Picnic perfection

I'm not coping with this cold weather. At all. I've spent all day planning Spring events and revelling in the romance of gorgeous blooms and bubbles. Then I look out my window and it's pouring down, sheets of rain threatening the windows and deflating my spirit.

Then we got talking about picnics and how much fun they can be - dipping into a picnic basket to find all sorts of wonderful morsels of bite sized treats. The pic above is just my dream day out. Throw in a couple of mags (and a cricket bat and ball for the boys), and it's the perfect catch up with friends. The gorgeous Kim from Brown Button got me started - she asked for my mum's famous chicken sandwich recipe and now all I can think about is sun-kissed picnics and shoes off in the grass!

Time to share the love - we may be entering the depths of Winter but it's only fair to reveal my Mum's perfect picnic snack. They were a hit at my BBT Christmas Party and will fool you in to thinking it's Summer already.

Best ever chicken sandwiches

15 slices grain bread
90g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (200g) finely chopped cooked chicken1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/3 cup chopped pistachios

1. Spread 1 side of each bread slice with butter.
2. Combine chicken, celery, sour cream, mayonnaise and nuts in bowl; mix well.
3. Spread 5 slices of bread with half the chicken mixture, top with buttered bread, buttered side down.
4. Spread with remaining chicken mixture, top with buttered bread, buttered side down.
5. Cut crusts from sandwiches, cut sandwiches into thirds, cut each third into 2 pieces

Makes 30
Can be made 3 hours ahead
Storage: covered, in refrigerator
Freeze: suitable