A quintessential summertime activity, picnics with friends and family are a joyous occasion. Like everything, preparation is key to any great food experience, and nowhere is this more important than when putting a picnic together.

Let’s start with the basics, planning the food and drink. As picnicking can usually involve eating with our hands, finger foods are very practical, including chips, dips, nuts and crudité. Cold pies, terrines and pates are classic picnic dishes which are less common nowadays, and definitely deserve a look in. Bakery items like tarts and cakes should also feature on your spread, alongside other sweet treats like fresh and dried fruits. Cheeses, crackers and chutneys also make for a nice component of your picnic spread. And what picnic is complete without some great British summer strawberries?

On to the drinks; beer, cider, wine and sparkling wines all wash down well for those who enjoy a little alcohol with their food, for everyone else, ice tea, ice coffee, kombucha or fresh fruit juice can all make for great liquid accompaniment. Water is of course a must in all cases, keep well hydrated!

Having the right picnicking equipment can really set the tone and make your experience all that more enjoyable. A hamper or suitable picnic bag will make packing your food easier, and it is also advantageous to have a cooler bag, practically this can help keep your chilled food and drinks at the right temperature which is always a plus on warm summer days. A good blanket lays the canvas for your spread and can significantly add to the visual presentation of your picnic.

Then there are the plates, cutlery and drinks receptacles. We know from research that these elements play a vital role in people’s perception of a meal and can affect how much they enjoy the experience. So although disposables are popular (both the less sustainable plastic versions as well as an increasing number of good quality, biodegradable options that can be found online), if you really want to make your picnic special, try and opt for taking some nice plates, cutlery and glassware along with you.

Finally, there is picking the perfect spot, whether it’s your local park or a short trip away, find a nice spot with a lovely view and preferably flat ground with short grass so that your picnic spread is easy to set out.

Indulge your senses this summer with a picnic that takes all the senses into consideration.

• Sight – aside from a beautiful scenery, think about the best visual layout for your picnic spread. Lots of colourful fruit and vegetables are both aesthetically pleasing and are good healthy bites to nibble on.

• Smell – much of our enjoyment of flavour comes from our sense of smell, so while taking in some lovely fresh air, give thought to incorporating plenty of fresh aromatic foods like ginger, lemongrass, bell peppers, mint and coriander into your picnic spread.

• Touch – the texture of our food plays a very important role in how we perceive and judge foods. There is also an association that exists for many people between crispy, crunchy textures and freshness, just think of a ingredients like apples, celery, lettuce and even potato chips, the crunchier they are the fresher we perceive them to be. As part of your picnic spread think of how you can incorporate lots of interesting and delicious textures.

• Sound – don’t neglect your forgotten flavour sense! Research has proven beyond a doubt that what we are listening to the sounds in our environment can impact our perception of flavour in various ways. The sounds of nature are of course always a joy and should mindfully be enjoyed, however it may also be worth considering the curation of your own personal picnic playlist.

• Taste – keep your tastebuds excited by offering them a good balance of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savoury) as part of your picnic spread. It is often easy to focus on salty and sweet, while neglecting the other equally important tastes. Pickles and ferments (like sauerkraut) can add a great sour tang, while rocket, kale and other nutritious green salad items offer a delicate bitterness. Then you have umami which is pronounced in foods such as aged cheese, tomatoes, anchovies, mushrooms and even marmite!

We can’t always be guaranteed that the weather will allow for outdoors activities, and in urban areas a private garden may not be so readily available, so what to our summer of picnics then?

While it may be assumed that the direct, or unmediated exposure to nature ought to be best, a growing number of studies suggest that digital renditions of nature can also have a surprisingly beneficial effect. So if you do have to be indoors, then why not bring the picnic inside (it seemed to work for the Victorians?) Open the windows, find a relaxing nature soundtrack (birdsong or waves crashing on the shore) lay the blanket out and allow your mind to wander.

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.

Package and preserve your picnic foods so that they stay as fresh as possible until you reach your picnic destination.