The Wimbledon Tennis Championships may be cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but we can still enjoy our tennis from home. The All England Lawn Tennis Club launched Wimbledon recreated this summer, showing some of the tournaments all-time greatest matches on TV and social media.
Clearly, this calls for some suitable tennis-fare in the garden, so we caught up with the Wimbledon's Executive Chef of Food & Drink, Adam Fargin, who shared the club's classic picnic menu for summer 2020 with us!
Wimbledon's Executive Chef of Food & Drink, Adam Fargin
Adam told HELLO!: "The idea behind the picnic is we've taken classic dishes that we would have served them at this year's Championships - and historically they've been there for quite some time - then we've recreated them to go into a picnic.
"It's a nice way that people can be at home, watch Wimbledon Rewind on TV and they can still recreate some of the dishes that we were planning to serve."
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Of course, Wimbledon isn't Wimbledon without its classic dish of strawberries and cream, and Adam tells us: "Strawberries and cream are by far our most iconic ingredient. Really great cream makes the strawberries and enhances them. If it were me personally at home, I would look for a really thick Jersey cream. That's my taste – some people like single cream so it's a bit lighter."
So how can we style our tennis picnic to get that Wimbledon feel in our gardens?
Adam suggests: "I think props are a brilliant thing. When we do a buffet display, having a couple of tennis racquets or tennis balls around… the actual setting of the picnic is just as important as the content. If you're sat there eating with racquets and balls around, you kind of feel like you're there in some kind of way.
The Wimbledon picnic sausage roll
"The biggest tip I can give is to cook as much in advance as you can. Get it all ready so there's no stress and you can relax and enjoy it.
"On Instagram there are photos of people recreating Wimbledon at home and it's so nice to see – and next year is going to be a fantastic year!"
Here, Adam shares his recipes for three of the Wimbledon picnic dishes: The Ploughman's Sandwich, homemade Piccalilli and Wimbledon Slaw.
Wimbledon Slaw
Adam told us: "The Wimbledon slaw is ab absolute classic – we serve that in half of our restaurants on site. It's quite a simple recipe. A lot of other slaws are mayonnaise-based, which is quite heavy. We use a really classical French vinaigrette dressing and to add freshness, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This is a healthier version of a coleslaw."
Makes 5 portions
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ White cabbage
- ¼ Red cabbage
- ½ Head of cos lettuce
- 1 Green courgette
- 1 Sprig of dill
- ½ Red onions
- 30g Frozen peas
- 30g Soya beans
- 2g Fennel seeds
- 30ml French vinaigrette
- ½ Juiced Lemon
The Wimbledon Slaw
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Remove the frozen peas from the freezer and allow to defrost overnight in the fridge.
Step 2
Take the white cabbage and shred with a knife as thin as you can, repeat this process with the red cabbage and cos lettuce, place this in a large bowl.
Step 3
Cut the courgette in half, then cut into thin strips, then cut these strips into small batons and add to the cut cabbage mix.
Step 4
Finely slice the red onion and add to the bowl.
Step 5
Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix thoroughly, to ensure the dressing and lemon juice are well coated over the ingredients.
Step 6
Place in a serving bowl and this is ready to serve.
The Wimbledon Ploughman’s Sandwich, with Piccalilli and Montgomery Cheddar
Adam says: "We like to serve our ploughman’s as a mixed platter, with half of the wedges containing honey roast smoked ham. If you prefer your ploughman’s vegetarian, just remove the ham."
Makes 10-12 wedges
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Long rustic baguette
- 2tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 heaped tsp Wholegrain mustard
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 150g Montgomery Cheddar sliced
- 3 slices honey roast smoked ham (optional)
- 1/3 Cucumber thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Piccalilli
- A handful of rocket or watercress
The Wimbledon Ploughman’s Sandwich
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Slice the baguette in half lengthways.
Step 2
Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard and cut the apple into thin slices.
Step 3
Spread the mayonnaise mixture over the baguette base, then lay on the cucumber, cheese, apple and the piccalilli. If including, lay on the ham on one half.
Step 4
Finish with the rocket and the baguette top then cut in half.
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Homemade Chunky Rustic Piccalilli
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Cauliflower – Very Small Florets
- 1 Onion – Diced Small
- 50g Salt
- 300ml White Wine Vinegar
- 300ml Malt Vinegar
- Small Pinch of Dried Chilli
- 175g Caster Sugar
- 25g English Mustard Powder
- 15g Ground Turmeric
- 2 Tbsp Cornflour
- 1 Medium Cucumber – Deseeded Diced Small
Homemade Chunky Rustic Piccalilli
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Mix together the cauliflower, onion and salt. Then put in a sieve in the fridge for 24hrs. This will draw out excess water from the onion and cauliflower.
Step 2
Boil both vinegars and the chilli. Leave to infuse for 20mins and then pass through a sieve to remove the chilli. If you like it hot, then feel free to leave it in for a bigger kick.
Step 3
Mix the dry ingredients together and then add 2 spoons of the vinegar mix to create a paste.
Step 4
Re-boil the vinegar mix, add the paste and whisk. The mix will thicken, you need to keep mixing this for 3-4 mins on a low boil, as the mix thickens the spices cook out.
Step 5
Add the onion and cauliflower mix to the pan for 3-4 mins, then add the cucumber for just 1 min. Take off the heat and pour into a tray, spread it out and it will cool down quickly.
Step 6
When cold, transfer into sterilised jars and place a small piece of parchment over the top. Seal with a lid and store on the fridge.