We are so excited that it’s that time of the year when the Daffodils and other Spring flowers start to pop open and the sun shines for longer during the evening. It’s also our favourite time of the year because it means that picnic season can officially start! With the Easter holidays right around the corner and a number of bank holidays popping up, have you got all your picnic essentials? Here is the perfect picnic guide for you this year!
What food should I take on my picnic?
The perfect picnic often consists of lots of finger food for everyone to enjoy! Every family often has one or two picnic foods that are a must on any picnic outing, what is yours? Whether it’s homemade sausage rolls, a victoria sponge cake or peanut butter and jam sandwiches! Apart from your ‘go-to’ picnic foods, you might be stuck on what other tasty treats to pack into your picnic bag this spring and summer, here are a few different picnic foods we love to take on ours:
- Sandwiches: Sandwiches are a must when it comes to picnics, simply cut up your sandwiches into bite size pieces so you can have a range of different fillings. From ham and cheese, to hummus and cucumber sandwiches – you can get as creative as you like. If you fancy something lighter, fresh spring rolls are a great alternative to sandwiches!
- Salads: It’s always nice at a picnic to have a large salad bowl to serve out at the picnic. Not every salad has to be boring, you can mix things up by adding pasta to your salad to make it more filling or we have a delicious couscous salad recipe that you will love!
- Sweet treats: As it’s Easter, you might have quite a few Easter chocolates or yummy chocolate chip cookies you have baked over the weekend - having some sweets to nibble on as a dessert is a must in our opinion as life is all about balance!
- Fruit and veg: You cannot forget about getting in some of your 5-a-day when you’re planning your picnic. Having a fresh fruit salad to enjoy with your chocolate and slices of cucumber or carrots to munch on as a snack are also an essential in our picnic food list.
Stay hydrated this picnic season
Start off your day with our travel mugs
A lot of people like to pair their picnic with a day out, whether you’re on a day trip out in the UK to the seaside or you're going on a long walk in a National Park, and you’re taking lunch with you, you cannot forget about a warm drink! The UK weather is a little unpredictable and a warming cup of coffee or tea in a thermos flask before you set off on your picnic or during is a must. Thanks to the double-wall insulation, the travel mugs will keep your drink warm for up to 6 hours but the outside of the travel mug will stay cool, so it won’t burn your fingers.
Don’t forget your water bottles
Do you ever bring enough water with you on picnics? When we go on our picnics, we like to make sure that everyone has their own water bottle to make sure they stay hydrated. At Citron, we have 4 different sizes of insulated water bottles that come in different colours and patterns, so everyone in the family can choose their own style. When you purchase any of the water bottles which are all currently on sale, you can also personalise your water bottle for free.
Reusable cups
If you’re having your picnic locally then you might not need several bottles of water for everyone, you might only need one, that’s when cups come in handy. Similarly, if you want to share some juice or a fizzy drink on your picnic, splitting a larger bottle up into cups, rather than taking individual ones will also save on space. Now when we talk about cups we don’t mean Single-use plastics cups, we mean reusable cups that are better for our environment.
By the end of the year in England, a lot of single-use plastics that are used in the food industry will be banned as they are so damaging to our environment. Which is why we have introduced our eco-friendly cups that can be reused throughout the picnic season. Our reusable cups come in a pack of 4 and are made from 100% plant-based materials which also makes them light-weight which is ideal when you’re already carrying a lot of heavier items in your picnic bag.
What should I take my food in?
Large lunch box
Picnics often involve a lot of finger food, especially when you're going as a family or with a group of friends. Instead of having to pack each finger food in different containers, why not create a large finger food platter in one of our grand lunch boxes? Our grand lunches boxes consist of 4 different compartments, so you can add your sweet treats like tasty French Madeleine cakes and your savoury snacks like sausage rolls to the box without them touching. Included in your grand lunch box is a small food jar as well as a sauce pot which is great for adding your salad dressing or some hummus to dip your fresh veggie sticks into.
Food jar
Now although Spring has officially started, we haven’t quite been welcomed with the glowing sun and heat, and so a warm picnic might still be on the cards. But how do you transfer hot food like pasta or soup with you? The answer is easy, with our food flasks of course!
We have small and large insulated food jars that can keep your food warm for up to 6 hours thanks to the triple-wall insulation. Here is one of our favourite warm pasta salads to take on picnics when the sun isn’t quite shining. Our food jars will also keep your food cool for up to 7 hours so they are great for taking salads, chopped up fruit or veg and also sweet treats in.
Reusable plates
Of course, one essential is a plate so you can gather all your tasty picnic treats and pile them up onto your plate. At Citron we recently introduced our eco-friendly plates that are biodegradable and are made from 100% plant-based material. The material makes the plates light-weight, so they are easy to carry around, and they are shatter-proof, so you won’t have to worry about any breakages on your journey, making them the perfect picnic plates.
Portable Cutlery
Having a dedicated cutlery set for picnics or your on-the-go meals is something we have found really useful as a few of our kitchen cutlery may have gone missing over the years.
At Citron, we have a range of stackable cutlery sets that are great for those on-the-go meals. Both our 3-piece stainless steel set and our eco-friendly cutlery sets come in their own silicon case which makes them easy to transport and easy to clean.
Picnic bag
Of course an essential for any outdoor dining is a picnic cool bag to take all your tasty food, drinks and other utensils in. It might seem like a good idea to chuck all your picnic food into a plastic shopping bag, or into a picnic basket but neither are very practical. They are often uncomfortable to carry, especially when you have to carry them before you find your perfect picnic spot. Our Citron picnic bags are not only stylish but also practical, they have space and compartments to take all your food and drinks in and the shoulder strap and faux-leather handles make them comfortable to carry on your day out. Plus, our insulated picnic bags will keep all your food cool, thanks to its thermal lining.
What am I missing?
There are often a few items that we forget about when going on our picnics so here is a quick checklist of things you might have forgotten about:
- A picnic blanket
- Napkins
- Hand sanitizer
- Sun cream
- Ice blocks
- Game
- Wipes
- A rubbish bag