Top 10 tips for picnics!

This year is all about a day out close to home and staycations, which is why it’s a good idea to brush up on your picnic know how’s with these handy tips designed to keep things fresh, safe and add a little excitement to the good old English outdoor feast!

It’s all in the prep

1. Pack a tea towel for each person with their cutlery, hand wipes, paper or plastic plate and beaker wrapped up inside. Hand them out at the start of the picnic as a place setting that they are in control of.
2. Include a throw away bag that they all have to place their dirties in. One for washing up items, one for rubbish and one for the tea towels.
3. Pack an almost empty jam jar to place a few meters away to attract bees, wasps and flies if they start to buzz around you. This sweet treat will be irresistible and they will much prefer it! Remember to keep your food covered too!

Individual handhelds

4. To ensure no cross-contamination, think about handhelds that are easy to wrap. They can be handed out without grubby fingers touching other people’s food. Roll them so they can be peeled back and enjoyed.
5. Consider a burrito for grown-ups. Pack them with spicy chicken, corn, salsa, mayo, crunchy peppers and lettuce.
6. For the youngsters, ham and cheese is always a favourite but add in thinly sliced cucumber and peppers for a bit of texture and to keep them moist.
7. The other perfect handheld is a sausage roll, but make your own with puff pastry. Consider sausage, cheese and onion and even chicken, bacon and sundried tomatoes – delicious, and they can all be wrapped in foil beforehand to share out.

Sweet treats

8. Use simple plastic or paper cups to create fruity jellies – they really are delicious and add refreshment as well as a sweet dessert. You also don’t have to worry too much about them going off. If you decide to make your own jelly, rather than buy the packet varieties, remember not to add pineapple as it interacts with the setting agent and it will remain liquid!
9. Everyone loves a piece of rocky road, but why not mix it up a bit? Keep all your little bits of left over cereal, add popcorn, raisins and more to make it different every time and cut it into rectangles rather than squares for an instant affordable chocolate bar. Remember, the more filling and less chocolate there is, the healthier it will probably be.
10. Finally, pack fruit. Bananas and little oranges come in their very own wrapper, need no refrigeration and can be placed back in the fruit bowl if they are not used.

Last but not least… Please, please remember to take your rubbish home, even if there are bins; they are not being emptied as much as they were!

Do you have any picnic tips you’d like to share with us? If so, let us know by commenting down below or over on Facebook and Twitter @UKMumstv!