Ahead of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, which takes place on 1-4 September 2016, Land Rover ambassador James Martin demonstrates his own take on the traditional Italian sandwich, dubbed ‘The Burghley Bloomer’. This layered masterpiece is ideal for sharing amongst friends and a great idea for a tailgate picnic.
The event has become almost as synomous with picnicking as it has world class equestrian sport and the Land Rover Tailgate Picnic Competition – which traditionally takes place on cross-country day – has become a popular feature among horse trial goers. In recent years it has been judged by some well-known faces, including event rider Zara Tindall, Channel 4’s Kirstie Allsopp and TV presenter Matt Baker.
Ingredients
- 1 x large round loaf of bread
- 200g of pesto
- 2 x balls of buffalo mozzarella, torn
- Selection of chargrilled vegetables, sliced lengthways: 1 x aubergines, 2x courgettes, 2x red/yellow peppers
- 2 x chicken breast, cut into strips
- A handful of rocket leaves
- Raw red onion – sliced
- 1x beef tomato – sliced
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Cut a hole in the top of the loaf of bread and hollow it out so all you are left with is the crust and a lid. The idea being that it becomes like a container
- Generously spread the pesto on the base of the hollowed loaf
- Layer the mozzarella on top of the pesto, and then the chargrilled vegetables, followed by the chicken, rocket leaves, onions and tomatoes
- Season with a little bit of salt and pepper
- Press it down nice and flat so that you can fit as much filling as possible into the loaf
- Repeat steps 2-5 so that the loaf is brimming with ingredients
- Place the lid on top of the loaf and then wrap it tightly in cling film
- The longer this can be left in the cling film the better it will taste, so pack it into the picnic in the back of the car and leave it alone until you are at your picnic destination
- When you are ready to eat, remove the cling film and then slice it up in to chunks to serve
As many dedicated event goers know, it is always a challenge to keep a picnic fresh when it has to tolerate a long car journey. As well as clever recipes like the Burghley Bloomer and Teriyaki Steak which are enhanced by a long car journey, James also has some useful tips to make sure your tailgate picnic is at its best when you arrive at an event.
James Martin’s top 5 tailgate picnic tips
1. When it comes to wrapping food, always use greaseproof paper or cling film. So often when the weather is good, if you use tinfoil it can actually end up cooking the food
2. Use different types of vinegars like cider vinegar or sherry vinegar to glam up limp salad. It really gives it
3. Pack a spicy pickle or a chilli jam in your picnic. It doesn’t matter if it gets a bit warm and the kick in the pickle or jam will really enhance the taste of a pie or a scotch egg
4. Look for things like hot smoked salmon which is already cooked and therefore doesn’t deteriorate when it has been in the back of a vehicle for a certain amount of time
5. Use soft cheeses, ones that don’t like being refrigerated but are actually better when they warm up, such as brie and camembert, or a particularly good one is Vacherin Mont D’Or
The Land Rover Tailgate Picnic Competition takes place on cross-country day at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Saturday 3 rd September in the reserved car park. For more information about the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk
Land Rover has over 30 years heritage in the equestrian sport and has been title sponsor of Burghley Horse Trials since 2005. To find out more about Land Rover’s long term commitment to equestrian sport, visit www.landrover.co.uk/equestrian
