Whether it's a picnic with your family, or you invite friends around for a breakfast or afternoon picnic, take advantage of the beautiful weather in your own garden.
Follow these easy tips:
1. Make it a comfortable affair
No one wants to sit on the grass and get itchy or covered in ants, so lay down a pretty blanket or throw, or even a lightweight rug, to provide a comfortable place to set up your picnic in the garden. If the grass is a bit damp, let this dry before putting down your choice of covering, or put something over the top of the grass so that your covering stays dry.
Once you have a comfortable cover in place, you will also need some cushions so that everyone can relax and enjoy the picnic. Try and go for a co-ordinated affair with colours that complement your selected colour scheme for the themed setting.
With the weather being so hot, you will definitely want to set up your picnic in a shady spot, underneath a large overhanging tree, or set up a temporary canopy to provide your guests - and food - with some shady relief.
2. Choose a theme or colour scheme
Just like you would set your indoor dining table for an event, do the same for your outdoor picnic in the garden. Use accessories in colours that you already have so that you don't have to spend money for the event. If you have a favourite set of plates or a pretty tea set, it might be nice to choose colours from these.
If you want to keep it simple and rustic, you can incorporate raw wood elements and baskets for displaying your picnic goodies. Scrap wood is great as cutting boards and you can always use these again later when you have another celebration.
And don't forget that an outdoor picnic means that you can bring some colour into the setting with potted plants, jars filled with freshly cut flowers or sprigs of greenery. These will all add to the atmosphere of the day.
3. Make, bake or buy your spread
Who doesn't love a beautiful looking spread of delicious goodies? Depending on your skills, you can make and bake, or you can buy ready-made goodies to set up the perfect spread. Platters with a selection of different treats will go down well and your guests can help themselves - so make sure to put out some serving tongues or forks to make it easy to grab what they like.
4. The icing on the cake
What picnic would be complete without something sweet to indulge in? Whether you prefer a layered sandwich cake topped off with fresh flowers or a cupcake tower, put your cake on display as the highlight of the picnic.
Finally
Having a picnic in your garden means that you don't have to worry about carrying everything you need too far, and lets you go a bit overboard with what to put on the table. Decide on the menu or style of food you want to present and remember to cater for those who are vegan, gluten intolerant or picky about what they eat.
Make sure you have plates for everyone, cutlery, drinking glasses and serviettes to go around. You will probably also need an ice bucket or cooler box filled with ice to keep the drinks cold and refreshing.
Article courtesy of www.home-dzine.co.za
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