The Great British Picnic

With the advent of warmer and longer summer days comes our first real opportunity to go out and enjoy more outdoor activities than the bitter cold of the winter will typically allow for. And what outdoor activity can be more enjoyable and sensorily satiating in 2021 than having a well organised and elaborate picnic with our friends and family? By their nature picnics take place in the great outdoors and now that the weather is turning, this is our chance to enjoy a breath of fresh air.

The word picnic is said to originally come from the 17th Century French word, picque-nique, which referred to a social gathering where each attendee brought some food along. However, the concept of a picnic is said to go as far back as the Middle Ages here in England- it even features on the Bayeux Tapestry.

Outdoor lunches were popularised on account of huntsmen on horseback getting peckish while out on an expedition. Foods like pork pies and Cornish pasties became picnic staples that were specifically designed to be a complete meal that could be enjoyed away from home. But it wasn’t until the 18th century that picnics really started to become much more of an elaborate affair, as a favourite pastime of the Victorian aristocracy. Interestingly, they were initially an indoor affair, held at stately homes or in hired rooms.

The era of affordable, pre-packaged, snacking and ready-to-eat foods made available by British supermarkets may have robbed the classic picnic from its Victorian flare, however it has also made it a much more common pastime accessible to all. Thanks to pre-made pies, quiches, pates, terrines, pre-sliced ham and ready-made sandwiches, anyone with a thermos and a blanket can organise a picnic with relative ease and at a relatively modest cost.

Of course as British cuisine has evolved, classic picnic staples like egg-mayo sandwiches and Victoria sponge cake have given way to include a much more international spread including; olives, salami (and other cured meats), hummus, guacamole, pasta salads and much more. Nonetheless, you can always trust good British strawberries and smoked salmon to make an appearance at any picnic worth its salt!

With so much of our last few months spent indoors, getting outdoors to eat can be very beneficial for your mental wellbeing, concentration, stress levels, creativity and more.

It is well documented by the research that there are marked psychological benefits which arise from being in a natural environment such as improved mood, memory and concentration. Beyond this, the physiological benefits associated with spending time outdoors include; reducing heart rate, blood pressure, lowering stress hormones and easing muscle tension.

On a sensory note, it is worth mentioning that while the majority of research has tended to focus on the sight of nature, the research now clearly shows that the sounds of nature (e.g., bird song) can also be relaxing and help to restore our mental resources.

Now doesn’t that sound like all the more reason to get out there and make the summer of 2021 all about the Great British Picnic!

Chef Jozef Youssef is the creative force behind the Kitchen Theory design studio and award-winning immersive Chef’s Table Supper Club. Find out more about chef Jozef Youssef and Kitchen Theory here.