Dust off that picnic blanket, get the sarnies cut up into cute little triangles, and grab your picnic basket – cos it’s National Picnic Month!

A month dedicated to celebrating the great outdoors, July will see families, friends and colleagues heading off down to their local parks or gardens, picnic hamper in tow, to have a little fun in the sun.

National Picnic Month encourages us all to get outside, celebrate these warmer days (apparently!) and rediscover our love for all the wonderful sights and smells the outdoors has to offer.

In this post, we run through some must-have items to celebrate National Picnic Month...

What to Pack for a Picnic

First and foremost, don’t forget your essentials. After all, nobody wants to arrive to a picnic minus that all-important blanket and sit on a dewy, wet floor. Instant vibe killer.

Blankets

So, first and foremost, pack a blanket or something to sit on. This could be a few towels, a blanket or even just any large cloth. Just don’t bring your family’s ‘special occasion’ tablecloth – as you probably will end up with a few spills and stains on it, especially if you’re in a local park and there are footballs flying about!

Napkins

Next, be sure to bring napkins or kitchen roll. Picnics are messy and sometimes undignified so bringing some napkins or paper towels will, at least, stop everyone noticing that hot-dog mustard dribbling down your chin.

Cutlery and Utensils

Picture the scene. You’ve prepared your signature potato salad, you’re super excited to give your friends a taste. You scramble around trying to find the cutlery - but you’ve forgot to pack utensils. Disaster.  Bring along any utensils you may need; knives, forks, serving spoons, cups for drinking, reusable plates – and a corkscrew or bottle opener, if needed. Avoid plastic though and use recyclable or metal options.

Sun Cream

In the words of Baz Luhrmann, everybody’s free to wear sunscreen. So don’t forget to pack it!  Bring sun cream and/or sunscreen – both for you and for children attending. Nobody wants to be picnicking with a prawn (other than if it’s in the vol-au-vents!)

Bag or Basket

Pack a bag. For drinks, ensure you bring an cooling bag and for food, bring a traditional picnic basket or bag with you to store everything safely and neatly.

Bin Bags

And finally… bin bags! Don’t forget to pack up your rubbish and either take it home with you to dispose of accordingly or place it in a public bin. National Picnic Month is all about enjoying nature – so let’s not make a mess, eh?

The Ultimate Picnic Spread

No outdoor adventure is complete without quintessential nibbles and picnic food – but choose items that don’t spoil or melt quickly.

Sandwiches

Sandwiches are a picnic winner – ham and cheese, steak and cheese, Sunday roast leftovers – the world is your oyster… but maybe don’t make oyster sandwiches!

Other Finger Foods

Finger foods are ideal for picnic provisions so stock up on items such as pork pies, Scotch eggs, chicken wings and drumsticks, sausage rolls, party sausages, simple salads, potato salads, coleslaw, fairy cakes, muffins and other bite-sized treats that can be easily transported.

Dips

Next up, crisps and dip. Crisps and dip are ideal for picnics – but if you want a way to introduce a little more veg into your diet, simply chop up some carrots, celery and cucumber and use these as dunkers. You can also use lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, and items such as radishes for dunking.

Fruit

Fruits are perfect picnic partners so load up on apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, and melon. You can either leave these as they are or chop them all up for a delectable fruit salad.

Check the lids on anything you pack or put in Tupperware. Ensure the lids are all on super tight and sealed properly to avoid any spills during transport.

Thirst-Quenching Tipples

Bold and boozy or fresh and fruity, transform your summer tipples with a few of these thirst-quenching drinks ideas. We provide the recipes; you provide the ice!

Pimms

We simply couldn’t miss this off the list. It’s super easy to prepare and is a fantastic picnic-perfect punch.

Ideal in a pitcher to share amongst friends, you can make a Pimm’s punch with merely two ingredients: punch and lemonade. For jam-packed flavour, add mint sprigs, sliced cucumber, orange slices and strawberries to the pitcher and allow to stand for a while for the flavours to infuse.

Ingredients

• 200ml Pimm’s 
• 600ml Lemonade

Fill a jug with ice and pour over Pimm’s and lemonade. Add the fruit, mint and cucumber. Give it a good stir and voila, it’s ready to be enjoyed.

Top Tip: Get the Pimm’s Summer Bundle now for only £20.99 from ClickNDrink. Featuring a bottle of Pimm’s, a glass, cushion and pitcher – it’s everything you need for a Pimm’s picnic!

Cider Punch

Another simple cocktail – perfect for a pitcher. A cider punch is a sweet summer treat and can be made in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients

• 4 x Cans/Bottles of Cider
• 125ml Lime Juice
• 625ml Soda Water and
• 2 tsp Caster Sugar
• Mint sprigs, sliced apple and ice to garnish

In a pitcher, combine lime juice and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cider and soda water and garnish with mint sprigs, apple slices and ice. Add thinly sliced green chilli for an extra injection of spice.

Top Tip: Made with a blend of the finest West Country cider apples, the South West Orchards range of cider makes for a perfect punch. Get 12 bottles of 500ml Modern Craft cider for only £21.99 or for a low-alcohol option, their 0.5% ABV edition can be purchased for £20.99 for 12 bottles.

Easy Peasy Sangria

A summery Spanish tipple which just takes just a few minutes to make – perfect for enjoying the summer sun (and pretending we’re in the climes of Spain!).

Ingredients

• 1 Bottle Red Wine
• 300ml Sparkling Water/Lemonade
• 2 Oranges
• 2 Pears
• 200g Red Berries
• 5 tbsp Caster Sugar

Fill a jug with ice and add the fruit and wine. Simply top with lemonade or sparkling water. Stir well.

Top tip: For a non-alcoholic option, swap out the wine for grape juice.

Take advantage of ClickNDrink’s special offers with a Mixed Malbec case – now only £51.99 for a case of six stunning wines. Plus, get free delivery on this item by entering WINEDELIVERY at checkout.

Have you got any top picnic tips and hacks?

We’d love to feature them – so please get in touch or send us your pics and tips on our socials.

We’re on Facebook

Twitter

Instagram