Cheese the day: 20 dairy-packed picnic delights.
Picnic season is here! What better way to celebrate summer than with a fun feast shared with friends, under a shady tree or sailcloth.
Spread out a blanket, relax and enjoy the goodness of nature – and that includes plenty of dairy! From creamy cheeses to cool, refreshing yoghurt and milk, dairy is the perfect picnic partner. Plus, it’s packed with essential nutrients like calcium, protein and vitamins, making it a great way to fuel up for your outdoor adventures.
Oh, and don’t worry if the weather’s less than lovely – rain or scorching heat are no match for indoor picnics! Set up your blankets, and perhaps a few nice plump cushions, in a hall, classroom or gym.
What shall we eat? From savoury snacks to sweet treats, we’ve got you covered with 20 fun ways to include dairy at your next picnic. Let’s tuck in!
1. Cheese skewers
Thread cubes of firm cheese and fruit or veggies onto skewers or long toothpicks. Try fetta and watermelon, cheddar and grapes, colby and olives, or the classic 1970s canapé combo of pineapple and tasty cheese. Little bocconcini balls (or squares of mozzarella), fresh-picked basil leaves and cherry tomatoes on toothpicks make delicious, bite-sized versions of classic Italian caprese salad.
Note: Consider assembling the ingredients separately in little bowls for younger children, so they can enjoy the same fun combinations without the pointy skewers.
2. Mini cheesy ‘quiches’
Little cheesy bites are easy to make and scrumptious. Take six slices of wholemeal bread, cut off the crusts and roll each piece flat with a rolling pin. Cut each into a rough (approx. 10 cm) circle, using a jar or bowl as a guide. Reserve bread offcuts to make home-made breadcrumbs or croutons. Line oiled muffin tins with flattened bread circles, pressing down gently to fit. Bake at 180°C for 5 minutes, until just crisp. Meanwhile, whisk two large eggs, 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup grated tasty cheese. Stir through 1 cup of your favourite mixed ‘extras’ (try corn kernels, grated zucchini, finely chopped ham, chopped baby spinach or halved cherry tomatoes). Divide the mixture between your quiche ‘cups’. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. These little cheesy bites can be zhuzhed with different herbs and garnishes, depending upon what's in season – try torn basil, fresh oregano, parsley, finely chopped green chilli or a sprinkle of chopped chives.
3. Dairy-packed dips
Creamy yoghurt-based dips are a fantastic way to incorporate calcium into your picnic foods! Serve with crisp, colourful veggies like carrot and celery sticks, capsicum strips and radishes. Members can download recipes for cucumber dip with dill and mint and dragonfruit raita from the Shared Table, our online resource library and networking hub.
Find Stephanie Alexander’s bright pink beetroot and mustard seed raita recipe in her cookbook Fresh, available signed, from our online shop.
Shop now: Fresh by Stephanie Alexander (signed)
Picnics are great for good chats with friends!
4. Chia yoghurt parfaits
Layer chia seed yoghurt with seasonal fruits like berries or peaches, in fun little lidded containers. Don’t forget the spoons! Members will find our simple recipe for chia seed yoghurt with fruit on the Shared Table.
Note: This simple no-cook recipe has been designed with early childhood settings in mind. Find out more about our Kitchen Garden Program for Early Childhood here.
5. Pizza of the imagination
Cheesy pizza is the perfect portable picnic fare! Try dairy-packed combos like parmesan and zucchini, classic tomato and mozzarella, or pesto and provolone.
Find our visual pesto recipe with step-by-step photos, in our popular resource Tools for Teachers 2 – Years 5 & 6, which is currently 50% off in our shop. The resource will also introduce your students to the mathematics of pizza!
Shop now: Tools for Teachers 2 – Years 5 & 6
Find our pizza dough recipe, and ideas for planting your very own ‘pizza garden’ in our story for Lunch Lady!
6. Triangle sandwiches
Little triangle sandwiches always go down a treat. Try cream cheese and thinly-sliced cucumber, or sliced Swiss cheese, baby spinach leaves and sweet mustard pickle.
7. Bruschetta
Bruschetta (pronounced broo-sketta) is an Italian appetizer of toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and different toppings. It’s always a crowd-pleaser, and perfect for little hands. Start with ricotta, then layer with toppings of your choice – try thinly-sliced green apple, figs or radish. Quince paste with sliced brie is another lovely combination.
Kitchen Garden Program members will find our quince paste recipe on the Shared Table, as well as three different seasonal bruschetta recipes.
Bruschetta topped with ricotta, broad beans, radish slices and mint made by O'Sullivan Beach School (SA) students
8. Pasties
Veggie-packed pasties are the perfect parcels for all kinds of cheeses. Find Stephanie Alexander’s cheese and vegetable pasties recipe in her cookbook Home, available signed, from our online shop.
Shop now: Home by Stephanie Alexander (signed)
9. Cheese platters
Put together a cheese platter or grazing board, as a centrepiece for your picnic blanket, featuring allllll the cheeses. Try softies like brie and camembert, salties like manchego and fetta, and oldies like vintage cheddar and pecorino. Add nuts (or seeds if your school or service is nut-free), olives and crackers for a complete grazing experience. Find more ideas in our Grazing plates of the imagination story.
10. Scones
Savoury scones are a great way to enjoy dairy in a handheld form. Try incorporating grated cheddar, and hardy herbs like rosemary or thyme, into your next scone bake-up. Members will find our Torres Strait Island fried scones, made with lots of creamy milk, on the Shared Table. This gorgeous recipe is by our friend Nornie Bero.
11. Slices
Who doesn’t love classic zucchini slice packed with grated cheddar? Another favourite with kitchen garden kids is our silverbeet, leek and feta slice, with a triple dairy boost of parmesan, feta and milk. Members will find the recipe on the Shared Table.
12. Seasonal savoury muffins
Packed with sharp cheddar cheese or parmesan, savoury muffins are perfect for picnics. Members will find this deliciously versatile recipe on the Shared Table.
Seasonal savoury muffins made by Brighton Primary School (TAS) students
13. Dairy-filled wraps
Fill wraps with lots of grated tasty cheese, shredded cos lettuce and a dollop of fruit chutney. Roll up, ‘glue’ the edges with cream cheese and slice into yummy bite-sized portions. Find more wrap filling ideas in our Top tips for including dairy in lunchboxes news story.
14. Pinwheels and scrolls
Pizza pinwheels and savoury scrolls, scattered with grated cheese before baking, are perfect picnic food!
15. Arancini
Classic Italian arancini (rice balls) stuffed with cheesy risotto (and often with a core of molten mozzarella!) are delicious served cold, with tomato chutney for dunking.
16. Vanilla ricotta mini bagels or dinner rolls
Whisk together 250g fresh ricotta, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or one vanilla bean, split and scraped) plus 1 tbsp honey or caster sugar. Add milk to loosen, if necessary. Spread this creamy deliciousness onto mini bagels or dinner rolls with fresh sliced strawberries; or pop into a bowl with fresh strawberries for dipping.
17. Pasta salad
Penne pasta salad made with cubes of fetta, cherry tomatoes, pitted olives, finely diced red onion and a simple sour cream or herbed yoghurt dressing will be hoovered by young children.
18. Cheesy biscuits
Cheese bickies like Parmesan sables can be baked ahead of time and stored until needed. Serve with dips, more cheese or on their own! Find Stephanie Alexander’s easy peasy cheesy biscuits recipe in her cookbook The Cook’s Apprentice, available signed, and with a free beautifully designed 100% cotton tote bag, from our online shop.
Shop now: The Cook’s Apprentice by Stephanie Alexander (signed)
19. Fritters
You can turn almost any seasonal veggies into fritters. Add grated parmesan or creamy ricotta to the batter for a dairy boost; and serve with a small tub of creamy yoghurt sauce or dip. Members will find our broccoli and cauliflower fritters with yoghurt dressing, cauliflower fritters with lime yoghurt and warrigal greens and ricotta fritters recipes on the Shared Table.
Cauliflower fritters with lime yoghurt made by Brighton Primary School (TAS) students
20. Milky pudding
Children will love individual serves of creamy pudding for a special picnic treat. Try semolina pudding scattered with currants, or Japanese custard pudding (purin) topped with raspberries or chopped cherries. Members will find a delicious recipe for muhalbiya al-ruz (spiced milky rice pudding) on the Shared Table.
We hope you loved our Top 20 dairy-filled picnic delights! Kitchen Garden Program members can access lots more delish dairy recipes in our Dairy recipes collection on the Shared Table.
Food safety
Remember to keep your food safe when you’re eating outdoors. The last thing you want is to turn your picnic into a sicknic! Learn more at CSIRO and Better Health.
It’s time to pack your basket, grab your picnic blanket, sunscreen and hats, and enjoy the best of the season. Whether you’re picnicking outdoors or setting up indoors, dairy is the perfect ingredient to add flavour, fun, and nutrition to every bite!
For children and young people, dairy is especially important. Childhood is the best opportunity to build strong bones for life, and peak bone density is reached around age 20-25. Growing bones need plenty of calcium, and dairy foods are the best source of this essential nutrient.
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation has partnered with Saputo Dairy Australia (SDA) since 2019. SDA produces, markets and distributes many of the dairy brands you know and love like Caboolture, CHEER™, Cracker Barrel*, Devondale, Great Ocean Road, Liddells, Mersey Valley, MG Ingredients, Mil Lel, Sheese, South Cape, Sungold and Tasmanian Heritage.
*Cracker Barrel is a registered trademark of Lactalis Heritage Dairy used under licence.
Nutritional information sources: Dairy Australia, Department of Health & Human Services, Better Health Channel (State Government of Victoria).
Like to learn more about the Kitchen Garden Program? Join a community of early childhood, primary school and secondary school educators all around Australia teaching children and young people how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, seasonal, delicious food.
Learn about the Kitchen Garden Program
The work of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is only made possible with the continued support of our partners, and we thank Saputo Dairy Australia for their commitment and generosity.
Learn more about partnering with the Kitchen Garden Foundation
All Stephanie Alexander books purchased through the Kitchen Garden Foundation online shop are signed by Stephanie. All purchases from our shop support the work of the Foundation. Thank you!
< Back to Latest News