Enjoy a children’s winter picnic

First up is nettle soup, “which my granny used to make for us, and which, having tried it in Primrose Hill, I got really excited about again. It’s delicious, such a lovely colour, and so good for you.” Then it’s mini Cornish pasties from an old Radio 4 Woman’s Hour recipe, followed by ?a lavender sponge cake that they love in their local tearoom, High Tea in Highgate, and balls of chocolate-coated Rice Krispies.

Making the latter elicits yelps of excitement from the girls when they see the brown goo melting in a bain-marie on the stove. “Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!” they shriek, in anticipation of the sugar rush that will come on later on the heath. Evie says her favourite dinner would be “chocolate soup, chocolate sushi, chocolate fountain and chocolates”. The only item her younger sister adds to it is “maybe strawberries”.

So it’s somewhat surprising to find not just a green soup, but a rather uncommon nettle soup on the menu. “My granny’s side of the family is from Cornwall, so I’m trying to get my own girls to appreciate food that I tasted there,” Gibson explains. “Not that I’m succeeding. We stopped at a service station in Cornwall recently for a break and they couldn’t believe it didn’t stock sushi. Talk about London tastes?”

Having packed stylish green floral china, colourful Indian throws, ?a Fortnum & Mason hamper and Snowy the Jack Russell into the ?car, the family drives to the heath, where friends are waiting beneath ?a glorious yellow beech. Reactions to the picnic are mixed. One six-year-old, Sylvie, pronounces the nettle soup “yummy; like garlic bread” (which it is: thick, herby and delicious). Others opt for a pasty rather than “the green stuff”.

However, the cake is a big hit; cut by six-year-old Amelie into “big, big, big pieces – mine the biggest”, it’s moist chunks of sponge with a hint of lavender within, and a sprinkling of purple petals in the white icing. Even Snowy seems to like it when he’s finally allowed an inch.

“To me, what’s great about this picnic is that it took me so little time to prepare,” says Gibson. “The girls and I picked the nettles for the soup on the heath. With ready-made pastry, the pasties only took an hour. And the cake couldn’t be more simple: equal butter, sugar and flour, with eggs and lavender.” Both soup and cake, she says, can be adapted for adult tastes: simply add more garlic, crème fraîche and chopped chervil or parsley to the soup, and serve lavender cream with the cake.

“Really, if I can do it, then anyone can,” she admits. “Entertaining to me means a roast with family and friends for Sunday lunch. Possibly apple pie. To be honest, I only made this lavender cake because I love the purple; I thought it would look so lovely with the girls’ dresses ?and the autumn colours.” Once a fashion designer?

Nettle soup

Serves 6

This soup freezes well, so can ?be made in advance. The nettles ?can be substituted with watercress or cos lettuce, if you prefer, and the rice with diced potato. It’s good served hot or cold. ?

?Half a carrier bag full of nettles, tops or young leaves

?55g butter

?1 large or 2 medium onions, finely sliced

1 large carrot, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed

?1 litre chicken, fish or vegetable stock

?Salt and freshly ground ?black pepper

?Pinch of freshly grated ?nutmeg (optional)

3 tbsp cooked rice

?2 tbsp thick cream ?or crème fraîche??For the garnish

Cream or crème fraîche

?A small bunch of chives, chopped

?A few sprigs of wild chervil ?or parsley, chopped?

1 Wearing gloves, pick over the nettles, selecting the smallest, softest ones and discarding the stalks. Wash them thoroughly. Melt the butter in a large pan ?and sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until the ?onion is soft but not brown.

2 Add the stock and pile in the nettles. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the nettles are tender. Season and add a little nutmeg if you wish.

3 Pur?e in a liquidiser with ?the cooked rice. Return to ?a clean pan and reheat, but do not boil, adding cream or crème fraîche if you fancy. Serve in cups or small bowls, garnished with cream or crème fraîche, plus chopped chives and chopped chervil or parsley.

Traditional ?Cornish pasties

Makes 6 pasties

??For the shortcrust pastry

?225g lard, hard margarine ?or butter, or a combination

?450g plain flour, plus extra ?for dusting

?Pinch of salt

For the filling

340g beef steak (not stewing)

1 potato

1 swede

1 onion

?Salt and freshly ground ?pepper

A knob of butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 Make the pastry. Cut the ?fat into small lumps and ?rub it into the flour. Add the ?salt, then some water gradually until it works together into a ball without being sticky. Put aside.

2 Dice the steak into small pieces. Slice the potato and swede into 1cm slices. Chop the onion finely. Dust the work surface with flour. Roll out the pastry to ½cm thickness, and cut out circles to the size you want.

3 Moisten the edge of one of the pastry circles with milk or water and drape the half nearest to you over the rolling pin. On the other half, put a small layer ?of prepared vegetables, then a layer of beef. Repeat, but don’t put in too much filling or the pastry will burst during cooking.

4 Sprinkle with salt and pepper, a little flour, then a little melted butter. Fold the other ?half of pastry over the filling ?and squeeze the edges of the half circle together firmly. Crimp the edges with your fingers to seal.

5 Brush the pasty with beaten egg wash, and cut a small hole to allow steam to escape.

6 Bake at 220C/Gas 7 for about 20 minutes, then reduce ?the temperature to 160C/Gas 3 and cook for 40 minutes more; smaller pasties need less time. ? If they are browning too quickly, cover with greased paper.

Lavender sponge cake

Serves 6

250g softened butter

250g caster sugar

4 large eggs

?250g self-raising flour

?1 heaped tsp dried ?culinary lavender?

For the icing

200g icing sugar

?1 heaped tsp dried ?culinary lavender?

1 Grease and line a 20cm round tin and pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add a little egg and flour to the mixture and beat. Repeat, beating each time, until all the egg and flour are added.

2 Crush the lavender slightly ?to release more of the aroma and add to the mixture, folding in well. Spoon into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes in the centre of the oven; it is ready when it is springy to the touch and an inserted knife comes out clean.

3 After 10 minutes, turn out on to a wire rack to cool. To ice the cake, mix a little water with the icing sugar until you have a thick, smooth icing, and pour it over the cake. Sprinkle the dried lavender over the iced cake for decoration and extra flavour.

Chocolate Rice ?Krispie balls

Serves 6

1 big bar of chocolate

Rice Krispies or corn flakes

?Chocolate buttons or silver balls, to decorate?

1 Line a muffin tin with paper fairy-cake cases. Break the chocolate into squares, put into a bowl and melt in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes (make sure it doesn’t boil), or using a bain-marie. Mix in the cereal.

2 Using two dessert spoons, make little balls with the chocolate cereal mix and drop them into the paper cases. Decorate with chocolate ?buttons or silver balls and ?put in the fridge for two hours ?to set. Store in a cool place.

Jane MacQuitty’s wines to match

Warm up frozen fingers at ?a winter picnic with a non-alcoholic punch. Children ?love warm spiced apple juice. Use a pinch of mixed spice ?per litre, complete with a ?rosy-red apple slice and half ?a cinnamon stick for each person. Buy the best fresh, cloudy English apple juice, not sticky concentrate, and if you have some distance to go, pack the cinnamon sticks and whole apples separately. Don’t forget a sharp knife and board, so you can add the final touches when you get there.

Adults needn’t feel left out, as a shot of the delicious oak-aged apple brandy Somerset Pomona (Waitrose, £8.49 for 50cl) turns this apple punch into a wicked, grown-up drink.