Five Truly British Ways to Picnic This Summer
There is no country on earth that picnics quite like Britain.
We do it in the rain. We do it on a Thursday. We do it on a patch of sparse grass between a bandstand and a litter bin, and we make it feel like the most civilised afternoon imaginable.
But there is a spectrum to the British picnic, a glorious range that runs from the spontaneous (blanket from the boot, emergency cheese from the corner shop) to the genuinely spectacular. And this summer, I want to make sure you experience as much of that spectrum as possible.
Because the summer British picnic season is short, and it is precious, and it deserves to be used.
Picnic Icons: The Village Fete
Paula Sutton of Hill House Vintage wrote something in Country Living recently that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. She was describing her Norfolk village fête — the bunting politics, the cake table, the judge who once borrowed a hedge trimmer from a competitor and will never fully escape that fact — and she ended with this:
“Everyone leaves slightly sunburnt or mildly damp and carrying a plant they hadn’t planned on buying.”
Why the Village Fête Lives in Us Forever
Paula Sutton of Hill House Vintage wrote something recently in Country Living that stopped me mid-cup of tea.
She was writing about her Norfolk village fête — the bunting politics, the cake competition, the particular passive-aggressive undercurrent of a judge who once borrowed a hedge trimmer from a competitor and will never, ever fully escape that fact. And at the very end, she wrote this:
"Everyone leaves slightly sunburnt or mildly damp and carrying a plant they hadn't planned on buying."
I read it three times. Sent it to my mum. Thought about it for the rest of the week.
National Picnic Week 2026
Somewhere in Britain right now, someone is looking out of a window at a sky that can't quite decide what it wants to do, thinking: maybe next week. Maybe next week I'll finally do the picnic. Maybe when it's warmer. Maybe when I've got the right basket. Maybe when the children are less feral, the grass isn't damp, and I've found a recipe that isn't just a sad bag of crisps and apology.
Here is what I want to say to that person, very gently, with deep affection: stop waiting.
The Rules Nobody Told You About Picnics (But Absolutely Should Have)
Picnics are a charmingly simple pleasure, yet they come with their own unwritten rulebook, one that ensures everyone enjoys the occasion, rather than dashing back to the car as soon as the ants arrive.
The Fine Art of Picnic Etiquette: How to Picnic Like a Pro
Picnics are a charmingly simple pleasure, yet they come with their own unwritten rulebook, one that ensures everyone enjoys the occasion, rather than dashing back to the car as soon as the ants arrive.