Left Overs Pasty & A Picnic!

I love left overs. Nothing gets me hungrier than thinking about frying up some bubble and squeak to have with some cold meat and pickles on a Monday night.

The other day though we had some chicken left over from a roast and a particularly bad bank holiday weekend where my two youngest children and I were pretty ill. We had planned to go for a walk as a family but it just never happened.

So instead I thought we'd go for an after school picnic when my wife got home from work. I decided that we'd need some thing pretty portable but I knew they'd all still need a hot meal inside them! A good old pasty was my thinking!

Simple pastry with flour, salt, lard, butter and water

This is where I also have to make a confession - I haven't made pastry since I left school so well over 20 years ago. But it was surprisingly easy (once I brought some lard). I made it at lunch time and let it rest until I could have at least one helper make the pasties.

The filling was the left over chicken with added potatoes, onions and carrots.

My eldest helped me make them and was far more optimistic than I was about how they'd turn out.

They were ready just as my wife got home, so I wrapped them in foil and a tea towel, packed up some plates, cups, cake and an empty bottle we could fill at a spring.

I did make everyone walk for a good mile once we'd parked up, but the views were more than worth it.

It was a fun tea time although not perfect as these things never are. My boy refused to eat them and someone (not going to name names) needed help to do a wild wee and peed all over my hand. I wouldn't have minded so much if I had finished my cake by then! The cake was a beautiful lemon cake my wife had made with the children the day before.

A lovely evening and a great picnic!