Now that lockdown is easing one of the ways we can enjoy ourselves is a traditional Picnic. We love a picnic at Hay hampers not least utilising one of our Hay Hamper branded insulated cool bags or one of our 2 person traditional picnic baskets – which we sell filled with delicious sweet, savoury or picnic treats (available to gift here). 

The key to picnicking in 2020 is safety so here are some recommendations;

       1. Plan you location – Be original

Try to avoid popular beauty spots and obvious locations, whilst staying a sensible driving distance to your home. We want to stay safe and to do this we must avoid the crowds. There are so many beautiful locations accessible via public footpaths, forestry commission woodlands that there is no need to clutter popular parks and beaches. 

       2. Pack the lockdown essential

Keep in mind the lack of facilities, take a blanket (or maybe camping chairs if you struggle with sitting on the floor) as there are unlikely to be picnic benches availbale due to the originality of the location! Take hand sanitiser, and plenty of water for hand washing. Also a binbag for taking your rubbish back with you. 

       3. Plan your food

With all this extra time we have, we can afford more time and planning and preparation to go into our picnic menu. Make it an activity and learning opportunity with the children. Get them to price it up, place the order online, and prepare food from scratch not just purchased..

Some ideas are: a filled picnic loaf, homemade pork pie, a cheese and cold meat platter, antipasti items such as olives, breadsticks, nuts,  roasted vegetable cous cous salad;  bake something sweet such as banana bread, brownies, tiffin or just take along some cookies and fruit. The opportunities are endless. 

      4. Make it a social?

If inviting friends or family ensure you set up the picnic with the (at time of writing) 2m minimum distance between picnic blankets. 

What if the weather goes a bit… British….?

Just do it indoors! Move all your living room furniture to the edges of the room and lay down blankets. Maybe turn it into an evening picnic and festoon the room with fairy lights and pretend to be picnicking under the stars! Or bring out the child in you and make a fort and eat it in there! Or pop a tent up in your garden and eat it with the sound of the rain!