Summer is the time that we get out the cool bag and blanket, and head to the beach for a lazy day in the sun. Or we pitch a tent and enjoy long weekends of outdoor cooking and eating. This year, particularly, we have been blessed with more sunny days than ever before. So we thought it would be fun to put together in this guide our ‘must have’ items for when we dine al fresco … we hope you like our choices 
SONGMICS XL Picnic Blanket
We LOVE our SONGMICS picnic blanket. It’s the only one we’ve had that is large enough for us all to sit on. And the daisy design is so happy ? The blanket measure 200cm x 200cm. It has a waterproof backing and soft padding between the outer and inner layers.
It is tear resistant and sand proof – it’s just a really large, colourful, durable picnic blanket. It also has a built-in carry handle, though we’re not very good at rolling it back up!
Link to purchase: SONGMICS XL Picnic Blanket
‘Sistema To Go’ Bento Box
Over the years of packing food for road trips and picnics we’ve tried a myriad of food carrying methods. Obviously the main one is to package each food type up separately and serve from the container to the plate. That worked for years – but we now have fussy children who like to eat different things. They also eat at different speeds, meaning the speedy eater often took the lion’s share when not monitored. Not anymore! Now we pack a bento box for each of us, containing everything that person needs for a lovely meal-on-the-go.
The boxes are a good size with several useful compartments inside. There’s a shelf that’s perfect for a sandwich, and space underneath for a salad. Two small side containers are perfect for blueberries or a stack of short carrot sticks. A screw top container can be filled with a dip or dressing … and there’s still space for an apple or sweet treat. The boxes come in 4 different colours (pink, green, blue and purple); there’s 4 of us, so our lunches are colour-coded! It’s brilliant for us, as we can monitor portion sizes, and know that the children get what they like to eat. It’s a win-win.
Link to purchase: ‘Sistema To Go’ Bento Box
Hydro Flask Double Wall Insulated Wine Flask and Wine Tumblers
This 750ml flask is ingenious! It holds an entire bottle of wine! No fears of breaking glass on route to your picnic, this flask is built to last. If cold wine goes in the flask, the insulated leak-proof cap keeps the temperature constant for hours. It is made of food grade stainless steel, and has a rubberised base and easy-grip coating – and with the easy pour top, your wine is guaranteed to reach your goblet with minimal spillage!
The wine tumblers are equally brilliant. They hold just under 300ml, so two standard glasses, and with the same insulation keeps your wine at optimum temperature. The tumblers are a good shape that fit into your hand and they come with a ‘sippy lid’, to prevent spills ?
Link to purchase: Hydro Flask Wine Bottle and Hydro Flask Cups and Tumblers
‘Keep it Cool’ Cool Bag from Next
While out looking for a new cool bag, this one jumped off the shelf due to being SO shiny! It’s a lovely size too – large enough to get lots in. It measures 40cm tall, 60cm wide and 23cm deep. It’s wipe clean and thickly insulated; it is just a brilliant cool bag!
Link to purchase: ‘Keep it Cool’ Cool Bag
GoEat Cutlery Set by Joseph Joseph
I don’t know about you, but we end up taking far too much cutlery on a picnic. Or we have a million tea spoons and only enough forks for half of us! And, of course, they take up valuable space. So, a while back I invested in four sets of GoEat Cutlery by Joseph Joseph. Once out of the box, an individual knife, fork and spoon are kept within a silicone case. Made of high quality 18/0 stainless steel the sets ‘stick together’ by magnets. It is very innovative. It’s a brilliant space-saving invention.
Link to purchase: GoEat Cutlery by Joseph Joseph
Hydro Flask 1.9L Wide-Mouth Flask and True Pint ‘Glasses’
Designed mainly with beer drinkers in mind, this 1.9L wide-mouthed flask is perfect for keeping your beer cold for up to 24 hours. Being BPA- and Phthalate-free it’s also really good for water and juice ‘on the go’. Well, we figured that if we were drinking wine (see above), the children can at least have ice-cold squash!
The ‘True Pint’ (473ml) stainless steel glasses are also designed for beer drinkers. They keep your beverage nice and cold – and they are stackable, so take up less space in your picnic bag. They come in a fun range of colours, and we each have our own colour-coded one!
Link to purchase: Hydro Flask range
‘Cocktails in a Can’ from ALDI
Oh ALDI know what we like! Earlier this year they launched a new range of pre-mixed cocktail cans, at just 85 pence per 250ml can. Absolutely perfect for a lazy picnic on the beach (assuming campsite is within walking distance!) We were lucky enough to be sent some samples to try. Happy Days ? We tried:
- Austin’s Classic Summer Punch with Lemonade (alcohol content 5.4% vol)
- Old Hopking Gin & (Regular and Diet) Tonic (alcohol content 5.0% vol)
- Oscar’s Mojito (alcohol content 4.0% vol)
- Oscar’s Cosmopolitan (alcohol content 4.0% vol)
We had a small party on the beach in Norfolk, and we took the cans along. No complaints – everyone loved them! Good product at a brilliant price. And great for picnics as it’s like taking your cocktail cabinet along with you!
Link to purchase: Available ‘in store’ – click here to find your local ALDI
Hydro Flask 12oz Hot/Cold Food Flask
Our children love soup. They are not really into tea, coffee or hot chocolate, so when we’re out and about in cold weather it’s difficult to know how to warm them up. Problem solved with these food flasks. The ones we have – 354ml – hold just enough for a decent, filling serving of soup. Of course, in the summer you can also use them for smoothies! We use ours on road trips, when we drive through the night. When the temperature drops, it provides that much-needed comfort food to give you a boost!
Link to purchase: Hydro Flask range
We hope we have given you some good ideas for your next picnic? What essentials do you take along when dining al fresco? We’d love to hear – leave us a comment
