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Nothing says ‘Summer’ like a picnic excursion. Whether you load up the car and travel to a beautiful rural location, stroll to your nearest park with a basket of treats or simply set up a spread in your garden – it’s all about getting together with special people for a relaxed lunch outdoors.
Just like any gathering, a good picnic takes a little planning. Follow our tips to create the perfect ambiance for your alfresco meal:
The joy of a picnic is switching off for a little while and enjoying an unhurried lunch, so everyone needs to be comfortable. You might choose somewhere that already has picnic benches, otherwise we recommend a grassy patch to set up your area. Carry cushions or something soft and padded to sit on – we have these lovely striped mattresses in our summer collection, ideal for layering with blankets or rugs for a comfy picnic seat.
You can even add extra cushions and quilts to create a lovely chillout area, and who doesn’t love comfy cushions? This works well if you’re setting up a picnic in the garden – bring out a sofa cushion, and you’ll find people will be content to sit long after the food is finished.
Picnic food should be unfussy, easy to eat with minimal mess. Sandwiches work well and we love traditional versions like cream cheese and cucumber, and mozzarella, basil and tomato. A cheeseboard is a perfect grazing dish for a picnic – choose a selection of cheeses and pack crackers, oatcakes and bread and your favourite chutneys. Or one of our favourite combinations; a loaf of sourdough, Italian ham and cheese and fresh cherry tomatoes. Choose a selection of foods that everyone can help themselves to, and things that don’t require too much preparation beforehand!
There’s no ‘setting the table’ for a picnic, but we do love to eat from our summer crockery rather than disposable plates. If you have room, pack a small plate for everyone and a knife each so they can cut their cheese and spread butter etc. We promise, it will feel much more elegant eating from proper ceramics and you can wrap them in your napkins so they don’t break on the journey. Leave the fragile platters at home but bring along a large wooden serving board to lay out your grazing platter.
If you’re in the garden, bring wine or water glasses out like our continental style in olive green, set down on a pretty tray.
Finally, you have your delightful cushions and inviting mattresses, although remember the thoughtful details that will make your picnic memorable. Pack fabric napkins with delicate patterns like our block-printed versions or tie a sprig of lavender with twine and have it as your picnic centrepiece. And be sure to put away your phone (apart from a few photos) and savour these summer moments.
Written by Amy Tarrant.
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