How to Pack a Picnic Basket for Two

Picnics are a quintessential summer activity. The sun is shining, you've found the perfect spot, you have the perfect date but...you forgot the corkscrew! One of the secrets to a the perfect picnic lies in the planning. Although it would be great to just spontaneously visit the supermarket, grab a loaf of French bread, some ham and bubbly and head for the beach, the perfect date in the great outdoors requires some forethought.

Things You'll Need

• Picnic food and drinks
• Basket or hamper
• Disposable cups and plates
• Disposable cutlery
• Paper towels
• Corkscrew
• Condiments of your choice
• Salt and pepper
• Cooler
• Paper tablecloth
• Blanket
• Insect repellent
• Baby wipes
• Waste bag

Instructions

Plan Your Menu

1. Decide on the food you'd like to bring. Do not limit yourself to sandwiches--the possibilities for your picnic menu are limited only by your imagination. Consider:*Assorted meats - cold cuts such as turkey and ham, cured meats or thinly sliced pepperoni, salami or other sausage or smoked salmon *Selection of cheeses: Brie, Cheddar, Red Leicester and Emmenthal *Olives – on their own or stuffed with nuts, different cheeses, prosciutto, garlic or hot peppers

2. Pack a refreshing beverage to go with your meal. Consider champagne, sparkling wine, white wine, still water or other canned drinks.

3. Consider creative alternatives to the traditional fare, such as pita bread for your sandwiches instead of regular sliced bread.

4. Choose foods that will keep. If you consider a vegetable salad, for example, remember that lettuce can easily end up looking like bedraggled seaweed if it is allowed to wilt. Consider a salad made from white cabbage or other more robust salad leaves. Alternatives such as a mixed fruit salad or coleslaw will keep better than a leafy green salad.

Pack Your Picnic Basket

1. Choose your basket or hamper. While it may sound like a minor consideration, your choice of basket or hamper really is important. Not that you need an all-frills wicker Victorian picnic hamper--you just need something a bit more substantial than a couple of shopping bags.

2. Pack the necessary table settings. Glasses should be plastic unless you are planning for a classy champagne and strawberry affair. Pack high quality disposable plastic plates and cutlery. Take along some paper towels.

3. If you will be drinking wine, don't forget the corkscrew. Alternatively, uncork the bottles at home and pour into a screw top container. This is often a good option if you feel that you may not finish your bottle of wine.

4. Pack the necessary condiments such as mustard, mayonnaise and chilli sauce in their bottles--small, plastic squeezable bottles are the best option. Take along some salt and pepper in a small container--an empty film canister can do.

5. Pack a cooler with ice for drinks and for any chilled foods.

6. Pack other miscellaneous items you may need such as a paper tablecloth, a blanket to sit on, insect repellent, baby wipes and a waste bag.