The best sandwich for a picnic... but do you really need one?
Well, yes! There are times when a sandwich is the best thing to take to a picnic.
They are easy to carry...
simple to make in a hurry...
easy to please fussy eaters with their choices...
a great way to use left overs from the fridge... in a creative way!


Then, do you need a really great sandwich... or just one of those ordinary, every day sandwiches, the one you always make, the one you could make in your sleep?
But wouldn't that be boring to have an every day sandwich?
Why not really go for it... try something new, something different.... something special to take to your picnic?


Fill the rolls, or loaves of bread, with your favorite delectables...

How to make the best sandwich for a picnic

Do you need the best sandwich for a picnic when you can have the most appetizing food...

tasty quiche, tureens, spanakopita, flans, and  crisp salads?

Well, sometimes, a really lovely, tasty, sandwich... using fresh bread, with crunchy crust,

filled with extra special yummy ingredients, is all you need... and they can be just as tasty as the flans and tureens!


Make it a memorable picnic!


Try this sandwich for a picnic. Find some of our really extra special favorites here... you will love these ideas...

And they are so easy to make.

Pack the best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

Add a few herbs and edible flowers for a special touch.
Like this roast pork, with crackling... and roast vegetables and apple.
So scrumptious!

For the best sandwich for a picnic... you are only limited by your imagination using these picnic sandwich recipes... so let your imagination fly!

Whether you make a regular sliced bread sandwich, a picnic roll, or home made bread, or long baguette filled to overflowing...

follow on here to see some really great suggestions and combinations.

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You might like these other suggestions too...

Scroll down to see how to assemble the best sandwich for a picnic...
Try something from these suggestions

Pack the best-sandwich-for-a-picnic with chicken and salad.

A few ideas for you.... find your best sandwich for a picnic.

  • Salmon sandwich... delicious freshly cooked, with fresh dill and sun dried tomatoes
  • Chicken one of the best sandwiches for a picnic... simple, but tasty with basil and Barossa potato salad
  • Turkey and cranberry sauce
  • Egg Salad sandwich... the best! Pancetta, mayonnaise and celery for a light crunch.
  • Rare Roast Beef Sandwich with caramelized onion... yum!
  • Ham off the bone with salad, sun dried tomato and soft cheese slices
  • Slices of lamb with a mint and potato salad 
  • Roast pork with apple and roast vegetables... and crackling!
  • Salami with cornichons, or dill cucumbers
  • A French baguette filled to overflowing
  • Beautiful rolls filled to the brim with lids like a hat!
  • Mixed seafood with dill and Aoli
  • Gently toasted sandwiches filled with exciting tasty bits
  • An open sandwich can really set the scene
  • Other suggested variations of all of these... and lots more coming
  • Different breads and filling combinations for you.


Picnic Rolls can be really scrumptious!

Delicious picnic rolls... best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

Fill the picnic sandwiches... or your picnic rolls, with
tasty, yummy fillings.

Try these rolls... filled to overflowing with really delicious food ... use this idea to make one of the  best sandwiches for a picnic.

I'll show you how to stop them spilling everywhere. Well almost... unless you over fill of course!

Then fill your picnic basket with these delicious sandwiches and rolls.

Head out into the sunshine... relax on the sweet smelling grass... Munch away!


Find lists of these delicious and adaptable ingredients for you to create your best sandwich for a picnic.

Read through the lists... start thinking about what you might put together.



For best-sandwich-for-a-picnic use cooked salmon.

A simple, really tasty salmon sandwich

This tasty, really moreish Salmon Sandwich... is one of the easy versions for the best sandwich for a picnic.

Made with fresh wholemeal, sesame seed bread and filled with...

How to make a salmon sandwich for best-sandwich-for-a-picnic
  • bread spread with tasty cream cheese
  • freshly cooked, then chilled salmon... can be tuna, or any fish you particularly like.
  • a good squeeze of lemon over fish
  • semi dried tomatoes
  • fresh dill... or dried
  • baby spinach tossed in a splash of salad dressing
  • chopped chives
  • add chunks of Feta cheese if you would like more of a cheesy flavor
  • and fine slices of lemon
  • Pile all of this up into middle of the bread.. and when the top goes on it will squash down towards the edges!

Totally delicious with a bit of a tang, in lovely fresh bread... or why not toast in a pie maker, sandwich toaster, for your picnic... it can't spill everywhere then.

We had this sandwich recently, (followed by bowls of a lovely quick dessert)  for a last minute picnic with friends.

Totally yummy sitting by the lake at Clayton Bay with seagulls and Pelicans.

We wondered if it was perhaps Mr Percival, the pelican, from the film "Storm Boy"... relaxing near us!

Clayton Bay is near The Coorong where they made the film.

Best-sandwich-for-a-picnic for this day with Mr Percival, the pelican from "Storm Boy" the film.

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Here is a list of some of the most popular ideas...
make your best sandwich for a picnic from this list.
As an example... these ham sandwiches, with added tasty morsels, soon flew off the platter… and the picnickers came back for seconds. As you can see, here are the last battered few... they were soon gone and only crumbs left!

Delicious picnic  sandwiches
  • Shaved ham off the bone (from our special Mt Pleasant butcher here, you might have a special butcher for ham) 
  • tomato
  • cucumber
  • mustard
  • a touch of quince jelly
  • mature cheese
  • currants
  • rocket and mini spinach
  • and a slither of green capsicum.  


This list will help you decide which to make... you have many choices!

... Add a few tasty bits like I did for the ham sandwich above.

  • Chicken salad
  • Egg salad sandwich recipe
  • Ham sandwich
  • Roast beef
  • Turkey sandwich
  • Vegetarian
  • Roast pumpkin and other vegetables
  • Pork sandwiches
  • Salmon
  • Avocado
  • Caesar salad roll or sandwich



Gather your choice of delicious ingredients for your picnic sandwiches!

Gather ingredients for the best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

Here are the ingredients for a really tasty sandwich, with roast pork, roast vegetables, including roasted apple, topped with salad greens, including herbs and edible flowers. Pile onto thick slices of chunky, fresh Artisan bread... so good!

This would make a wonderful open sandwich too. The tasty ingredients can have crackling in, or beside, the sandwich and could easily go into a roll, or a thinly sliced dark brown bread.


For the Kids picnic food.
Let them choose their own fillings for their sandwiches... ours love this.
Then help them make them… be surprised with their ideas for the best sandwich for a picnic!

Children eating sandwiches at a a family picnic

Perhaps don't over fill these sandwiches, they will possibly run around with them, so they need to be easy for a small fist to hold.

I asked our teenage Granddaughter what she would like for a favorite picnic sandwich...

"That's easy she said.... ham and cheese... or else cheese and ham!"

So, first on the list...

  • Ham and cheese, or else cheese and ham
  • Anything from the lists above of course
Fairy bread as a treat for childrenFairy Bread
  • Make a hamburger in a roll
  • Cooked cold sausages and sauce (ketchup)... a favorite!
  • Try peanut butter and banana sandwich
  • Banana with anything 
  • chocolate they will love... Nutella or Milo
  • Vegemite and cheese... Ozzie kids love this.
  • Just plain sliced cheese... it's amazing how popular this is
  • Egg and sauce, or ketchup.
  • Cheese and honey
  • How about a chip and sauce (ketchup) sandwich. Totally yuck to me, but children seem to love them!
  • I remember making chocolate Milo sandwiches... and then jam sandwiches too! Not really healthy... but it is a picnic... do we... should we.. why not?!
  • Fairy bread with 100's and 1000's... soft white bread, butter and nonpareils.  Now that's a bit of fun!
  • Ooh... nearly forgot! Fritz and sauce (Ketchup), my family remembered their favorite. Fritz has many names in different areas, but is really an overgrown cooked sausage. Our butchers used to give children a slice of Fritz as a treat and they loved it.

Toast one of these in a sandwich toaster and you'll be a real hit!

For the best-sandwich-for-a-picnic a toasted sandwich, filled with your favorite ingredients.

Kids love a lightly toasted sandwich... and we do too!
Fill with their choice of filling... ham and cheese, or cheese and ham?
Melted cheese and a special crunch at a picnic!


Seafood suggestions to use for the best sandwich for a picnic

They are healthy sandwiches... and can be great as an open sandwich too!  There's a really gourmet seafood sandwich... still to come.

  • Open sandwiches piled high with salad and mixed seafood... now that is gourmet!
  • Tuna salad sandwich
  • Crab salad sandwich
  • Salmon sandwiches… smoked, or freshly cooked... very versatile for your picnic sandwich recipes
  • Canned salmon and tuna
  • Sardines ...with walnuts and rocket
  • I'm sure you'll have specialties from the region where you live

Then... think of these different types of sandwiches to make your best sandwich for a picnic

  • Finger sandwiches… with cucumber and watercress sandwiches
  • Club sandwich recipe… very dramatic and adaptable
  • Open sandwiches... everyone to make their own at the picnic.
  • Toasted sandwiches... with a sandwich toaster, to seal the food in.

Make sure the sandwiches are kept cool and dry, in a sealed container,

or bio-degradable plastic wrap, to take on your picnic.




From a very old recipe book..to make best-sandwich-for-a-picnic several hours before  placed in a stone jar”

I recently found a very old recipe book, published in 1944 and I was fascinated to read …

“When it is necessary to make sandwiches several hours before they are to be used,

they may be wrapped in paraffin paper, or slightly dampened cloth,

or placed in a stone jar”

How things have changed since then…

I somehow don’t fancy carting a stone jar to a picnic!



A few different types of sandwich breads and rolls to make the best sandwich for a picnic

  • Sliced fresh sandwich bread
  • Homemade bread... my old but simple delicious recipe to come
  • Sourdough
  • Crunchy crusty bread to slice yourself… great for an open sandwich
  • Toasted sandwich
  • Sandwich rolls… white, brown, ciabatta, panini
  • Pita bread for pockets
  • Focaccia
  • Corn tortilla
  • Your own favorite bread
  • French sticks and baguettes… long and short… some really long
Best-sandwich-for-a-picnic using French sticks and baguettes in a French basket

Imagine a very long baguette overflowing with irresistibly delectable food...
and sliced at the picnic table in front of everyone! ... Perhaps a special seafood baguette.


Make a shorter baguette

Fill with...

Ham, tomato, boiled eggs, mushrooms, your favorite greens or salad, thinly sliced red onion...

perhaps a dressing of your choice on the side.

A shorter baguette filled to overflowing.... cut into manageable servings at the picnic.

A shorter baguette filled to overflowing for best-sandwich-for-a-picnic


TOP TIPS... for the best sandwiches for a picnic

If you are generous with your fillings, expect yours to be eaten first!

Take more than you think you might need... they will be eaten in a flash!

So, check these most popular suggestions ... just mix them with a few simple sandwiches,

cheese and ham and tomato... or just cheese for instance

and you will soon have an overflowing sandwich plate.



 Let's make this... chicken salad sandwich a recipe great to take to a picnic.

Light brown bread with chicken,tomato and slices of lemon can be best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

This sandwich would have to be one of the easiest and most popular… and it is really delicious and as well... another healthy sandwich.

The chicken with lemon and basil recipe from lunch ideas, is ideal for picnic sandwich recipes, but really a roast chicken, or even a chicken from the shop will be tasty too.

For these chicken sandwiches... amongst the best sandwiches for a picnic

You will need…

Collecting picnic sandwich fillings for best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

Thick slices of cooked chicken... slice or pull apart

Thick slices of tomato

Fresh basil leaves

Lemon slithers.... very thin slices

Scattering of Feta cheese

Optional... Barossa potato salad... very nice though!



Fillings for best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

To put together

Start by buttering both slices of lovely fresh bread... or use hummus for added flavor.

Layer chicken, lemon, basil and tomato... then potato salad... into the center of the bread, tapering off at the edges.

When you put the top bread on, the ingredients squeeze together a little and show at the edges of the sandwich, without falling everywhere... well only a bit will!

This is great in a wrap, or a pocket of pita bread, as well as any of your favorite bread or rolls.

TOP TIP... Did you notice the tips above?

If you are a neat minimalist person, don't do this... but you will always have admiring comments if you do!

Pile the sandwich ingredients up in the center of the bread, tapering off at the edges... be generous.

When you put the top slice of bread on, the ingredients squeeze together a little and show at the edges of the sandwich, without falling everywhere... well only a bit!

They will look so lush and inviting, drizzling at the edges!

We’re lucky enough to have this friendly hen living next door
and she and her girlfriends love to scratch in our garden…
then they leave lovely brown eggs in pot plants and under bushes.

Lovely hen who lays brown eggs for our best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

... and the hens eggs are wonderful for a picnic egg salad sandwich.

Top Tips...

Are your eggs fresh?

Check that the eggs are fresh enough to eat... I love free range, but sometimes we're not sure how old the eggs are… and there is nothing more off putting than a rotten egg! It's easy to leave an egg in the fridge too long also, so it's a good idea to do this anyway.

I like to check that they are fresh by popping them into a bowl of cold water before using.

If they feel light and immediately float… toss!

Boiling eggs...

As long as they are OK, eggs which are a few days old, are easier to peel than really fresh ones.

To boil eggs… place them in a saucepan with cold water to cover and bring to boil.

Simmer for 6-7 minutes, no longer, and then plunge them into icy cold water...

leave there for a few minutes and the shell comes off easily!

I find cracking on the end then along one side, helps the shell comes off too.

Boiled eggs can be kept for 4-5 days in the fridge.





Boil the eggs...

Eggs boiling for the best-sandwich-for-a-picnic

Allow at least 1, possibly 2, large eggs per sandwich.


Now for an Egg Salad... another suggested best sandwich for a picnic...

Curry powder is popular in egg sandwiches but I prefer this recipe. This delicious version is not one of the usual egg salad sandwich recipes.

After all, the girls eggs deserve a yummy sandwich!

Combine these ingredients

  • Boiled eggs
  • Thin slices of pancetta, or lean bacon grilled until crisp
  • Squeeze of lemon… just enough to flavor
  • Fine zest of lemon
  • Enough mayonnaise, or Tzatziki for flavor and to moisten and hold ingredients together
  • Sprinkle of French Tarragon
  • Fresh parsley chopped
  • Thin slices of crunchy celery, chopped
  • Chives chopped
  • Small capers… chop if large
  • Pepper and salt to season
  • To prepare this best sandwich for a picnic...

    • Butter the bread
    • place a crunchy leaf on each slice of bread
    • Generously fill with the egg mixture.
    • Use you favorite bread or roll... wholemeal, or grainy bread goes well with egg salad sandwiches.
    • Cut into triangles, or squares, or even long rectangular fingers.




    Be generous with your sandwiches...

    really pile up the filling so they are lush and inviting!


    Luscious fresh bread with roast beef, best-sandwich-for-a-picnic?

    Here we have thick slices of roast beef on crunchy olive bread!
    Top with your choice of fillings... enjoy as an open sandwich.


    Ham or Roast Beef Sandwiches.

    Make these best sandwiches for a picnic... they can have similar ingredients in them… and both ham and beef make a lovely open sandwich on crusty French bread or one of the Artisan breads too!

    • Thin slices of rare roast beef, or ham cut fresh from the bone, are by far the best base for these delicious sandwiches... much tastier than sliced beef or ham in a packet, but you can use those if you wish.
    • A simple beef or ham sandwich can be made using slices of tomato and very finely cut red onion.
    • Matured cheese and a spread of tasty mustard… grainy Dijon is great with these sliced meats.
    • A crusty olive bread, or white loaf of buttered bread… thick slices… and you have a really great meal.

    Would you like a really delicious special treat for your picnic?

    Rare Roast Beef Sandwich with caramelized onion... yum!

    To caramelize onion

    • 2 brown onions
    • 3-4 cloves of garlic.
    • Sprig of fresh thyme is optional.
    • Approximately 60 gm (2oz) of butter, with small dash of olive oil.
    • Splash of Madeira or Brandy is optional.
    • Slice onions and garlic into rounds and cook slowly in butter and oil with and thyme.
    • Remove thyme and add Brandy or Madeira and flame when hot … be careful not to splash too much and singe the kitchen, or yourself!
    • Continue to cook slowly until onion is caramelized.

    This roast beef sandwich with caramelized onion and brie style cheese is really luscious.

    Place a pile of thin slices of rare roast beef onto bread of your choice then add onions and thick slices of Brie...and salad if you wish.

    This is a particularly delicious, rich, sandwich which looks really inviting if generous bits of beef and onions overflow the edges of the bread... Hmmm... yumm!


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