One of the greatest joys of British springtime is heading out on a sunny day for a family picnic. Armed with your favourite sandwiches, snacks and games, there’s nothing like spending an afternoon lounging under the sun with your friends and family.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, we probably have a small window of opportunity to ‘picnic’ before we’re back to rainy days, cagoules and umbrellas, so it’s time to make the most of the outdoors whilst it’s still warm and dry.
At Heat Holders, we’re not in the business of sad sandwiches or old, dusty picnic blankets. We’re passionate about making the most of our beautiful countryside and the great outdoors, and that’s why we’ve put together a step-by-step guide for packing the perfect springtime picnic.
The Food
It wouldn’t be a picnic without copious amounts of ‘picky bits’ and sandwiches, would it? Arguably the best part of a picnic is the hours spent grazing on your favourite lunchtime bites, snacks and summery drinks.
We all know the classic picnic foods: sausage rolls, ham & cheese sandwiches, crisps, salad and fruit. But we’re not planning any old picnic, we’re planning the ultimate spring picnic that you’ll want to recreate every year. Below you’ll find some indulgent inspiration to make for your next outing that’ll be sure to make your picnic neighbours envious:
Savoury:
Sweet:
Drinks:
Remember to bring a cool box or two so your food stays cold whilst you head to the perfect lunch spot.
The Essentials
Now that the food and drinks are sorted, we need some picnic essentials to get it all from A to B and to be able to enjoy our picnic in true comfort.
First things first, we need a picnic bag. You may be thinking “isn’t it a picnic basket?” and although lovely to look at, picnic baskets are often more clunky and ill-equipped for a walk to a picnic spot.
We prefer to make it easy on ourselves by using a backpack purposefully designed for picnics. These often include glass, plate and cutlery holders as well as plenty of space for your food, drinks and extras.
High street and online stores such as John Lewis and Decathlon are great options for a stylish picnic backpack.
Next up, we need a blanket to sit on, and if you plan to spend the early evening at your picnic location too, you might want to take an extra to wrap up in once the sun disappears. Our large, thermal blankets are perfect for the entire family to sit on - with enough room to avoid sibling fights!
You may also want to take a parasol for a spot of shade and a cool box to fill with ice and drinks.
The Fun
The blanket has been laid, the snacks have been devoured and now it’s time for a spot of family fun.
Below are our top activity ideas for when you’re out picnic’in:
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Play a card game: UNO, Snap, Go Fish, Monopoly Deal are just a few examples.
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Bring crayons and paper and encourage everyone to draw the scenery around them.
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Bring some little prizes and create a small scavenger hunt.
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Have a miniature sports day by purchasing or making sports day equipment and playing classic games: egg and spoon race, three-legged race and so forth.
And remember, it’s not the winning but the taking part that counts!
There’s nothing quite like a good picnic during Britain’s spring and summer. Wherever you’re heading during the warmer weather, make sure you don’t forget your Heat Holders blanket to take home any rubbish after you’re done 🚮
We’d love to see your picnic locations, tag us on Instagram at @HeatHoldersUK, TikTok at @heatholdersuk and Facebook at @HeatHolders, we may even feature you on our page 🧺🥪🌾
