IF the idea of having a picnic worries you, then you’re doing it all wrong. A picnic should be easy, fun and luxurious, and they don’t have to be complicated if you have the right components.
Picnics are a quintessential summer activity, and they are a great chance to enjoy the summer weather whilst surrounded by greenery and nature. You shouldn’t have to be struggling with tubs of food and worrying about the wine going warm. There’s a smart solution to all these problems.
With National Picnic Week is just around the corner, we’ve picked out the best hampers, drinks and accessories to help create the dreamiest picnic. Read on to see our top luxury picnic essentials.
Food
Afternoon tea for four
GAIL’s Afternoon tea for four
GAIL’s is a bakery famed for their delicious bakes and sweet treats, but did you know they offer a delivery service for a selection of quaint hampers and gifts? This afternoon tea is ideal if you’re having a small get together, and you want to enjoy an afternoon tea outdoors. The set includes 4 Scones, clotted cream, GAIL’s organic jam and lemon curd, 4 brownie fingers, 5 honey cakes, a selection of small sandwiched and loose-leaf JING tea. All you have to do is bring along some bubbles and you have yourself a perfect picnic!
Price: £42
You can purchase the afternoon tea here.
Summer cheeseboard
Paxton & Whitfield, Summer cheese collection
Famed cheesemongers, Paxton & Whitfield supply cheese to none other than Her Majesty the Queen, so they’re offerings a fit for a luxury picnic. Their summer cheese collection consists of a selection of artisan cheese and all the relevant accompaniments needed. You can expect to mind raw milk, Westcountry farmhouse Montgomery’s Cheddar, velvety French goats’ milk cheese Selles Sur Cher and a gorgeous creamy Gorgonzola Dolce. The collection comes accompanied by an impressively fruity fig ball and a pack of Paxton & Whitfield artisan biscuits. These cheeses pair very well with the trio of wine we feature from Domaine Clarence Dillon Clarendelle.
Price: £40
You can purchase the cheese selection here.
Arabica picnic kit
Arabica deluxe picnic kit
This picnic kit is inspired by the flavours of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Palestine, and Israel. The deluxe kit includes a selection of summer salads along with a a ready-to-bake boregi. The picnic feeds four people, and those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the beautifully decorated baklava platter. This kit is also ideal for garden parties and BBQs.
Price: £75
Buy it here.
Darts farm vegetarian picnic hamper
Darts farm vegetarian picnic hamper
This wicker hamper is packed with all your essential picnic goodies. Inside you’ll find sourdough bread, antipasti mixture, Italian grissini breadsticks, chilli jam, houmous, cherry tomatoes, a selection of three core British cheeses and two bottles of Sicilian lemonade. The hamper is a good fusion of British and Italian produce, and to make it extra special you can add some bubbles for an additional cost of £25,
Price: £59
Buy the hamper here.
The Macknade picnic hamper
Macknade Blossom picnic hamper
The ideal picnic hamper should include a good balance of food items. The Macknade Blossom picnic hamper lets you customise your options to ensure all your needs are catered to, and they even offer exclusively vegetarian hampers. Hampers include organic apple juice, crackers, a selection of cheeses, a savoury pastry, chutney, salad and artisan crisps. A choice of alcohol can also be added on.
Price: £71.50 (hamper for 4 with wine).
Buy your hamper here.
Drinks:
Jungle Nectar cocktail made with Don Papa
Don Papa Rum
Rum is one of the most versatile summer spirits. It can be used as the main ingredient in endless cocktails or simply enjoyed with coke and ice. Don Papa is a personal favourite here at Glass, as it is one of the most elegant, flavour-packed rums available. For a picnic, we recommend making the Jungle Nectar cocktail with this rum. Simply muddle a jalapeno disc, add Don Papa, guava nectar, Pandan simple syrup, lime juice and Peychauds bitters. Shake it all up and strain into a flask to serve out later. Remember to serve it cold and garnish with a lime wheel!
Price: £32
Buy it here.
The Marlish range
Marlish flavoured water & sparkling water
Marlish is a sustainable water brand that puts nature and flavour first. The water comes from a natural source in Northumberland, and it is filtered through layers of rock. As a result, the water has a clean and natural flavour, which works perfectly as the base of their flavoured sparkling water.
Flavours include Brazilian orange, Sicilian lemon, elderflower and raspberry. They also sell plain sparkling spring water and still spring water which all come packed in their recyclable cans.
Price: £24.99 for 24 cans
Order yours here.
The Remedy Kombucha range
Remedy Kombucha
Kombucha is a great healthy alternative to alcohol, and it’s perfect for picnics. Remedy have an exciting range of flavours, and their newest offering is a delicious Peach Kombucha. All of their drinks are sugar free, and feature just the right balance of sweet and sour flavours.
Price: £29.99 for 24 cans.
Buy Remedy Kombucha here.
Feel Good drinks
Feel Good drinks
This new range of 100% natural, fruity sparkling water is great for drinking alone or mixing with spirits. Each can contain less than 27 calories, and their core flavours include peach & passionfruit, rhubarb & apple and raspberry & hibiscus. If you enjoy drinking G&Ts then Feel Good works as a healthier, low sugar alternative tonic.
Price: £14.99 for a pack of 12 cans.
Buy it here.
The Nuisance wild nettle soda
Nuisance soda mixers
Ever wanted a soft drink that has heaps of natural flavour without using commercial ingredients? Nuisance soda’s specialise in offering unique flavours such as mint, cucumber & chilli soda along with their signature wild nettle soda. These drinks can be enjoyed alone or mixed with alcohol. With a huge interest in flavoured tonics, Nuisance offers a more delicate mixing option that’ll have your picnic guests impressed.
Price: £19.99 for 12 cans
Buy it here.
Salcombe cider
Salcombe Ocean Cider
Cider is a great summer drink, and it pairs perfectly with cheese, fruits and other picnic foods. Salcome Ocean Cider celebrates all things West Country, and uses the finest apples to create a full bodied cider with a medium dry finish. It is naturally sweet and gluten free which is an added bonus.
Price: £31.20 for 12 bottles
Buy it here.
Goose Island’s Today’s Haze IPA
Goose Island, Today’s Haze IPA
This sessionable IPA ensures the drinker is both hydrated and satisfied by the refreshing tones of mango, citrus and stone-fruits. Unlike its competitors, Today’s Haze IPA is light without sacrificing flavour. Its dry hopped character fuses the classic characteristics of an IPA with crisp tropical flavours. Pair this with some hard cheeses for maximum enjoyment.
Price: £35 for 24 cans
Buy it here.
Lot 42 flavours
Lot 42 Hard Seltzer
Hard Seltzer has been a huge success in the USA, and it is now a growing trend across the world. Lot 42 offers two fresh flavours of huckleberry & ginger or blueberry and lemongrass, which are both 4.5% and 87 calories per can. Lot 42 is aimed at the conscious consumer, and the drinks are extremely versatile if you want to mix them up with other ingredients.
Price: £25.70 for a pack of 12
Buy it here.
Two Days peach flavoured peach vodka soda
Two Days Vodka Soda
Two Days is a range of light and sessionable vodka sodas, all of which are summer and picnic friendly. Their three flavours include raspberry, peach and lime, and they all come in cans which means you don’t have to worry about excess litter once you’ve finished with them. The vodka sodas are crafted with lightly sparkling water and a single measure of British vodka. The flavour comes from the addition of natural fruit extract which means it is naturally healthy and low on sugars.
Price: £30 for 12 cans
Buy it here.
CÎROC Summer Citrus bottle
CÎROC Summer Citrus
CÎROC is an iconic vodka, and this summer it has released a limited-edition flavour that will keep you quenched throughout the season. Summer Citrus uses blood orange and freshly squeezed citrus to offer a zesty twist on the classic vodka taste. This is the perfect base for fruity cocktails, but it also tastes great when mixed with a club soda.
Price: £41.99
Buy it here.
Cocktails:
Lychee Martini
Tom Savano cocktails
Making cocktails doesn’t always go to plan, and sometimes you have to leave these things to the experts. Tom Savano bottled cocktails are made with award-winning craft spirits which means each sip will mimic the experience of drinking at a high-end cocktail bar. Each cocktail is comes packaged in a near glass bottle, ready for serving over ice. Cocktails available include everything from a Mai Tai, Espresso martini, Negroni, Margarita and more.
Price: Ranges from £13 for a 200ml cocktail.
The cocktails are available online to buy here.
Letterbox sized cocktails
Cocktails By Mail
As the name suggests, these cocktails are sent by mail. They are designed to fit through your letterbox, which means you can order them to your house stress-free. Each cocktail is packed into slim compostable pouches, and customers can choose from a range of cocktails which are chosen by drinks aficionado Steph DiCamillo, an ex-bartender from New York.
Price: Classic cocktails start at £6.50
Buy yours here.
Wine:
The perfect picnic trio of wines
Domaine Clarence Dillon Clarendelle wine
This French vineyard offers some of the finest affordable wines around, and this trio works perfectly if you want to being a dynamic range to a picnic. The three wines we recommend are the Clarendelle Rose 2020, Clarendelle Blanc 2019 and Clarendelle Bordeaux Rouge 2015. Each wine has a splendid blend of grape varieties, which gives them a unique and well-rounded flavour. Red wine isn’t always the most popular choice at picnics, but the Bordeaux rouge is a truly standout wine that goes with all of the foods we’ve featured.
Price: £38.65 for the three bottles.
You can purchase the wine here.
A can of The Uncommon wine
The Uncommon Wine
Luxury canned wine is a fairly new phenomenon, and we don’t know why it’s taken so long for it to be available. This ultra-chic range sells a variety of wines and spritzes in cans, meaning all you have to do it keep them chilled before enjoying them. You can buy from between 4-16 cans, and you can choose from having one type of wine or a mixed box of wine and wine spritzers. Each different wine can features its own adorable illustration on the label, and the packaging is very quaint.
Price: Starts from £4.99 per can
Buy it here.
The beautiful Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava bottle
Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava
Fans of bubbly will love this well-rounded organic Cava. Not only is the bottle picture-worthy, but the sparkling wine is also brimming with summer flavours. The Cava is made using traditional wine methods, giving it a constant stream of light fizz. Vilarnau Brut Reserva has a brilliant history of winemaking, and their portfolio never fails to impress.
Price: £10
Buy Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava here.
Pop and stop with this Taittinger bottle stopper
Taittinger Brut Reserve with bottle stopper
Nothing says luxury like a bottle of Taittinger, so when you pop it open you want to make sure that every drop gets enjoyed. When you’re outdoors it can be easy to forget about the bottle of bubbly, and before you know it, it’s gone flat. Taittinger has solved this dilemma by selling their Champagne with a bottle stopper to ensure maximum freshness. Full and half bottles are available.
Price: £44.15
Buy it here.
The Borgo Antico bottle
Borgo Antico DOCG Prosecco
This eye-catching bottle is in fact the UK’s best selling DOCG prosecco. Borgo Antico is a fine Italian sparkling wine which is velvety soft to the palate. It compliments all of the picnic foods we’ve featured, but its also works great on its own to enjoy before or after a meal.
Price: £15.19
Buy a bottle here.
The Emissary bottle
The Emissary Prosecco DOC Rosé Treviso
The Emissary was launched earlier this year by British wine enthusiast Ed Smith. It is a delicate pink sparkling rosé prosecco that offers a crisp and fruity twist t to the sparkling wine. It is made from 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Noir grapes, and grown on a family-run vineyard in the Italian village of Cornuda. This is particularly special as Italy only recently gave its approval to make Prosecco Rosé official last year!
Price: £14.99
Buy The Emissary here.
The Kiss of Wine range
Kiss of Wine
Canned wine is highly convenient, but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality. This range from Kiss of Wine offer a selection of small-batch wines from independent winemakers. The range includes eight single-varietal canned wines, including a 2019 Provence Rosé, a 2019 Sauvignon Blanc from The Loire, and two Italian reds (a 2016 Nebbiolo and Dolcetto) from Italy’s Piedmont region.
Price: £3.60 per can
Buy it here.
Accessories:
Keep your wine cool with this wine flask
Partner in Wine
Keeping your wine chilled can be a tedious task. That’s why this Partner in Wine vacuum sealed bottle is the perfect picnic accessory. All you have to do is chill your wine and decant it into the insulated wine shaped bottle. Your wine will stay cool for hours, and you can save yourself the hassle of stressing about melting ice and heavy cooler boxes. They also sell a cooler cup which is rounded to mimic the real experience of a wine glass!
Price: £35
Buy it here.
Vango Titan camping chair
Vango Titan Oversized Camping Chair
Sitting on the floor can get uncomfortable after some time. This oversized camping chair is easy to carry around and offers a quality padded seat with good back and head support meaning you can enjoy your picnic without the grass stains. The Vango Divine Chair comes in three colours and also has a drinks holder!
Price: £26.99
Buy it here.
The lunchbox and pump
ZWILLING FRESH & SAVE Lunchbox & Vacuum Pump
A basic lunchbox won’t keep your food fresh. This state of the art vacuum lunchbox is perfect for keeping food items fresh whilst keeping them separate from each other. Simply seal the lids or bags with the Zwilling vacuum pump and enjoy fresh food when you’re ready. Say goodbye to soggy sandwiches.
Price: £69.95
Buy it here.
The Soundcore Motion blueooth speaker
Soundcore Motion Boom Bluetooth speaker
Music sets the mood at a picnic, and this lightweight Bluetooth speaker is a true winner as it offers a 24 hour battery life and a great volume output. The Soundcore Motion has a little handle for easy transportation, and it is waterproof so you needn’t worry about split glasses of wine or splashes from popping open the Champagne! If you’re thinking of using the Soundcore Motion for a much larger event, you can pair two of them together for stereo playback.
Price: £89.99
Buy it here.
Boules Set
This colourful Boules set is great for some outdoor fun. The set is designed for up to six players and it contains 6 wooden boules and a wooden jack.
Price: £190
Buy it here.
by Katrina Mirpuri
National Picnic Week takes place from June 19-27