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Despite the weather, we have gone ‘al fresco’ at Delia Online this month. Our featured products will complete your outdoor eating from a family picnic to lunch in the garden – if we are lucky! Even if you don’t get to brush off the patio furniture hopefully they will put you in the mood for eating outdoors.

A quick bite

A bag of Mrs Crimble’s Cheese Bites will make a welcome addition to any picnic. Made with 48% real cheese, the bites are baked rather than fried and fitting in with Mrs Crimble’s philosophy are gluten free. Available in three flavours, Tomato and Olive, Original Cheese, and Sour Cream and Onion, each little bite is small enough to eat on their own, and big enough to be used in a dip.

Mrs Crimble’s are available in Sainsbury’s Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op and Tesco

Summer soups

The latest additions to the summer line-up of Rod and Ben’s soups are Thai Vegetable and Thai Chicken, and with their light flavours, both are perfect for lunch al fresco. They join the seasonal summer favourites, including Tomato and Basil, Pea and Mint and Haddock Chowder. For a warm day (we are ever-hopeful!), chilled Gazpacho goes down a treat, but if all else fails and you need warming up, there is Chicken and Vegetable.

Rod and Ben’s soups are available from independent retailers and delicatessens, south west Morrisons and online from www.rodandbens.com

Look, no crusts

Two things that always seem present at a picnic are wasps and quiche! Higgidy has introduced a new Crustless Quiche range for the picnic season this year. There’s a Mature Cheddar and Smoked Bacon, and for veggie picnickers a Spinach, Feta and Roasted Pepper. Made to the usual high Higgidy standard, each quiche has a generous amount of filling and is baked on a thin layer of their secret recipe shortcrust pastry.

Higgidy’s Crustless Quiches are available in Waitrose

Spice it up!

Newman’s Own has launched two sauces to add a bit of zing to your cooking whether you are indoors or out. Not only does their Sweet Chilli Sauce go well with prawns or chicken it can also be used as a dip or a glaze. Add an extra kick to sausages and burgers with Extra Hot Sticky BBQ Sauce served on the side, or if you feel a little more daring and want to challenge try marinading steaks first and really challenge your taste buds!

Filter your own water

A Bobble water bottle is an ingenious but simple idea. If you want to drink filtered water, but don’t want to keep buying (and throwing away) water bottles, Bobble solves both problems in one go. Each bottle has a built in carbon filter, so all you need to do is fill it with tap water and the water will be filtered as you drink! A single Bobble filter will see you through the equivalent of 300 bottles of water.

Bobble water bottles are available from House of Fraser, Waitrose, Boot’s, Harvey Nichols Selfridges, and Oliver Bonas. Recommended retail price: 1litre £12.95, 550ml £9.95, 385ml £8.95

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