Start With the Seafront, Then Work Back

One of the quiet pleasures of staying in a Hornsea bed and breakfast is that you can build a proper picnic without ever needing a supermarket. This stretch of the East Yorkshire coast is still farming country at heart, and the town's shops, stalls and roadside tables reflect that. Within a short walk or a ten-minute drive of the promenade you will find fresh bread, decent cheese, seasonal vegetables and enough chutney to fill a hamper.

The trick is to shop in the right order. Buy bread first thing while it is still warm, then vegetables, then cheese and cold cuts, and leave anything frozen or chilled until the last moment. If you are staying in a B&B, ask your host which day the market runs and which bakery opens earliest. Proprietors on this coast are usually delighted to share their favourites, and their advice is far more reliable than any signpost.

The Weekly Market

Hornsea's weekly market is the anchor of the local food week. It is a traditional outdoor market rather than a fashionable farmers' market, which is exactly why it is worth a visit: fruit and veg stalls with crates piled high, a butcher's van, a fishmonger when the boats have been out, and often a baker or two alongside the plant and household stalls.

A few practical points make the trip smoother:

• Go early. The best produce and the shortest queues are in the first hour. By mid-morning the good tomatoes have gone.
• Take cash. Many stallholders now accept cards, but not all, and a few will offer a better price for notes and coins.
• Bring your own bags. Boxes and carriers are not always provided.
• Ask what is local. Some stalls sell produce brought in from further afield. A polite question about where the beans or the potatoes were grown usually gets a straight answer.

Market days can shift with the season and with the weather, so confirm the details when you arrive rather than relying on an old listing.

Bakeries: Bread, Buns and Bacon Sandwiches

A coastal town bakery is a different creature from a city one. Expect white and wholemeal loaves, teacakes, iced buns, and a counter of savouries that will tempt you into abandoning the picnic entirely. Several bakeries in Hornsea bake in the early hours, so a loaf bought before nine is still faintly warm.

For a seaside picnic, buy more bread than you think you need. A crusty white loaf, a seeded one and a bag of floury baps will cover cheese, salad, and any leftovers from breakfast. Add a couple of pork pies, a sausage roll or a slice of quiche and you have lunch for four with almost no effort. If you are travelling home by car the next day, a fruit loaf or a bag of fat rascals travels well.

Farm Shops and Roadside Stalls

Head out of town along the lanes towards the Wolds and the holderness flatlands and you will pass farm shops, smallholdings and honest-box stalls at the end of driveways. These are the places to buy vegetables that were in the ground that morning: new potatoes, carrots with the soil still on, courgettes, runner beans, and in late summer, sweetcorn picked the same day.

Seasonality matters here, and it is part of the pleasure. Spring brings asparagus and salad leaves; high summer fills the tables with soft fruit and tomatoes that actually taste of something; autumn turns to apples, squash and root vegetables. Eggs are usually available too, often with a chalked note on the box. Bring small change for honesty boxes, and take only what you need — these stalls run on trust.

Cheese, Chutney and the Deli Counter

Yorkshire has earned its place on the cheese board over the past twenty years, and the shops around Hornsea carry a decent range of local and regional varieties. Look for crumbly white cheeses, waxed truckles, blue cheeses from the dales, and the softer, buttery styles that spread beautifully on a warm bap. Many counters will let you taste before you buy, which is a fine way to spend ten minutes.

Alongside cheese, gather the supporting cast: a jar of chutney or piccalilli, a pot of local honey, some proper butter, a bag of crisps, and perhaps a slice of fruit cake. If you are staying for a few days, a bottle of something cold from a nearby drinks shop rounds off the hamper nicely. Keep chilled items in the B&B fridge until you leave.

Pack the Picnic — and Where to Eat It

Hornsea is generous with places to sit. The promenade has benches facing the sea, the beach itself is broad and walkable, and the Mere is a short stroll inland for a quieter, reedier view. A beach hut, if you are lucky enough to have the use of one, is the ideal base.

• Take a cool bag and a frozen ice block for cheese, butter and pies.
• Pack a windbreak and a blanket. Sea breezes are reliable even on bright days.
• Bring a knife, a board and a bin bag. You will want all three.
• Watch the gulls. Never leave food uncovered, and take every scrap home with you.

Buy well in the morning, walk the seafront, and eat late. That, more than any restaurant, is what a Hornsea bed and breakfast stay is for.