Get set for summer with sizzling barbecue offers and picnic favourites

GET set for summer with some brilliant buys to give you that sunshine feeling.

From sizzling barbecue offers to deals on summer drinks, start the season as you mean to go on.

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Start the season as you mean to go on with great summer foods[/caption]

With St George’s Day falling tomorrow, it’s also the time of year to celebrate all things English – and I’ve found great foods from all corners of the country for you to enjoy.

The recipes below from Morrisons.com are perfect for packing in a picnic or just enjoying at home.

England’s finest

FOR a slice of England, carve up a Morrisons medium pork pie, 320g, down from £1.65 to £1.

Scoop out a spoonful of Somerset’s Yeo Valley organic strawberry yoghurt, 450g, down from £1.70 to £1 at Sainsbury’s.

A little goes a long way with Colman’s Original English Mustard, 170g, down from £1.75 to £1 at Morrisons.

Start your day the St George’s way with eight Old English cured back bacon rashers for £2.65 at Morrisons, or two packs for £4.

Get a brew of Taylor’s of Harrogate Yorkshire tea, down from £3.20 to £2 for 80 tea bags at the Co-op.

Buy three items for £7 from M&S deli collection including Dinky pasties, Melton Mowbray pork pies and much more, individually £2.50 each.

How do you like your toast in the morning? Try it with Greater Manchester-based Granny Cool mandarin and ginger marmalade, 350g, £2.50, from Sainsbury’s.

Morrisons Hampshire roast ham, 125g, is £2.65 or buy two for £4.50.

West Sussex-based, Higgidy’s veggie rolls, including Cheddar & onion chutney, are down from £2.65 to £2 at Waitrose.

For a taste of Yorkshire, Waitrose Wensleydale with cranberry, 200g, is £2 or buy two for £3.50.

Ambrosia Devon custard, 750g, is a tasty half price at Morrisons, now £1.

English drinks

GRAB a bottle of Morland Old Golden Hen, 500ml, for £1 at Morrisons, down from £1.75.

Celebrate summer with Ellercombe English sparkling wine, down from £24 to £17 at Sainsbury’s.

Morrisons has a selection of ales in its four for £6 offer, including Black Sheep Ale, 500ml, £1.75.

Save £6 on 70cl of Plymouth dry gin, now £20 at Waitrose.

Get three 500ml bottles of low-alcohol Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% for £3 at Morrisons, or £1.30 each.

Enjoy a bottle of Marston’s English pale ale, 500ml, £1 at Sainsbury’s.

Save £3 on Kent’s Simpsons Estate Chardonnay at Waitrose, down from £14.99 to £11.99.

BBQ beauties

GRAB yourself a British BBQ sausage and burger pack, £8, from Morrisons, with 12 The Best sausages and eight quarter-pounder steak burgers, plus 24 finger rolls.

Morrisons is offering two for £5 on selected summer foods (normally £3 each) including Cajun chicken breast steaks, 350g, and beef and dark ale burgers, 340g.

Get ready to spritz this summer, with a litre bottle of Aperol, down from £20 to £15 at Sainsbury’s.

Pack your bag with three-for-£5 on selected picnic foods at Asda including six spinach and feta parcels, £2, and ten sweet potato falafels, £1.90.

For a well-dressed salad, get the Pizza Express house dressing, down from £2.05 to £1.50 at Waitrose.

Get in the holiday mood with a Spanish chicken dish from Morrisons, £3.75, or buy two for £6 as part of a deal on selected ready meals.

Be a cool customer saving £1.80 on Haagen-Dazs strawberry cheesecake ice cream, 460ml, now £3 at Sainsbury’s.

M&S is offering three dishes for £10 across its BBQ range including Gimme S’mores brownies and cheese and onion burgers, both usually £4.50 each.

Dive into fresh fruit at Tesco with two packs of berries for £3 including 400g strawberries, usually £2 a pack.

Cheese and bacon scones

Makes 12

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

YOU NEED:

• 100g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 10 rashers bacon
• 275g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 150ml milk
• 50ml vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 150g grated Cheddar

METHOD:

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and grease a 12-hole muffin tin.
2. In a frying pan, fry the bacon for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Let cool then chop up into chunks and put to the side.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and 1tsp of salt.
4. Mix the butter on to the flour using your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil and egg. Mix in the flour mixture.
6. Stir in the bacon and cheese and spoon into the muffin tin.
7. Put the tin in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, then serve.

Blackberry Bakewell cake

Serves eight

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

YOU NEED:

• 150g unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 100g ground almonds
• 80g self-raising flour
• 200g blackberries
• 30g flaked almonds
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm round loose-based cake tin with baking parchment.
• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
• Add the eggs, almond extract, ground almonds and flour and mix well. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared tin.
• Scatter blackberries over the top, then sprinkle over the flaked almonds and demerara sugar.
• Bake in the oven for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.