If you’ve got all your fingers and toes crossed for balmy weather this bank holiday weekend, you’re not alone. We’ve already got our picnic basket (OK, jumbo-sized Sainsbury’s Bag for Life) out for some alfresco dining. Here are our tips for pulling off a stress-less picnic.
Pick food that doesn’t go off
Select your picnic bites wisely – that pasta salad looks great, but will you remember cutlery or end up scooping it into your gob with a spoon made of bread?
Hassle-free finger foods like cured meats, wraps, veggies and dips are usually the way to go. Cheese is another picnic classic, but it tends to go sweaty on a hot day. Stay away from soft cheeses and opt for firm, low-moisture ones like cheddar and gouda.
If you’re bringing salad or sandwiches, hold off adding dressing or pesto until you’re ready to serve. This will stop your greens and bread from going soggy. For extra freshness, don’t put your sandwich in a plastic container – wrapping your read in parchment paper will stop bread from going squishy.
Do your stomach a favour and stay away from foods that become dangerous or just plain gross at room temperature. We’re talking egg salad, undercooked meat and seafood, anything with mayonnaise. Charcuterie is fine, but try not to leave it out for more than an hour. You don’t want to get salmonella from your tuna salad, right?
Keep your booze cold
It doesn’t always have to be a toss-up between lukewarm rosé and buying an expensive picnic cooler. You can construct a ridiculously simple ice pack by squeezing half a cup of dishwashing soap into a ziplock bag and freezing overnight – you’ll end up with a DIY gel pack that you can use again and again.
If you’re short on soap, just add two tablespoons of salt to two cups of water and put the baggy in the freezer for several hours. Place your ice packs on top of your bottles – cold air sinks, so your booze underneath stays cold. Making Pimms or sangria? Freeze your berries and chopped fruit overnight before assembling your picnic cocktail.
If you’re on an impromptu picnic and don’t have time to freeze anything overnight, try this easy trick: thoroughly wet some paper towels or strips of torn newspaper and wrap the paper tightly around your bottle. As the water will evaporate from the paper, it’ll cool the drink. Leave it out in the open so the wind can add an extra chill.
Get some playtime in
It’s all too easy to fall asleep in a pleasant haze of gin and Pimms on a picnic, but why not do something a bit more active? Giant Jenga and Connect Four aside, you could try bowls – it’s become oddly trendy with sun-drunk London hipsters. Find your nearest bowling green on openplay.co.uk.
If you fancy something a bit more pulse-raising, Ping! England has set up ping pong tables all over the country – all you need are rackets and a ball. You can find your nearest table here.
Finally, don't discount the (drunken) fun of trad picnic games. You could take an old-school page from Field Day. The east London music festival hosts an annual Village Mentality fete along with its cooler-than-thou line-up. Think sack races, tug of wars and an egg and spoon race. Good, simple, dumb summer fun – what more could you want?
Follow Zing on Twitter @MissZing
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.