In the UK, it’s National Picnic Week from 17th – 25th June. The weather continues to be fine in Yorkshire for a change, so we’d better make the most of it. Who fancies a picnic? The chance to get outdoors and enjoy an alfresco meal in the sunshine should not be missed.
Did You Know?
- Originally, a picnic was a fashionable social event to which each guest contributed some food.
- The French started the modern fashion for picnics when they opened their royal parks to the public after the revolution of 1789.
- The use of the phrase “no picnic” to describe something difficult dates from 1884.
- The most popular day for picnics in the US is the 4th of July. In Italy, it’s Easter Monday. In France, it’s Bastille Day. In the UK… it depends on the weather.
A Little History
According to Paul Couchman, The Regency Cook, picnics were originally like a bring-your-own buffet, and they were held indoors.
“In a pic-nic supper, one supplies the fowls, another the fish, another the wine and fruit, &c.; and they all sit down together and enjoy it.”
A Legacy for Young Ladies, 1826.
The word picque-nicque was first recorded in France in 1692. It combines the French words ‘picque’ (piquer) ‘to pick’ and ‘nique’ a small thing. The French aristocracy who fled the revolution brought the practice with them. An indoor picnic was informal eating and entertainment, such as gambling, music and a play.
The Outdoor Picnic
Outdoor picnics became popular when the Romantics started writing swooning poems about the natural world and painting beautiful landscapes. People wanted to get out into the country to see what all the fuss was about and, of course, they would need to eat while they did so.
The Modern Picnic
Nowadays, picnics can vary from taking a couple of sandwiches and a bag of crisps on a ramble in the countryside, to sitting on a luxurious blanket in the park with friends and family, sipping prosecco and devouring sausage rolls. If you want to go upmarket, you can purchase a hamper from Fortnum and Mason, but it will cost you.
I used to go on quite a few picnics when my boys were younger. It was great to get them out of the house during the school holidays and they were easily satisfied with a quick sandwich. It was the novelty of eating outdoors that always delighted them.
My favourite picnic snack is the good old, boiled egg. Oh, I also enjoy homemade potato salad. Right, now I’m really in the mood for a picnic, so I hope the good weather holds.
Do you enjoy picnicking, and what’s your favourite picnic snack? You know where to leave a comment.
