In the thick of the pandemic, who of us would have thought the first flush of excitement about emerging for it would take the form of…picnics? Suddenly, we’re all dusting off the blankets and firing up the group chat to meet friends and family for open-air dates.
Justine Schofield, cook, author and television personality, wholeheartedly endorses this – pandemic or not. “I do love a picnic,” she says. “Picnics don’t have to be corny.” All you need is the right setting and, of course, a delicious spread.
Cheese
A cheeseboard is the fulcrum around which any great picnic sings. Schofield’s go-to cheese is Petit d’Affinois, a nifty “lush, crowd-pleasing” portion of the famous Fromager d’Affinois double cream cheese. Schofield says it’s a worthy centrepiece for an impressive picnic cheeseboard, “because it’s really creamy and velvety and lends itself to so many different flavours.”
Fruit and nuts
Schofield loves to pair her cheese with seasonal fruit. Heading into summer, stone fruit is her first choice. “I like to keep it really simple with a fruit that’s in season,” she says. “Aussies love to put strawberries near a cheese, but I personally don’t like that combination,” she says, aware she’s heading into sacrilegious territory. “I love stone fruit’s peachy flavours. And a big generous bunch of grapes look beautiful on a platter.”
Texture is another important element. “Fromager d’Affinois has a slight bloomy flavour, [and] goes with nuttiness,” says Schofield, who suggests throwing some walnuts into the mix.
Bread
The final element of Schofield’s cheeseboard is a French baguette, a nod to her French heritage (her mother moved to Australia from France before Schofield was born). “You can add crackers if you’re so inclined,” Schofield says. We shall.
Drink
You should always drink red wine with cheese, right? Not so says the chef. “There’s a misconception that cheese should always go with red wine – and don’t get me wrong, with French heritage behind me, I absolutely love that – but for creamy cheese I always like to pair it with something a little fizzy,” says Schofield.
Champagne is also a winner, as a chilled rosé – “a classic, crisp, light, neutral wine” – and mineral water with a dash of shrub. Schofield makes her own shrub, a mix of “peaches, a little bit of vinegar and lots of caster sugar” left to infuse and then strained through a muslin cloth. The result is a “gorgeous cordial that goes so nicely with fizzy-style drinks.”
And beer? “Beer and cheese are best mates, too,” says Schofield. “It’s that yeastiness that you get from a really chilled beer – it’s a perfect match with cheese.”
Accessories
Make sure your picnic accessories are up to scratch. “You have to have a good basket,” says Schofield. “I have a basket with a lid like a table, so it makes it easy when you’re arranging a cheeseboard for your mates to share.”
When pressed Schofield says her ideal picnic would be set “somewhere near the water” with shade during the day and a superb view of the sunset later on. For company, she’d have her five best friends. “I’ve been in a different state from them with border lockdowns,” she says. “I miss them terribly. No one does a picnic like my girlfriends. We’d definitely be popping some champagne and some rosé…and we’d have a huge cheeseboard. I’ve got goosebumps – I can’t wait to do that with them.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fromager d’Affinois. As part of Fromager d’Affinois celebrating 40 years of its indulgent, creamy soft cheeses, you and three friends can win the chance to enjoy an afternoon Zoom masterclass with Justine Schofield, culminating in the creation of a six-tier celebratory cheese tower. To enter, follow @fromagerdaffinois_au on Instagram, like the competition post, and tag three friends you would invite to the cheesy celebration. See @fromagerdaffinois_au for more information.
