The sun is shining! Summer finally feels like it's here after a long dark winter and cold spring. Get your paddling pools ready for the bank holiday weekend and invite some friends over for some alfresco dining - the posh way to say "garden picnic".
You don't need to go anywhere to enjoy a picnic - as long as you've got some space in the open air, even if it's a courtyard or a balcony, you can eat outside and call it a picnic.
A few years ago I got some rather lovely melanine champagne flutes from Habitat, which received a lot of compliments when I served friends Prosecco in them a couple of weekends a go. So I just headed back to the Argos website (as they're now paired up with Habitat) to look to see if they still have them. They don't seem to, but they do have lots of other lovely picnic accessories. Below are my top 3, and they're NOT affiliate links.
There's the Picnic Goblets, a set of 4 for £10.
The Abstract Play Bright Baker Style picnic hamper for £25 (currently on offer, with £7 off). If the hamper is a little too much for you, there's a more regular basket for £16 which, as it's just an open top basket, you'll probably get more use out of as it'd be useful for days on the beach or just a quick pop to the shops. Obviously we all have a local bakery we stroll to on Saturday mornings, with a basket, ready to stock up on fresh bread and pastries for the weekend.
And - my favourite as my animal obsessed son has accidentally gotten me hooked on faux animal print - the 6 piece picnic plate set for £16 (reduced from £20). The 6 pieces are 2 side plates, 2 dinner plates and 2 bowls. Admittedly if you're having friends over you might need more plates than that, so this set could just form the basis of what you lay the sandwiches and crisps out on, whilst you all eat from simpler white plates.
I've always loved Habitat's style, and with their pieces now available for pick up at Argos, as well as Sainsbury's, rather than the odd city store like when I was at Uni, I'm finding them much more accessible.
Image: Svetlana
