Looking for some picnic ideas or inspiration?

So welcome!

You'll discover food ideas and recipes here for family trips, children's outdoor parties, barbecues, special adult packed meals and snacks for outdoor occasions of every description.

You'll learn how to plan, what to pack, where to go and what games to play. You'll find suggestions for anything and everything to do with alfresco dining - so outdoor eating and drinking will become loads more fun, as you enjoy the freedom of being away from the confines of your home.

I also encourage you to share your own picnic ideas, menus, games and even special places. Yes, please join in and contribute. You can submit a recipe or suggest an outdoor game to share with picnickers all over the world. We would all like to hear about your latest or best venue too.

A picnic is not just food eaten outdoors, combined with a unique sense of freedom, it can also involve a multitude of different choices:

• The meal can be carried in a lightweight backpack, a simple lunch box, an over-flowing hamper, or a mélange of coolers, bags and baskets . .


• The location could be a tree-lined meadow with the scent of wild flowers; under a parasol, beside gentle waves breaking on a sandy shore; a leafy haven in the middle of a city; or . .


• It could include an exhilarating cross-country ramble with friends; children scampering after balls on the beach; a quiet snooze on a blanket shared with a loved one; etc. .

Whatever the occasion, eating outdoors makes the food itself that much more memorable.

It can be a very impromptu affair or planned in a huge variety of ways and held in a multitude of different locations.

Alfresco meals can be lavish fresh air feasts, or simple snacks. You can dine outside in strictly grown-up style, have great children’s parties or family fun days in the open air.

The site is constantly growing, so please check back often. Here is just a smattering of the topics you can find among the 250 + pages:

• Help with your packing list
• How to plan your outdoor meal because sometimes you need to
• menu suggestions leading to lots of different al fresco food ideas
• freeze ahead recipes - useful if you pay attention to planning above!
• choose a suitable picnic table or just throw a blanket on the ground!
• Find out where to buy baskets and other necessary packing or outdoor dining essentials

• Think about picnic drinks - just as important as the food
• weather forecasting - a bit of amusement but I’m not convinced it'll help you much! :)

Please have fun exploring and participating in the site. Keep up to date with all new submissions by using the RSS button above the nav bar on the left or please LIKE us on Facebook and keep up to date that way.

A picnic can be the most relaxed and enjoyable of meals, whether eaten in a field or a beach in the summer or in the winter from the back of a car. With a little bit of planning, the right equipment and a menu to suit the occasion, climate and venue, each one becomes a joy to look back on.

Don't forget the impromptu picnic either - where you buy the food on the way. Then you take advantage of local produce such as luscious fruit in a country market, a fish stall in a coastal village, or bread, cheese and charcuterie from a deli you discover en route. Have a few basic essentials with you and you can enjoy a delicious and spontaneous feast, however far you are from home.

And ... just in case you still need a little convincing to get out of the house, remember these advantages of alfresco partying:

• no house cleaning before or after
• the neighbours can't complain about noise
• cheaper than a restaurant
• you can choose the location
• space is no problem for large numbers
• no difficulties with parking
• instead of just a meal, it becomes a special occasion
• you don't normally have to worry about children being bored

So no more worries! Just explore this site further. I'm going to help you pack up and go!