The Pleasure of Picnics

Not wanting these lazy summer afternoons to pass us by, hubby and I have been practicing our picnics by lunching in the backyard. I think there is a certain art to the spontaneous picnic. Partly, it is just being willing to move outside and sit on the grass instead of on patio furniture and partly it is having picnic accessories on hand to make it easy.  Here are my eight tips for the perfect backyard picnic.


1. Have a really great and sturdy basket handy, so you can pile things out of your fridge and into the basket.

The view from under our magnolia tree

2. Use real plates and cutlery, I like real glassware, too and little plates with french sayings on them - after all you have a sturdy basket!

3. Use cloth linens - the cuter, the better - cotton or linen with embroidered fruits and veggies on them do nicely. I also use odd linens that I buy in second-hand stores for picnics.

4. Bring a really great picnicky looking blanket, preferably scratchy wool. (ours comes from Wales and can endure almost anything).

5. Set up under a tree so the food can be in the shade and gazing upward with a full tummy is dreamy, leafy pleasure.

6. Keep the food simple - bread, sliced sausage or cooked chicken, pickles, sliced cucumbers, cheeses (and grainy mustard for a gourmet flourish). Berries for dessert.

7. Bring a jug of lemonade.

8. Share your feast with the love of your life. Berries taste better hand-fed, and even the most mundane conversation becomes poetry in the shade of  a magnolia tree!