The Art of the Picnic!

As we have been preparing beautiful summer parties and garden events for you it has reminded us about the joy of a picnic! (We are taking bookings for July and August - get in touch, we’d love to help you celebrate a summery party)

With the ever changing British weather you always need to prepared for a last min burst of sunshine and the need for a picnic. There are no right ways to organise a picnic, but just because it is a casual affair it doesn’t mean presentation standards need to drop - a vase of flowers looks just as good on a table, as it does on a picnic blanket. But of course, it all has to be easy and efficient for the least amount of fuss.

The Food & Drink

Chef and food writer Chloe-Rose Crabtree has a very simple forumula for food and drink on picnics - carbohydrates (crackers, good bread, crisps), pickled salad (she always has a jar of marinated gigante beans on hand, but also recommends dolmades, hummus and cut vegetables), cut fruit, and crips white wine - usually a Vinho Verde as it is slightly lower alcohol, which is best for when you’re in the hot sun.

Keeping things easy is also about easy to eat - the least amount of cutlery and balancing plates on laps, the better! Plus, finger foods give you an excellent excuse to use some beautiful napkins. Why not try this receipt from Alina, Limonsier founder; the perfect recipe for a picnic treat -

Alina’s fried chicken recipe
350g chicken chunks
½ cup almond flour
½ cup desiccated coconut (small pieces, not flakes)
1 egg
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chili flakes
½ tsp black pepper
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180C and line baking tray with baking paper.
Wash and dry chicken.
Whisk egg and set aside.
In a bowl mix together almond flour, coconut, paprika, garlic powder, chili flakes, salt and pepper.
Dip chicken chunk in the egg mixture, then place into the flour substance (wash your hands in between). Press down, flipping around to completely cover.
Line on baking paper and once finished, sprinkle a bit more of the mixture onto each one.
Bake for 20 minutes. Depending on the size of the chicken chunks, time may vary slightly.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve with mustard.

The Logistics

Working out how to bring everything in one piece to the park is a fun challenge! The perfect way is with a hamper, as you can keep everything up right and packed well, plus there are some beautiful hampers available. Here are some of our favourites styles:

The Aesthetic

As we mentioned before, a casual picnic can still be a beautiful picnic. Artist Emma Winterschladen believes that you should always have a posy of flowers in your eye-line -

“In her book Wild, author Cheryl Strayed shares a quote from her late mum about ‘putting yourself in the way of beauty’, and the past year I’ve been taking this advice very seriously. When so much has been out of my control, making up a little posy of flowers in my eye-line at all times – whether I’m working, eating, resting, reading or on a picnic! – feels like a little act of defiance in the face of whatever the day might throw at me, and now I can’t imagine settling down without my posy watching over me.”

Throw an empty jar or two into your hamper and pick flowers on the way to the picnic site!

Picnics are fun, therefore plates and glassware should reflect this and bright summery napkins add to the feeling too. We would definitely recommend tumblers, even for wine - as they are less likely to spill with the lower centre of gravity! Or alternatively, a colourful portable personal mug or thermos which will also keep the wine nice and cold too.