A Christmas menu: Alfresco picnic

Grab the chilly bin and the Champagne flutes for a special, transportable celebration. If Christmas outdoors is your thing, you'll love our picnic menu. It's do-ahead, stylish and definitely special.

Christmas pate wtih cranberry and apple jelly

To accompany your first glass of bubbly, a cranberry and apple jelly-topped chicken liver pate. The pate can be made ahead of time, stored in jars and the jelly topping added later. Serve with crostini, unless you've got a barbecue too and can toast some bread or (even better) thin slices of brioche.

Side of salmon

To follow: a simple, delicate side of salmon lightly flavoured with dill. Don't forget the lemon wedges.

Potato salad with a classic mayonnaise

The homemade mayo in this classic potato salad is perfect with the salmon.

Festive raw beetroot salad

Pomegranate molasses, coriander and pinenuts bring a flavour boost to this beetroot salad that will go the distance.

Eccles cakes with buffalo blue cheese

To finish, bring a tin of spicy eccles cakes and slices of buffalo blue cheese to eat with them. And there's pots of easily made raspberry and strawberry cream.

Raspberry and strawberry cream