Top 10s Top 10 products for the perfect picnic

Date Published:

28/04/2009

There's been sun. There has definitely been some sun. Charlie Cottrell packs it in her hamper and hits the park with this year's best picnic products

Thanks to Blighty's summer showers, wannabe picnickers are all too often faced with the option of balancing their bums on a rickety camping stool or risking a damp derriere. But no more thanks to this nifty foldaway table. Weighing in at mere 13kg - that's the same as four Nintendo Wiis or a pair of good sized babies - you can dine in style, over the stile.
£59.99 from Wild day

No-one likes schlepping a hefty hamper around in the sun. And how about the hygiene hazard of transporting meat and dairy products for hours while you find the perfect grassy knoll? Roll up the picnic cooler on wheels, a one stop shop for all your picnic needs, offering chilled food and taking a weight off your back. Safety first, picnic fans.
£45.98 from Picnics 4 fun

Every good meal should end with a tar-dark shot of fresh espresso and if you've primed your hamper with a pressurised flask and some nifty coffee pods, dining at Mother Nature's table need be no different. Its super light-weight design means you'll hardly know you're carrying it, leaving you free to go running, ride horses, walk the dogs on a beach…
£79.99 from I want one of those

Two basic problems arise when transporting salad for an external eat-feast. Keeping it cool and keeping it crispy. Thankfully, Lakeland's whiz kids are all over the issue and have come up with a super solution that combines a gel-walled container with a built in dressing pot - to keep everything as it should be 'til it's time to chow.
£5.98 from Lakeland

Pies - the ultimate in edible food storage. For too long pork pie has dominated the summer scene, but any opportunity to pack in the pastry should be seized with both sticky hands. Thanks be to goodness the folk at Fletchers Deer Farm agree and have created these tasty little venison pies as an altogether fancier fare to nosh from your napkin.
£1.40 from Fletchers

Picking a good picnic wine might not be on the top of your must-do list, but one whiff of this amazing Argentine white will have you revved up for summer - even if it's less than scorchio outside. It smells of lychee and elderflower but lacks that sickliness found in a lot of fruity wines, making it a refreshing tipple for your back-yard banquet. You'll find the grapes used in blends but Jessica Closs, sommelier for Argentine restaurant Gaucho, recommends tracking down a pure torrontes.
£6.99 from Majestic

Salads are a bit like Sandra Dee. Appealing enough in their natural form but tart them up a bit and you've got yourself something super sexy. What binding leather trousers did for Sandy, vinegary dressing does for salad. Pop these sachets into your cooler for maximum taste without the heavy, leaky bottles.
£1.74 from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda stores

Having an instant barbecue on hand means you're always ready to party (subject to county council park regulations). But what if, while chomping through a burger, you're gripped by concern for the welfare of the charcoal producers that made your flaming fiesta possible? Rest easy, gentle Ben, the Co-op's producers get three times the minimum wage and free kilns to boot.
From £1.99 from the Co-operative

If you've been gazing at the kiddies' Kinder Eggs with jealous eyes you'll be beside yourself with joy at the site of this kitch kitchenware. Relive the giddy joys of childhood air-fix kits with this snap-and-go gourmet set, complete with chopsticks, toothpick and even a napkin ring.
£10 for four from V&A

When it comes to squirrels we're red rovers. The indigenous tree-creatures have been under attack from their grey cousins for decades and their numbers have dwindled to dangerous lows. Now you can help rescue the russet rodents and recreate a traditional British picnic setting by enforcing your position at the top of the food chain and eating the greys into submission.
Free with a minimum donation of £5 to Friends of Anglesey Red Squirrels through Patchwork Pâté

Find your perfect indoor picnic spot to thwart the rain

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