Planning! (That's what makes the Perfect Picnic...)

You found the perfect picnic spot. It isn’t too hilly or too muddy, it isn’t too crowded or isolated; it’s in that Goldilocks zone of picturesque perfection. You go back there year-after-year, creating family memories and enjoying balmy evenings. There are trees if you need shade, but there’s that part in the middle of the meadow that gets sunshine all day long, and keeps you coming back for more.

So, what accoutrements and kit do you need to do justice to your beauty spot and make the most of precious together-time? First of all, you want your beauty spot to stay beautiful – the countryside code may belong to yesteryear, but it still applies. Make sure you bring with you the means of taking any rubbish away at the end of the day. Overspilling public bins could pose a hazard to wildlife, or mean that tomorrow’s picnickers have to contend with flies, wasps and rats – and let’s face it, overstuffed bins are visual blemishes and not a good look for anyplace.

Supposing your perfect spot isn’t in the middle of a meadow, but amidst a pristine expanse of golden sands? You look forward to it so much that even the drive there is leisurely and relaxing as you are “waiting to exhale”. You are going to need a picnic blanket that won’t let any sand-dwelling critters access to your sumptuous smorgasbord spread out upon it. The perfect choice for a larger gathering is our 3x4 meter picnic blanket.

Speaking of safety, there’s also food safety to consider – in particular, when the weather heats up. In warmer weather, bacteria proliferate, so it’s quite easy for the unwary to come down with a tummy bug – not what you want during the school holidays for you or your little ones. Treat yourself to a cooler box: Packing up a cooler box will help keep your perishable food fresh and safe to eat. We offer a range of cooler boxes and bags at astonishingly low prices, that are available in a variety of prices, styles and sizes.

The last thing you want after a day playing frisbee on the beach, swimming in the sea or lying back on the picnic blanket to identify constellations, is a massive clean-up operation! If you bring glass with you and it breaks or is unwittingly left behind, it could pose a danger to kids and pets. Instead save yourself a chore and stock up on our barbecue and picnic tableware. Whether you need plates, cups or cutlery we stock a range of recyclable products that will cater to your needs, with the bonus that you’ll save on the washing up! Which means less biocide (detergent) in the water table.

Planning your picnic’s food and drink

OK first off - it has to be portable – if you’ve packed so much that your staggering under the weight, that’s going to be a real handbrake on the day’s fun. So the key thing here is to ask everyone who’s coming to the picnic what they would like to eat. Simple!

• When theEarl of Sandwich invented the … er, sandwich, he unwittingly invented the worlds most versatile and customisable food. Kids like finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and fillings that they’ve chosen themselves. Psychologists agree that you should let kids eat whatever they want (within reason; non-stop ice-creams may lead to tummy aches). Grownups love a club sandwich with fresh, healthy filling.
• The perfect complement to your selection of sandwiches is home-made crisps, again seasoned to taste – and as for customising, remember, potatoes are not the only ‘crispable’ food – you could experiment with garlic rosemary sweet potato chips, baked taro chips, or cinnamon carrot chips with a honey yoghurt dip.

Bring the cool

• Salads will stay crisp and fresh if you transport them in a cooler – but just ensure they’re stored away from ice cube or fluids (unless you like limp lettuce).
• Some fruit offers UV protection. That’s right blueberries and watermelons contain phytochemically resistant (sunburn thwarting) compounds called lycopenes which help your skin barrier to withstand UVA and UVB rays – however, we’d always recommend keeping the sunscreen topped up. Cherries are a rich source of melatonin, to help progress your tan.

Barbie on the beach

• If you feel like having some hot food, you could purchase one of our disposable barbecues. Bear in mind that, as the name suggests – you are meant to dispose of them once used (and for the love of Nature, do not leave them behind you smouldering in a blackened ring of grass).
• Fingerfood, from bakewells to battenburg slices, will always go down a treat when dessert time rolls around. Remember that kids’ teeth in hot weather need to be cleaned more often if they are eating food with a high processed sugar content, so you may want to substitute with chilled strawberries on a skewer, or Nutella bananas on the barbie (split the banana in its skin, ladle in lashings of Nutella, wrap in foil and roast for 4 mins).
• Whatever tipples you’re bringing with you to your picnic, if you are driving, ensure you or your guests don’t over-indulge. Water is also a safe bet to bring with you in case of heat-stroke or just fussy tastes. Again, I always ask whoever is coming to pick a favourite drink and then I keep it in an iced section of the cooler. To avoid other people drinking what that guest nominated, I pack at least two of each for bottled or smaller canned drinks.

Keeping kids happy and entertained on a picnic

So, the adults have snuggled down into their cardis on the picnic rug and are enjoying that long overdue chinwag and a catch-up. What can children do safely nearby, to entertain themselves?

You could pack board games like twister or, if you have room and there are a few adults to help carry it, maybe a swingball set that you can stabilize with sand or water in the base. Frisbees are always a great way to improve their gross motor skills and it’s good for socialisation in terms of turn-taking. Then there’s the trusty football which is great for girls and boys to have a kickabout while parents watch the sun go down on a perfect day.