For a summer picnic, choose two freezer options around how you will cook and serve them: sharing food can work when you can cook it before leaving and transport it at a suitable temperature, while individual ready meals make more sense as freezer backup or where you have suitable cooking equipment. Check portions, dietary labels and pack instructions before deciding; being frozen does not make a meal ready to eat outdoors.
If you want food to share, check that you have time to follow the cooking instructions and a way to keep food at a suitable temperature on the journey. Two single-serve meals may not provide the serving format you need.
Separate mains can be more practical than one shared dish when dietary requirements differ. Use product filters to shortlist options, then check each pack’s current ingredients and allergen information.
Two frozen options can be kept for a meal before or after an outing, even if neither suits the picnic table. If you intend to take one outdoors, choose it according to its cooking, serving and transport requirements.
Start with where the food will be cooked and eaten, then match the pack format to the people you are feeding.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking and transport | Read the exact pack’s cooking and storage instructions. For food normally kept refrigerated, plan a cool box or bag with ice or frozen gel packs, as the Food Standards Agency advises for picnics; hot food needs suitable hot holding. | I can cook before leaving, but I need a way to carry the food at a suitable temperature until we eat. |
| Portions and format | Check pack weight, stated servings and whether the food is a plated meal or can be divided. Waitrose & Partners lists both 400 g frozen meals and 800 g meals for two, showing why weight alone does not establish the serving format. | Will two individual meals cover our picnic, or would food that can be shared work better for the group? |
| Dietary fit | Check the current pack for ingredients and allergens. Vegetarian or vegan category filters can help narrow the choices, but do not replace the label. | Someone joining us needs a separate choice, so I want to know exactly which dish they can have. |
| Freezer backup | Decide whether each item is for the picnic or a meal at home. If it is for the outing, check the equipment needed to cook it and the time available before departure. | I would still use a ready meal at home if cooking or carrying it to the picnic proves impractical. |
Once food is cooked or defrosted, its storage and serving conditions still matter. The Food Standards Agency advises keeping picnic food that normally needs refrigeration cool in a cool box or bag with ice or frozen gel packs.
Decide before buying whether you will cook at home, cook at the picnic or keep the item as freezer backup, and choose only a format you can handle accordingly.
Individual ready meals can be awkward to divide, whereas frozen ranges also include meals for two and sharing formats. Two packs do not, by themselves, establish how many people you can serve.
Read the stated serving format and cooking instructions on each pack before settling on the pair.
Ingredients and allergen details may change: M&S Food advises checking the product label. Its frozen-food catalogue also asks shoppers to select a local Foodhall to see stock.
Check the physical pack for dietary, storage and cooking information, and confirm local availability before relying on an item for the picnic.
These retailer ranges provide different ways to shortlist frozen food; the choice still depends on the individual pack and your picnic plan.
Tesco Groceries lists ready meals alongside frozen pizza, garlic bread, party food, vegetables and dietary categories, giving shoppers several formats to consider.
Waitrose & Partners lists frozen individual meals, meals for two, gyoza and other dishes that call for different serving plans.
M&S Food lists frozen ready meals as well as party food, pizza and garlic bread, with vegetarian and vegan filters for its ready-meal range.
These frozen samosas, dim sum and gyoza are options to consider for cooked picnic food. Check the pack instructions, portions and your transport plan before choosing two; they are not ready-to-eat substitutes for an individual frozen meal.
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The 20-piece pack gives a group individual portions to share. Check the cooking directions and current allergen label; if taking the samosas after cooking, plan how they will be kept at a suitable temperature.
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This assortment is a cooked-food option for a picnic table rather than an individual plated meal. Check the 360 g pack for portions, cooking directions and allergens before deciding whether it covers the group.
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The tofu and vegetable filling makes this a meat-free option to consider alongside another cooked dish. Check the 600 g pack’s dietary and allergen label, portions and cooking directions before serving.
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These chicken and vegetable gyoza are another cooked option to consider for a picnic. Check how many portions the 600 g pack provides, follow its cooking directions and plan suitable transport after cooking.
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These pork gyoza could form part of a cooked picnic meal. The pack weighs 600 g; check its stated portions, allergen information and cooking directions before deciding how it fits the group.
Yes, if you follow its pack instructions and can keep it at a suitable temperature after cooking. The Food Standards Agency advises carrying food that normally needs refrigeration in a cool box or bag with ice or frozen gel packs; hot food needs suitable hot holding. A frozen ready meal is not automatically ready to eat outdoors.
Keep it cool rather than planning to leave it out. The Food Standards Agency’s heatwave advice says to discard perishables left out of the fridge for more than two hours during hotter weather. Food Standards Scotland advises eating ready-to-eat food within four hours of taking it out of the fridge; that is not a reason to leave chilled food in the heat.
Do not assume refreezing is suitable: follow the exact pack’s storage and defrosting instructions. Food Standards Agency consumer guidance summarised in its 2021 freezing review says food should be consumed within 24 hours once defrosted.
Choose a separately labelled option that meets their requirements rather than assuming a side dish will do. Retailer filters can help you shortlist frozen food, but check the current physical pack’s ingredients and allergen information before serving.