES MARTIN’S TOP 5 TAILGATE PICNIC TIPS
- When it comes to wrapping food, always use greaseproof paper or cling film. So often when the weather is good, if you use tinfoil it can actually end up cooking the food
- Use different types of vinegars like cider vinegar or sherry vinegar to glam up limp salad. It really gives it a lift after a long journey
- Pack a spicy pickle or a chilli jam in your picnic. It doesn’t matter if it gets a bit warm and the kick in the pickle or jam will really enhance the taste of a pie or a scotch egg
- Look for things like hot smoked salmon which is already cooked and therefore doesn’t deteriorate when it has been in the back of a vehicle for a certain amount of time
- Use soft cheeses, ones that don’t like being refrigerated but are actually better when they warm up, such as brie and camembert, or a particularly good one is Vacherin Mont D’Or
The Land Rover Tailgate Picnic Competition takes place on cross-country day at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Saturday 3rd September in the reserved car park.
For more information about the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk
For more information on Land Rover and its long term commitment to equestrian sport, visit www.landrover.co.uk/equestrian
