It's not a picnic until someone gets heat stroke. It's not a picnic until someone forgets to bring a bottle opener. It's not a picnic until you zone out from the neverending work chat and start staring at someone else's dog. It's not a picnic until you start contemplating whether or not you could kidnap said dog and take it back home with you. It's not a picnic until someone's errant frisbee hits you in the head. It's not a picnic until you realise that no one brought a knife to slice the really nice sourdough bread you got from your local bakery and you're all just going to have to tear at it like you're animals at the zoo and not 20-somethings trying to have a nice time. It's not a picnic until it starts raining.
There are so many different facets that make a picnic a picnic that it's hard not to be endeared by each and every one of them. We love a good picnic here at MOB Kitchen and we also love recommending delicious things for you to eat and drink. To put both of those skill sets to good use, we surveyed our team to find out what their ultimate picnic essentials are in order to create the most perfect picnic spread. Pick up all of these essential items from Ocado and you're guaranteed a brilliant al fresco situation. Or just a lot of arguments about whether or not taramasalata is incredible or inedible. Either or.
Meg Townsend, Social Media Executive – Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli Peanuts
The Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli Peanuts will always be my number one top tier snack. Spicy. Crunchy. Savoury. Divine. Absolutely changed my life the day I picked them up on a whim. The perfect blend of flavours and textures. Picnics, long car drives, Sundays spent lying comatose in front of the sofa. There is literally no better snack for any of those occasions. Even more delicious if you wash them down with an icy beer whilst sitting on a blanket in the sunshine.
Sophie Wyburd, Head of Food – Sausage Rolls
I'm so basic and British at picnics – I want crisps, dips, and porky products. Scotch eggs and pork pies are nice, but nothing beats a sausage roll. I normally make them for the picnics I attend, but if I'm really pushed for time I'll just pick up a load of Higgidy sausage rolls. Chunky rolls of stunningly seasoned sausagemeat with sweet onion chutney in a flaky pastry? Heavenly. Bring them to your next picnic. Everyone will want to be your best friend, I guarantee.
Alice De Souza, Head of Communications – Cheese Twists
The humble and highly nostalgic cheese twist is without a doubt the most delicious snack to ever have graced your picnic blanket. Just to be clear, these are not homemade. They are the salt of the earth, pre-made packet ones you get at your local supermarket. Whether you go boujee or basic, they are always a 10/10. I would happily buy a packet of them, sit outside in the sun (or rain) and call it a picnic.
Sophie Kenny-Troughton, Studio Manager – Crisps
I don't need 100 words for this. It's obviously crisps. Any crisps + any dip and you're on to a winner. Maybe Kettles Chips Sea Salt & Black Pepper?
Ben Lebus, Founder – Gherkins
Gherkins. Shit loads of gherkins. My own jar.
Lucas Oakeley, Senior Content Editor – Perelló Gordal Pitted Olives Picanté
These plump green Gordal olives are just what I want to be eating when the sun is shining and London’s sexy, young professionals have got their Patagonia Baggies on and their dachshunds out. Sourced from Seville, these continental olives are firm, salty, and just a little bit picanté thanks to the subtle addition of guindilla chillies in the brine. They also have the added benefit of making you very, very thirsty and get along famously with an ice-cold can of lager. Combine the two for a perfect picnic experience.
Seema Pankhania, Food Producer – Dobble
No picnic is complete without Dobble. This seemingly simple game will become the heart of the picnic and only gets better with more cans you have. There are many varieties of games you can play with this simple deck, hours of endless fun.
Toby Clarke, Video Producer – Tinnies
Let me set the scene: it's a blistering hot day. The ice creams you’ve bought from the ice-cream van melt before they touch your tongue. All you crave is a little refreshment, but any liquids warm to boiling point in the heat of the day. From the depths of your ice bag rucksack, you pull a delicious always-cold, always-refreshing beer and crack it open. The spray from the can hits your face and, as you take that first sip, all the worries of the week melt away. Picnic begins.
Olivia Thomasson, Head of Business Development – Taramasalata
I struggled with my reasoning behind this because I couldn't think of any reason why someone wouldn't want to have taramasalata at a picnic. It's a little bit fishy, a little bit sweet, and it's exactly what I want to be eating on a day where the sun is shining. You can dunk crisps, bread, and just about anything you can think of in it, too. You simply cannot beat taramasalata.
Itteshad Hossain, Video Producer – Falafel and Hummus
My perfect picnic food is falafel and hummus. I was vegan for two years, and it was really difficult going to picnics with friends. But that's when falafel saved me. It's a perfect snack that can be eaten hot or cold, in a wrap or naked. Then there's the perfect dip in hummus. We're essentially dipping chickpeas into more chickpeas, what's not to love? It's a necessary food in every picnic basket.
