5 Tips for a Perfect Autumn Picnic
Picnics are not just for summer.
Autumns are great for picnics too – just think of all the lovely colours of the season, cooler weather and not having to share your food with persistent insects.
And here are five tips for a perfect autumn picnic.
1. Plan on plenty of easy or make ahead food.
Cheese, cured meats, olives, fruit and bread are all easy food that could provide the centre piece for any picnic. “Make ahead” food like chillis, soups and muffins can make your life much easier. An autumn picnic would be incomplete without ingredients that pull in the flavour of the season – like this curried pumpkin soup, Thai red pumpkin curry or apple muffins. My current big secret for picnics are brioche loaves like this one from Broiche Pasquier. The sweetness of the brioche goes really well with strong savoury flavours such as chilli and cheese.
2. Pretty up drinks.
Serve lots of colourful or seasonal drinks like raspberry lemonade, guava coconut mocktails or apple cocktails in mismatched glasses and jars. And pretty them up drinks with a mix of coloured paper straws. For warming drinks like cinnamon spiced apple juice, you can jazz them up with the whole spices and fruit slices instead.
3. Set up a dessert corner.
Set up a dessert area and stuff it full of sweets like “make ahead” apple muffins, chocolate, nuts and fruits. Image all the fun guest would have making up their own fruits kebabs and dipping them in yogurt and a gazillion toppings.
I also think children would love the new individually wrapped milk chocolate filled brioches from Brioche Pasquier. Just the perfect size for little hands as they run round playing tag and “what’s the time Mr Wolf”.
4. Incorporate autumn elements into the settings.
Your autumn harvest is not just for eating. Use your pumpkins, squashes, satsumas and apples to add a bit of edible colour to your picnic setting. And you can get your guests involved too by collecting pine cones, twigs and beautiful coloured leaves to help decorate. Besides this decoration could end up as part of the entertainment – pumpkin or apple carving anyone?
5. Stock up on blankets and scarves – plenty of them.
Blankets can add instant colour to any picnic. Throw one over a picnic table or spread some on the grass for guests to sit on. Scarves can also be used to line individual baskets servings for guests. And of course, if the weather isn’t quite as agreeable as you’d like, having plenty of blankets is the one thing that will guarantee that everyone stays happy.
Please do leave me a comment with your tips for the perfect autumn picnic.
Thanks to Brioche Pasquier for sending me some lovely samples to try out.
Love your Autumn picnic ideas. Wrapping up warm and having a little bonfire on the beach is sounding rather appealing at the moment. Perhaps you could provide the picnic fare for it?
Even more fun when you have an indoor picnic with a roaring fire and it is rainy outside.
LOVE IT! We have picnics and cookouts all year round, they are so much fun 🙂
Janie x
Your photos make the autumn picnic look so desirable. I’m even considering doing such an outrageous thing. Well, maybe not at my time of life. But it would be wonderful for the children.
Francene – this outrageous thing is fun for all ages. Seriously.
I love the idea of setting up a dessert corner, oh my! What scrumptious puddings you could put in it.
I love the dessert corner too – always my first stop.
You missed “take an umbrella”! A flask of soup would definitely be a must.
Sarah – if I don’t mention rain then it won’t happen
I love this idea, the weather has been decent enough recently for autumn picnics. Loving the Autumn edible fruits mixed in
The kiddoes idea and now it stays.
Wonderful ideas! Curried pumpkin soup sounds really good 🙂
😀
What a lovely idea, an autumn picnic was a possibility last week but sadly we are now in for rain and wind, so I think an indoor picnic is about as far as we would manage.
On colder days we have indoor picnics too. Same tips apply.
I do love autumn all the colours and flavours. I love the sunny crisp days and I love the idea for a dessert corner I would head there first!!
I feel you re the dessert corner – a first stop for me too.
mmmm I just made some cinnamon spiced apple juice, I;m going to post my recipe later in the week. I like to take hot chocolate in a flask and freshly baked cakes, warm from the oven.
Oh yeah. Hot chocolate is a must too.
Love your 5 tips!
I love a good autumn picnic! Soup is the best on a chilly day!
xXx
I need to have more of them. My kiddoes love them too.
I totally love Brioche – love burgers on a brioche bun too. Great ides for a lovely picnic.
#UKBloggers
Then check out the Brioche Pasquier range – you will be glad.
If you love burgers in brioche buns, give this little recipe a go. Great tasting and loads of fun.
http://www.briochepasquier.co.uk/recipes/brioche-burger-sliders/?id=1351
Love your Utumn picnic tips. Setting off with wonderful food to see and play in all the beautiful autumn coloured leaves is a fab way to spend a day. GG
Thaks GG, seriously loving the Brioche Pasquier which seems to go with everything.