Best picnic food and drink essentials
If Autumn is the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” as famously labelled by John Keats, then spring must be the time for clear skies and endless picnickery (now copyrighted by ES Best).
Fine weather and a city filled with green spaces bursting to life, picnicking in London has become our current obsession. With al fresco terraces and beer gardens booking up fast, London’s parks are a failsafe venue to enjoy food, drink and a hearty catchup with the faces we’ve missed most over the winter.
If you haven’t gathered your picnic blanket and wandered off to find the perfect sun dappled patch of grass yet, this Friday offers the perfect excuse; it’s National Picnic Day (April 23). We’re ready to extend it over the whole weekend, especially if the weather picks up.
Picnic bites and booze are obligatory, of course. But forget soggy sarnies and crumpled pasties - we’ve collected the latest new snacks and drinks that will have you licking your lips in anticipation.
We’ve also added in some hampers and all-in-one baskets for a sumptuous feast that’s perfect for a special occasion like a birthday, date anniversary if you really want to push the boat out.
See our favourites below
Best picnic snacks
You can’t beat a good sausage roll and deli pasta salad, but there are tasty new launches to take you from pic to peak-nic.
Higgidy hot and cold filled slices
Skip the queues at Gregg’s and hot-foot it to your nearest supermarket instead: Higgidy has just launched a new range of filled slices and they’ve got picnics written all over them. Flavours include Ham Hock & Cheddar, Mature Cheddar & Onion and Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom. Enjoy hot or cold.
Lewis & Baker sharing boxes
Brace your sweet tooth for the delights of Hampshire baker Lewis & Baker. Available in gift and sharing boxes, the menu includes salted caramel brownies, raspberry and white chocolate blondies, as well as chocolate orange and Biscoff, plus plenty more besides.
Jacobs Best of British Mini Cheddars
Crunching down on a cheesy cracker in the sun is one of our picnicking highlights, and now Mini Cheddars is on a mission to take it one step up. Jacobs is celebrating the UK’s magnificent variety of cheeses with three new limited-edition flavours of Mini Cheddars: flying the flag for England is the new Ploughman’s Cheshire Cheese flavour, from Wales the Dragon’s Breath Chilli Cheddar, and from Scotland, the Strathdon Blue Cheese.
M&S Colin in a Jar cake
Not since that Kim-K magazine cover has the internet been divided over such a topic. Office and birthday party favourite Colin and Caterpillar has been making headlines recently, not least as M&S goes to court over Aldi's Cuthbert doppleganger.
But that's not the issue in question - we're talking about the Colin in a Jar innovation, which sees the chocolately insect stuffed into a recyclable jar for single serve deliciousness. While it may look messy in the plastic tub, the upshot is there will be no crumbs or chocolate stains on your picnic blanket.
Candy Kittens Very Cherry sweets
Vegan gourmet sweet company Candy Kittens has released a new flavour in time for picnic season, and it's bringing back memories of after-school trips to the pick'n'mix counter. Very Cherry packs real cherry juice into every kitty head-shaped sweet and come in packs large enough to share with the best of friends on your picnic blanket.
Best picnic drinks
Picnic life is a thirsty life. Feel quenched with these refreshing new tipples.
Dash water trial pack
If you’re looking for a drink so saintly it practically has a halo hovering above it, standby for Dash. Presented in cool 330ml cans, the flavoured water is made from wonky excess fruit (choose from raspberries, blackcurrants, peaches and lemons) and is so darn tasty you won’t miss your regular fizzy pop. In fact, you may say goodbye to it for good when you see that Dash is zero calories. Divine.
Get started with a trial pack, which offers a mix of 16 cans.
Edinburgh Gin RTDs
Edinburgh Gin has decanted its small batch spirit, mixed it into a cocktail and poured it into ready-to-drink cans for your drinking pleasure this summer. Available in packs of 12, choose from Raspberry Gin Fizz (ABV 6 per cent), Rhubarb & Ginger Gin (ABV 5 per cent) and the classic, Edinburgh Gin & Tonic (ABV 6 per cent).
BABE canned wine
It’s 2021 and wine in a single serve can is a thing - what a time to be alive. Launched by Insta meme royalty The Fat Jewish, BABE has gone from offering rose wine to grigio and even red as it looks to refresh parched throats everywhere. Available in packs of 12 and 24, add a couple of the 12.5 per cent ABV cans to your cool bag for your next outdoor dining date.
Best picnic food hampers and baskets
Whether you want to make an impression, or you just want the fun without the faff, these all-in-one options have your al fresco feast in the bag.
Haig Club x GRAPE + Fig’s Postable Platter Kit
Proving that grazing platters are for every occasion, GRAPE + Fig has designed a postable platter that’s perfect for impressing your mates at the next parkside meet-up. The cherry on top? For a limited time, you’ll get a complimentary Haig Club Mediterranean Orange kit (worth £25).
The kit comes filled with cheeses and veggie bites inspired by the Med, plus all the ingredients and Fever-Tree mixers to enjoy the brand new Haig Club Mediterranean Orange and lemonade, with enough food and drink to feed six. For £65, it’s a clear bargain.
If you want this before the first May bank holiday weekend, get your orders through by midday, April 26.
Cartwright & Butler The Cheese and Beer Gift Hamper
Picnic food doesn’t have to be sandwiches and cheese and onion crisps. Make it special with Cartwright & Butler’s box of boozy tricks; this one comes brimming with savoury biscuits, cheese, chutney, Yorkshire-brewed beer and mints which should be enough to keep you occupied all afternoon.
Fortnum & Mason Cheese & Wine Taster
If you’re looking for something effortlessly cool to impress a date or a pal you haven’t seen in yonks, make Fortnum & Mason your first port of call. The royal grocer has always done hampers beautifully, but it also scores highly on picnic options. This option, which comes in a branded cool bag, pairs half bottles of Pouilly-Fumé and Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir with Fortnum’s Waxed Cheddar Truckle and Triple Cream Cheese for an elegant cheeseboard feast to savour.
Panzers Picnic Bags
Panzers has your picnic feast in the (branded) bag with four options to choose from. All options are available for pre-order and come in a Panzer’s cool bag to keep the contents fresh, along with eco-friendly plates, cutlery and napkins. Starting from £65, the Classic has enough fare for two: think challah bread rolls with butter, potato salad garnished with dill and spring onion, veggies and hummus, chicken drumsticks, brownies and more.
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