Great picnics are a sum of their parts and, this summer, disposables and fancy food are out. Here are the new rules of picnicking in 2022

There’s a Goldilocks vibe to a perfect picnic. Sunshine, but not too much. Food, enough to eat lavishly, but not so there is a pile left over to carry back. Comfortable, but not luxurious: eating outdoors is about rusticity, and dodging ants and the odd thistle is part of the experience, the trials to be overcome to achieve a happy ending. 

My childhood picnics were mostly (in my undoubtedly warped memory) eaten in the car while Welsh or Scottish or Wiltshire rain streamed down the windscreen. There were boiled eggs with salt in a plastic bag, and chicken legs.

This was invariably followed by Marie biscuits with Bournville chocolate, a combination that I loathed but was sacrosanct as Elizabeth David had once suggested it, and my mother was a fan. It took me a long time to forgive Mrs David for that.

Eating en plein air can descend into depressing squalor if you don’t take a bit of care, so channel that storybook magic. Use pretty plates and a bright rug, as well as leak-proof containers and crisp clean tea towels. 

Disposables are out, and lightweight, reusable equipment is in – which has the advantage of being more robust. No more floppy paper plates or collapsing plastic cups. Instead, a picnic that might not be a fairy tale, but is just right.

A Frisbee for the kids, for the dog, and (by the end of the picnic) for everyone.

The classic Picardie glass tumblers by Duralux (£6.90 for four, Heals) are inexpensive and will survive most picnic shenanigans, plus they’ll add retro chic. If glass makes you nervous, then splash out on metal versions, which will work for coffee as well as cold drinks. Try these Colorama small tumblers (£16 each, Liberty).

Stemmed glasses are a pain, hard to pack and difficult to keep standing up on uneven ground. But for Champagne at operas and outdoor concerts, where a flute seems appropriate, a box of cheap glasses will do the trick – or ask if the bar loans them. Alternatively, silver-plated flutes, like these hammered ones by Culinary Concepts (£74.95 for two, John Lewis), last for ever.

I like Mepal Cirqula’s food storage bowls (£27.49 for three, John Lewis). Stainless-steel tiffin boxes are really practical, too: have a look at The Indian Promenade’s hand-painted three-tier Kashmir tiffins (£42, The Indian Promenade) – they’re works of art.

Or repurpose plastic bowls you already have with stretchy, watertight silicone covers – I use Ikea’s Övermätt (from £3.50 for three).

Woollen rugs are very trad but mine succumbed to moths and I’m committed to washable versions now. A bit of padding smooths the ground, and size matters as people will want to sit on it – I take a smaller tablecloth to put the food on in the middle. This one comes in a generous 145 x 245cm (£60, Graham and Green) and is machine-washable.

Even if it’s finger food, you’ll need some light, robust plates. Enamel ones have a utility-chic air and any chips are part of the patina. Or opt for bamboo in a cheerful print, like these (£68 for six, Finns of Chelsea).

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