Tuesday, March 19Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

A Pitcher of Pimms & A Perfect Picnic

Summer may be on the way out, but there’s still hopefully time to enjoy one of the homemade picnics you had been craving all the way through exam season! Here’s my recipe for easy mini quiches, and some instructions for concocting Pimm’s to get you on your way.

Mini Quiches

What you need:

320g ready rolled
shortcrust pastry
4 eggs
25ml milk
150g grated cheese
100g spinach
Handful of cooked bacon (optional)
2tbsp chopped basil
Flour
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
6 cup muffin tray

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Use a pastry brush or piece of greaseproof paper to spread a little oil
around the cups of the muffin tin, and set aside.
2. Scatter some flour on a cutting board or a kitchen work surface and place your unpacked roll of pastry on top. Cut out six circles of pastry with a large glass or a pastry cutter. Delicately press each circle into one of the cups of your muffin tray. Place in the oven for 8 minutes while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
3. Chop your spinach and herbs, and place these in a bowl with about three quarters of your grated cheese. Add the bacon if using. Crack the eggs and add these, along with the milk. Add salt and
pepper and mix well
4. Take your muffin tray out of the oven, and distribute the egg mixture evenly among the quiche
cups. Top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven for fifteen minutes, until the quiches are set and the surface is golden.
5. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and serve outside, on a picnic blanket, with tzatziki and
salad.

Perfect Pimms

What you need:

Pimm’s No.1
Lemonade
Gin (optional)
Strawberries

Orange
Lemon
Cucumber
Mint leaves

Zosia Edwards Pimms Cup 1(1)

You don’t need a measuring jug to make amazing Pimm’s – precision doesn’t matter, but the general rule is to mix three parts of lemonade to one part Pimm’s.

Pimm’s is a gin based drink, and my mother taught me to add an extra shot of gin just to make the whole experience a little more mellow. This is of course an optional addition, but seriously, add the gin. It’s worth it.

Finally, an excellent cup of Pimm’s is incomplete without the full
accompaniment of garnishes. Place a sprig of mint leaves, some slices of lemon, orange and cucumber, and a strawberry or two in a tall glass along with some ice. Top up with Pimm’s and enjoy!