Spring is in the air - and so is the smell of freshly made pies for your hamper.

With spring well and truly here, I am motivated to spend more time outdoors. Not just staring at my newly replanted garden, which is very exciting after eight months of watching the old one wither or be trampled upon; not just enjoying the bright morning sky as I walk, relishing the scent of prunus, pittosporum and lemon-scented gum; but starting to plan picnics to parks and bushland. For some, it is the time of the year to consider packing a picnic to take to the race track.

Elizabeth David has a marvellous introduction to the chapter on picnics in her book, Summer Cooking. She describes unlikely picnics with butlers, footmen, fine china, silver, tables and tablecloths; and describes, by contrast, a time she and her friends had happily shopped at a French country market and had arrived at the picnic spot with salami, anchovies, olives and cheese to find their friends unloading firewood, potatoes, cutlets, skewers, and frying pans, and, later, ice-cream from a thermos.

David does approve of Edwardian picnic hampers, although admitting that "they do have an aura of lavish gallivantings and ancient Rolls Royces ... about them".

Picnics can be spontaneous decisions with little time for planning. My staples would then be hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, bread and cheese, apples and maybe some chocolate.

Nothing drippy, or fragile, or greasy, or too difficult to carry in a day-pack. And all able to be eaten sitting on a log, without plates and without knives and forks. I would have to have a paper twist of sea salt for the eggs and tomatoes, though.

But one can plan a picnic and make special things.

Few people can resist homemade pies and here are recipes for three of my favourites. All are firm enough to travel well and substantial enough to form the focus of the picnic lunch.

Everyone has their own version of egg and bacon pie. I have to eat egg and bacon pie cold - I really do not like it hot or even warm.

Jamaican patties are ubiquitous at roadside stalls on the island, usually enjoyed with Red Stripe beer. The ones I remember from many years ago were served warm (mind you everything was warm; there was little refrigeration and the temperature was in the 30s). The highly coloured pastry was golden with turmeric and the beef filling was not just warm - it was very hot, with plenty of chopped Scotch Bonnet peppers. My version here is not so fierce.

Then I have a recipe for Malaysian-style chicken and coconut curry puffs. Another street-stall speciality, these little pies are best deep-fried and served warm, or certainly not refrigerated.

For picnics they can be baked and wrapped while still warm in a dry, clean cloth.

Substantial pies are good accompanied with appropriate pickles or chutneys and easy-to-eat, chunky salads.

Fennel slices are delicious, as are small carrots or washed radishes. One of the best combinations is a vaguely Greek-style salad, wedges of tomato with cucumber chunks, black olives, chopped capsicum, chopped spring onion and plenty of fresh parsley and basil.

Take an olive oil-and-vinegar dressing in a small screw-top jar. Or buy a really crunchy iceberg lettuce, cut out the core and soak it in water for 10 minutes then drain it well and carry it to the picnic in a sealed container and carefully peel off the leaves and wrap them around boiled asparagus.

Traditionalists will also pack a thermos of tea and a cake.

What are your picnic staples?