How To Make Your Picnic Look The Part This Summer

The rains of spring are clearing and the summer sunshine is on its way. Most of us are just waiting in the wings for that first, cloud-free day, the one where pale toes are freed from sweaty socks and slipped into airy sandals. The one where good moods will prevail even after the toaster sets off the fire alarm or the coffee’s run out. The one where “What shall we do today?” is invariably answered with “Why don’t we go for a picnic?”.
Yes, we’re almost at that time, and my advice is to plan ahead. Anticipate the Picnic Suggestion and start digging out your picnic essentials now, before you lose half of that ideal summer’s day in looking for the hamper, the food containers, the portable barbecue.
But in order to make your picnic truly special, truly picnic-worthy, make sure that your picnic is picture perfect. There’s nothing more luxurious than a beautiful picnic. There’s something so magical about bringing the indoors outdoors, about finding the most beautiful pocket in the countryside and taking up residence in it, if only for a short time. An infinite, wall-less dining room with endless possibility on how to dress it up, ready for the perfect picnic experience.
So whether you are planning on a romantic couple’s picnic, the full-family blowout, or the friendly catch-up, here are a few ideas on how to set up a beautiful picnic for a luxurious and memorable day.

The Cutlery
Forget the disposable plastic knives and forks this summer. Not only are they unnecessary, but they don’t do any good for the environment that we so enjoy looking at as we nibble on cheese or munch away at cucumber sandwiches. Indulge in real cutlery. That contradictory sound of cutlery clanking on plates in the middle of a wood, on the beach, or in a park, just adds a certain je ne sais quoi to a picnic. If you’re really trying to impress, splash out on silverware. It significantly adds to that luxury indoor-outdoor vibe, gleaming in the sunlight as you carve a rotisserie chicken or slice off a bit of Gouda.
If you’re going for a more chilled out picnic, then melamine cutlery is great. Melamine cutlery is generally for outdoor use: if you lose a piece, it’s not the end of the world, and it also won’t add any weight to the picnic basket.
Finally, if you’re a picnic pro, bring a Swiss Army knife. They are indispensable in all (outdoor) walks of life, and they’ll find many uses during an outdoor picnic, whether it’s opening your beer, cutting an apple (if you’re that kind of person), or spooning in the soup.  

The Crockery
Outdoor dining with china plates – almost more delicious than the picnic itself. There’s a whole range of china plates out there – the more colourful and patterned, the better for a picnic. Most picnic baskets worth their salt will come with proper, china crockery, but don’t let that be a restraining order on using other plates. You can mix and match by getting other, similar sized plates (they have to fit into the plate compartment of the picnic basket), so that your picnic becomes an al fresco dining experience dotted with haphazard colour.
Enamel plates are unsurprisingly popular for outdoor eating due to their indestructability. They make for the perfect vintage picnic. Blue-rimmed enamel plates are all the rage at the moment, but don’t be fooled into thinking that that’s the only kind of enamel plate out there. There’s a whole range of beautiful enamel plates just waiting for someone to take them on a picnic.

Now, onto the cups.
Once again, enamel cups are a great option on the crockery front. For some reason they make coffee and tea just taste so much better, and when a cloud goes over, those steaming enamel cups of coffee have the added function of warming chilly hands. Unbreakable, clearly, and coming in various colourful designs, you can rely on enamel crockery for a fuss-free picnic.
When it comes to using real glass to sip your water on, you’ll need a cup holder. Most picnic baskets will come with somewhere to safely store your glasses whilst in transit, but if it doesn’t, it’s worth the investment. Because who wants those flimsy plastic cups that fly away in the wind and make a mockery of your prosecco? Everyone knows that whether it’s raspberry lemonade or chilled wine, glasses are the only option.
Obviously you can get glasses almost anywhere, but picnic glasses, in my opinion, need something different. They need decoration and colour, to differentiate them from the glass of water you drink from in the night or have next to your meal at the dinner table. Something a bit more special, that’s reserved just for those magical al fresco meals. 

The Food Containers
Let’s be honest, you don’t want your salad dressing leaking into the lining of your basket, so plastic food containers are sometimes the only option. Whilst plastic containers have their merits, some of them can take away from the beauty of your picnic. BUT, that’s not to say that there aren’t some really nice ones out there that positively add to your outdoor decor.
Even more in vogue at the moment is using unexpected items as containers. Kilner jars for salads and cake tins for couscous, for example. Jars are highly practical because they don’t leak and make perfect personalised dishes (from strawberry cheesecake to quinoa salad, the list of foodie items you can put in a jar goes on!).
Cake tins also add to the vintage feel, and if you simply line it with parchment paper or sandwich wrapping (which is also quite aesthetically pleasing), you can fill them with pretty much anything. Tin food containers, even if it’s a simple stainless steel tin, mesh in seamlessly to the picnic display, and are definitely worth checking out as an alternative to plastic food containers.
Another great addition to the picnic table is a cake stand. On them you can layer up sausage rolls, sandwiches, and meat pies, or of course the traditional teacakes. If the journey to your picnicking spot is going to be a long one and, let’s face it, a cake stand takes up a fair bit of space, there are now some really beautiful (and handy!) cardboard fold out cake stands on the market! Definitely worth keeping an eye out for if you’re planning an afternoon tea picnic. 

Picnic Blankets
Picnic blankets are an absolute must if you’re not planning on bringing chairs, or if you just want to bask in the sun for a couple of hours. Thankfully, some practical person has invented the perfect picnic blanket which has a waterproof underside. Now the dewy grass need no longer be a problem for picnickers. These clever blankets are available from virtually anywhere with a range of different patterns to satisfy even the pickiest of picnickers.
So, you’ve got the base blanket for your picnic – but do you have any blankets to hang round your shoulders once the sun makes its descent?
These are absolutely vital, and so frequently forgotten. There’s nothing more comforting than curling up (with a partner if you’re lucky) inside a woolly blanket and watching the trees swaying in the breeze above, or the birds flying over. If your picnic carries on in to the night, you can even stay warm and cosy whilst spotting shooting stars. 

The Table and the Chairs
So now your picnic is starting to resemble that of a Maharaja’s, but as of yet your picnic hasn’t lifted off the ground (literally). A small fold out table is a really great way to make your picnic even more lavish (and especially good if you’re planning on bringing a sneaky pup along). Tables that are just slightly lifted off the ground are ideal for a picnic without chairs. And don’t forget the table cloth!
Fold up chairs are obviously nice to have, but only plan on bringing them when you don’t have far to walk. They are an absolute necessity, however, if any of your picnicking guests are disabled or elderly: your picnic will start out on an excellent footing if you’ve made sure to cater for all of your picnickers. 

The Portable Barbeque
Even if you forget all the other embellishments to your picnic, bring a barbecue and your picnic is instant success. When the summer hits, you can be sure that every supermarket, corner shop, and petrol station will have mountains of disposable barbecues for the last minute picnicker. But if you’re reading this, you’re not a last minute picnicker. Invest in a small, portable barbecue, and your picnics are made for life (seriously). 

Water
​Bringing a jug of water isn’t such a fabulous idea when you’ve got to walk 3 miles before you reach your desired location. Most likely you will have lost half the water to spillages along the way.
Water dispensers are now all the rage, some even coming with a nifty handle to transport them by. Trust me, as an experienced picnicker – even if you plan on sticking to the prosecco, water is an absolute must for a picnic. Why? Because if you’ve got the same plate for your potato salad and your banoffee pie, you’re going to want to rinse it between courses. Not only that, what if you accidentally (heaven forbid) drop your prosecco on the beach, sand caking your glass? Or when you’re returning picnicking utensils to your basket, plates stuck together with bits of uneaten food? I cannot emphasise enough how invaluable water dispensers are to the smooth running of your outdoor culinary adventure. 

The Hamper
The holy grail of picnics, the vessel of nostalgia, without which you simply would not have a picnic (unless you’re bringing your edible goodies in shopping bags – let’s not go there). I will always love the traditional wicker hamper, the one with compartments for everything, china plates and cups, silverware, napkins, some even come with salt and pepper pots! Do you remember that excitement you felt as a child when the hamper would open and inside would be packages of who knew what – could it be salami sandwiches? Could it be chocolate biscuits? – and the glasses and plates would be distributed round and everyone would start picking at their favourite foods? That excitement never abates in adulthood, and it comes with a hint of nostalgia. There’s no denying the effect, and the importance, of a wicker hamper. But not only is it useful, it’s also a beautiful item to have, and is the essential component to your picture perfect picnic.  

If you’re the kind of picnicker who prefers to walk a while before taking up residence in a secluded spot of countryside, then the wicker hamper can become a bit of a burden. In which case, you now have access to some very nice picnic bags on the market. They come with all the same compartments of plates, cups and cutlery, and often contain a picnic mat, a wine cooler, and a cheese board to boot. In the form of a backpack, these picnic bags are made for the walkers, sitting comfortably on your back until you reach your destination. If you like to work up your appetite with a long walk, then this is the perfect alternative to a traditional hamper for you. 

Lighting
If you’re planning a dinner or afternoon picnic, you’ll have to pack some form of lighting. Candles are a lovely way to go, but even the slightest wind will blow out the flame. Lanterns are a wonderful way of dressing up your candle whilst sheltering them from the wind. You can place these lanterns on tables and you can hang them up in the trees, peppering your picnic with romantic candle glows. Putting tea lights in jars is also a really good, simple idea that makes for a beautiful dinner time picnic.
Battery-operated or solar-powered fairy lights really give a picnic that magic touch. Whether you choose to twine them around branches, hang them between two posts, or splay them across the picnic table, fairy lights enchant your picnic with soft lighting.
And finally, you may be in nature already, but a vase of flowers won’t go amiss. Simply bring a small, empty vase, pick flowers on the way to your outdoor dining room, and place them on your picnic table. 

Picnics are more than just an outdoor meal: they are special occasions, where the rules of everyday life no longer apply. Where you can sit on the ground and eat your food without being deemed “uncivilised”; where you can play board games, take part in potato sack races and stone-skimming competitions; where you can hear the birds, soak up the sun, and build a sandcastle. Picnics are ripe for memories, and the more special you make it, the more memorable it will be. 

All words and photos by Marguerite Camu. See more of her at her picnic blog.