7 tips for a perfect picnic
7 tips for a perfect picnic
Nice, warm weather, birdsong, friends or just your Loved One – and a picnic basket full of treats. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Spending a day with your family, friends and/or your partner is the perfect summer programme. Lying or sitting on a blanket under a tree, chatting, drinking and eating away, playing or rambling... and all that is just great.
For some, the word picnic is synonymous with hassle due to the lengthy process of preparation. But believe me, the experience is worth every bit of the work.
It’s less difficult to arrange than you’d think. Here are some tips for the perfect picnic experience:
1. Find the right picnic spot
It might be a forest clearing, a meadow in the mountains, the riverbank or the lawn of a big public park. How you will get there is worth thinking through beforehand and so are the local conditions. Is there any freshwater or a river? Is there a toilet provided? Will you need to haul your stuff for long? How long is it going to take to pack out and back in again?
2. Think about who will be around
Think of all people (including children and the elderly, if they are coming) when planning the menu. Think about what the little ones would be able to do whilst the adults are chatting. Balls, soap bubble kits, frisbees, a kite – those are always popular. It’s not a bad move to prepare some magazines and crosswords for the adults – however, table games will always be my favourite choice.
3. Picnic bag and cool bag
It doesn’t have to be a traditional picnic basket – although that looks great, no doubt. Make sure the basket or bag is not too heavy and that it has some rigidity, so you can keep the heavier, hard pieces separate from the soft food items whilst carrying them in the bag.
4. Food and drink
It’s certainly one of the most crucial points. So what food is best for a picnic? As always, the easiest thing is to make sandwiches, pack a few bottles of drink as well as some cakes and fruit. However, you can make your picnic combo much more exciting than that.
Depending on the time you will need to keep the food and drink cool out there, you can prepare salads, spreads, fresh green snacks and you can even bring some pots of sauce and dip.
5. Plates, glasses, cutlery and wraps
Aim at using as little of all those as possible. Preparing a separate pack of food and drink for each person (including plates) and bringing food that doesn’t really require any cutlery at all will make it easier – you won’t need to worry too much about waste and the washing up. By all means, bring a few good knives for cutting and spreading and make sure you have enough napkins. Mind the eventual leftovers which you may want to pack afterwards.
6. Repellents, sun protection and cosmetics
It goes without saying that you will need plenty of sun cream and make sure everyone in the group spreads some on their skin every 2 hours. If you don’t expect to have clean tap water at the picnic site, make sure you bring plenty of wet hand towels to clean your hands and refresh your faces.
7. And the most important thing
Relax, enjoy your free time, your company and the summer!
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