Picnic Inspiration
Living in Britain, you must take advantage of every second of sunlight and nice weather there is available. London has some beautiful parks within a city, so you definitely have your choice of locations. There is also this wonderful thing that happens in London during the warmer months, where people tend to simply congregate in parks, whether it be for a birthday party or just to lounge. I have not seen this to this extent in any other place I have been, it’s a bit of magic. Needless to say, picnics are a great budget friendly option to add to your social calendar!
So, in order to take advantage of the green space and the sun, I picnic. Whether it be my boyfriend and or a group of friends, you can make a picnic special. Here are some of the things I do.
Food
· Assortment of small finger food options.
· PRO TIP: Don’t choose foods that need to be really hot or really, go for foods that you enjoy more chilled or room temperature. Since you are probably doing this at a warm time of year, pack some ice packs to keep things chilled.
· MENU ITEMS, tried and true classics and my current favorites this week
o Macaroni salad- always mom’s recipe, for best taste – prep the night before.
o Brie, prosciutto, fig jam, arugula, on a lovely baguette (always best at room temperature)
o Baba Ghanoush, crackers or bread of choice
o Bruschetta on crostini’s- possibly my favorite summer appetizer
o Chocolate chip cookie -(typically copycat Levain recipe)
o Wine- I don’t really like Rose (sue me) so probably a white, maybe a spicy marg, because always spicy margs.
o Honorable mention food ideas: strawberries (chocolate covered strawberries if you’re wild), other summer ‘salads’ such as a potato salad, watermelon or chilled fruits in general, a charcuterie board/ cheese board combo.
Picnic blanket
· think about this long and hard IMO. Get one that has a little fluff so it proves comfortable even on some dead, rocky grass. Personally, I was inspired by @Prettyinthepines blanket and found it on amazon open box so it was a steal (stechnically it was a comforter)
· PRO TIP: bring a knife, some napkins and maybe some plates or cutting boards. All things you would not think about, but personally have come in handy every single time.
A book, self-explanatory
Activities
not needed, but a nice touch sometimes
· I love a little bit of organized fun. My two favorites are bringing a deck of cards OR backgammon. I am a backgammon fanatic, so this is a personal preference. Both very portable.
Do you picnic? What are your top suggesting for your own picnic?
Samantha Xx