How to plan a perfect picnic
Whether it’s a family picnic at home or you’re gathering everyone for a fun-filled picnic in the park, follow our little wins for picnic perfection! When the sun’s shining, a picnic is always a good idea. With our picnic checklist, we’ll help you plan a picnic so you don’t forget any of those all-important essentials!
Things you will need for a picnic
Whether you’re gathering all the things for the picnic or delegating jobs to other adults, make sure you make a list of the essentials. After all, nobody wants to have warm sandwiches or squashed sausage rolls! Here's a list of everything you’ll need:
- Picnic basket bag or cool bag
- Lunch boxes to keep everything from getting squashed
- Picnic blankets or cushions to get comfy
- Picnicware like plastic glasses, outdoor plates and bowls
- Wipes or napkins for messy eaters
- Ice packs to keep your nibbles chilled for longer
- Bin bags for clearing away all the rubbish when you leave. They’re also handy for putting all your dirty plates and cups into so they don’t ruin your picnic tote.
- Don’t forget sun cream for the kids
What to take - food
So now you’ve packed all the essentials, your next job is to decide what picnic food and drink to take. When choosing your food, go for items that are easy to make, easy to carry and can be eaten without too much fuss! With your drinks, it’s best to go for screw cap bottles so you don’t need to remember a bottle opener or corkscrew. And don’t forget to hand out tasks – you can’t be making it all yourself! We’ve pulled together a list of our favourite picnic food ideas to give you some inspiration…
Sandwiches with a twist
Instead of a plain filling sandwiched between two slices of bread, why not try something a little different? Take a medium sized baguette, chop the top off, hollow out the middle and pack well with your favourite fillings. Cream cheese, chicken and veg is a tasty choice. Leave to chill for a couple of hours and then slice into pieces just before you go!
Fruit skewers
Fruit skewers are perfect picnic companions. Just load a BBQ skewer up with 3 or 4 pieces of their favourite fruit and you’re good to go. To avoid any browning of the fruit, place the pre-prepared skewers into a Tupperware container and pour a little orange juice over the fruit. Top tip: Use cookie cutters to cut the fruit into fun shapes the kids will love.
Sausage rolls
These scrumptious fuss-free snacks are a picnic spread essential, they’re easy to pack and go down a treat with the whole family!
Something sweet
Now for the best part...pudding. If you’re like us, you’ll love cake! Muffins are a great cake alternative. There’s no icing or cutting involved and they come in individual pieces, so perfectly convenient for a picnic.
If you’re heading out to the park, make sure to have some loose change for the ice cream van, we recommend a 99 for cooling off!
What to take - drinks
With the sun (hopefully) shining, nothing beats a cold drink to help you refresh, but what drink should you take for a picnic?
Our double wall bottles are great for keeping drinks cold, they'll keep them cold for 24 hours – that’s a little win! Add some squash to these, then pour into cups at the picnic. Want something to keep you warm? Take flasks with tea or coffee in for that much-needed caffeine hit!
Why not make some summer mocktails the kids will love? Experiment with different fruit juices until you find something you like – it'll help them reach their fruit and veg intake – that's a little win!
Bring the fun!
If you’ve got the kids, you’ll definitely need to have some picnic ideas up your sleeve and plan some outdoor activities. The food will only keep them entertained for so long and once they’ve eaten their picnic, they’re bound to have lots of energy to burn! Our range of outdoor toys are sure to keep them entertained outdoors and will help them to enjoy all that fresh air!
What essentials do you take on a picnic? Let us know over on our Instagram page.
