The sun is out and picnic plans are brewing, but there’s a little voice in the back of your head screaming “Don’t do it!”
And then you remember last summer. The peeling skin and parched throats. The sticky residue that you could never quite clean off your picnic mat. The piles and piles of dishes that awaited your return home. The bits of cheese and antipasto oil that you found in your car boot a couple of weeks later.
But it doesn’t need to be that way, so I’ve put together some of my favourite perfect picnic planning tips to take the stress out of this summer!
(And if you have some of your own, you could win yourself a couple of bottles from Taylor’s Wines by adding them below!)
pick your position
Call me a rampant over-planner (I am) but I like to scout out my planned picnic location before the day, especially if kids are involved. Is there enough shade? Where are the nearest toilets? Will we be able to park nearby and for how long? Are there rubbish bins or will I have to take my rubbish home with me? If you’re meeting people there, it can be helpful to drop a pinpoint on a google map and send it out to guests so they aren’t wandering around a large park trying to find your set up under a tree.
protect yourself
There is nothing worse than coming home from a picnic with squinty, blurry eyes, reddening shoulders and funny bumps all over your legs from sitting on something you were unknowingly allergic to. That’s why the first things I pack are a picnic mat (or two, depending on the likely crowd), a hat, some sunnies and some sun screen.
stay hydrated
It’s far more fun sipping chardonnay when you’re propped up next to a tree, but it’s far more sensible to have a range of other hydrating bevvies to make sure you’re not forced home early with a parched throat and a splitting headache. I love popping a fistful of mint, some lemon slices or fingers of cucumber into large bottles of water and then freezing them the night before a picnic. As the day progresses, you’ll have icy-chilled and very refreshing drinks on hand to keep you cool on the hottest of days.
cook a little, buy the rest
I’ve tried to make an entire picnic’s worth of food from scratch (believe me, I have) and more often than not it results in me sitting exhausted in the kitchen and dreading the next day’s clean-up. Remember, magazine shoot picnics are exactly that – shoots prepared by a whole team of people with assistants and people to lug stuff around and to keep things cool until they’re needed. It’s far easier to stick to one or two things from scratch and to buy the rest. Your home made sausage rolls will taste much sweeter if they’re the only thing you’ve had to worry about making.
I like to buy a couple of cheeses, some nuts, olives, crackers and a good hunk of tasty bread with dips to supplement my home-made main. Whole pieces of fruit (rather than a fruit salad) are a great dessert, and there’s less wastage as people will either take and eat a whole piece of fruit or not at all. (If you feel like cutting bits and pieces up, I’d recommend quartering and freezing oranges the night before for an icy treat!)
the serving situation
Call me lazy, but the last thing I want to do after a day in the sun is come home to a pile of sticky, oily, crumb-filled plates and platters to wash up (and a carry bag that’s in a similarly dire condition).
This is not a dinner party. Serve what you can straight out of the packet and transport the rest of the food in presentable containers with a lid that seals tightly. They’ll travel there easily, be eaten up and any remnants can stay put as you pop the lid on and toss it back into your bag.
zip lock bags
I never leave for a picnic without a range of zip lock bags in various sizes. They’re ideal for packing leftover bits of food into, without any of the worry of spills or leaks. Having a few snack sized bags on hand also means that leftovers can be parceled up and given to fellow picnickers who might like something to munch on while on the way home (but are a little wary of being the person with a handful of nuts at the bus stop.
ditch the ice bucket
It’s heavy, drips everywhere and can be impossible to dispose of once you’re done.
Instead, invest in a good esky (one with wheels makes life a whole lot easier) and some freezer blocks.
To keep your wine cool, soak a tea towel in water and wrap it around the bottle. Pop the bottle in the freezer for 45 minutes or so before you go and put the whole thing (frozen tea towel and all!) in the esky. Your wine will be perfectly chilled and the iced tea towel will help to keep some of that coldness in as the day goes by.
(The tea towels can later be used to wrap up your used wine glasses for safe transportation home… or to drape across your forehead if the sun gets a bit much!)
relax & have fun!
(Clearly this is the most important step).
win some wine!
Taylor’s Wines have joined with onebitemore to give you the chance to win two bottles of their favourite Summer Picnic wines – a bottle each of the Taylor’s Wines 2012 Chardonnay and a bottle of their Promised Land Moscato (click on the wine names for more information about the wines!). There are two prize packs to be won. To enter, use the Rafflecopter Widget below! (Prize only available to Australian residents – sorry!) Winner must be of legal drinking age and provide proof of age.
Disclaimer: this post and the associated competition has been sponsored by Taylor’s Wines. To read more about sponsored posts on onebitemore, and our editorial policy, click here.
I love cold foods at picnics! Dips and crackers and cheese are the way to go 😀 Very thorough list of things needed for a picnic!
This post came at such a perfect time seeing as I’ll be going on a picnic on the weekends.
I’m all up for buying everything too except I usually like to make my own dips (and sometimes cheese sticks for dipping) seeing as how fresh dip beats store bought any day.
Dress the part! It’s all fair and well to want to look like the front cover of Elle magazine but comfort over style for sure when it comes to picnics
My problem with planning picnics is that it almost always rains at the last minute! However, nature dictates that if someone else organises the event and I only have to pitch in some food then everything works out fine haha.
perfect timing, ive been craving picnics for some time now!
Yeah summer!
pack some bags for your rubbish ! don’t be a tosser
Always bring lots of napkins and a tea towel, you’ll never know what spills will happen.
Don’t forget the wet-ones, picnic food is pretty fab but usually it means eating with fingers, so you need to clean up to start (especially if you’ve hiked to get to that perfect spot), and, clean up afterwards, it sort of spoils the mood if you’re wiping sticky fingers on grass & leaves.
I love bringing heaps of nuts to snack on during a lazy picnic!
picnics are about spontaniety, pick the day correctly, load up on delights that are fingerfood friendly, and it will be, a joy to be outdoors indulging in gastronomy.
You don’t need to bring everything ‘just in case’. Less really is more.
Take plenty of water to hydrate.
Don’t forget to pack a nice bread board to cut and present freshly brought bread, vegetables and fruit.
Oh how wonderful, my favourite wines, some cheese and crackers, grapes and salads, along with my family and a gorgeous blanket
Buy pre-made platters!
Always bring an extra back up bottle, just in case the other one runs out!
You have it pretty much covered! The only things I would add are bring a couple of rubbish bags and some pre-moistened hand wipes for sticky little fingers.
Imagine warm weather, picknicking with friends, while enjoying these wonderful wines! …Wow!
Bring lots of salad, because contrary to what Homer Simpson thinks, you can make friends with salad.
Keep it simple and enjoy the wine.
I leave a bucket with picnic supplies in my car boot permanently! Hint, must include corkscrew and extra wine glasses!
Include baby wipes to clean the hands before or after. Also a good book for the “reflective – post lunch” period….helps to think
Take a rug, ants bite and itching madly leaves no time for enjoying the sunshine and food.
Pack food that is pre-prepared, easy to transport, and light to carry.
Don’t forget a knife for cutting or spreading.
Bake desserts that don’t need to be cut, like cookies or muffins! Homemade desserts are always sweeter than store-bought and add a bit of personality and nostalgia – perfect for a picnic!
Don’t forget a hat!
Make sure you take aeroguard as well as food nets to keep the flies and bugs away!
Remember the point of a picnic is to relax!
The first thing I do when picnic planning is to get plenty of ice packs frozen. Nothing worse than a picnic laden with warm wine and melted cheese
I’m also like you in that I don’t want to come home with sticky plates so I like to eat from plastic plates, cutlery and glasses so they can be binned easily and won’t stink out your car on the way home.
A picnic basket doesn’t always have to be a basket. Baskets are fun, coolers are practical, and plastic grocery sacks are inexpensive. What will suit the needs of your picnic best? Wooden crates are great for lugging around a heavy load. Or a stylish beach bag might be just the thing.
Always ensure you take some insect repellent!
My favourite picnics I remember are often impromptu… there’s nothing more exciting than picking up the rug, throwing in bread, cheese, strawberries and wine and navigating to a surprise location!
Make a list of all the food that your hubby/partner likes and go from there, who knows what it could lead to!!
Picnics are all about nibbling, a little bit of everything….dips, cheese and cold meat! and I always pack rubbish bags for the clean up!
Tupperware is great as well as plastic cups, plates and cutlery
Make a list of all items to be taken the night before as many mistakes can happen due the excitement such an outing conjours
I like to take net food covers to keep the flies and bugs away, but still see all the yummy food prepared through the covers.
Always bring more because you never know if extra guests will drop in.
Have a basket ready packed for the fun pack food that wont spoil in the sun
if in a rush buy food that you can eat all at once
and some fruit and nuts that are no fuss
it’s easy ,you don’t have to be a genius.
Prepare everything before. Hot is nice if done in advance and stored in thermos’, but cold is so much easier.
Make it a spur of the moment thing and that way its more exciting
Make a checklist days in advance, get your grocery shopping for picnic goodies done before the day of the picnic and then you can relax and enjoy the actual day!
Make everything finger friendly and remember the napkins.
Make sure you take some plastic bags to put any rubbish into!
Always pack more than you think you’ll need of everything – you never know what you’ll be dying for ‘one bite more’ of!!!!!
Make sure you have cutlery and cold packs organised as well as food. There’s nothing worse than warm food with no forks!
would love to win this!!!
Kind of a boring entry, but my goodness, this is THE BEST PICNIC THING YOU WILL EVER BUY! 3m x 3m – get one!
Perfect for my hubby and I to get our party started on a Saturday night and let it start and end in delight
Entertainment.
Don’t forget the cricket set to keep everyone entertained .