London at home: your guide to the perfect indoor picnic

Nothing screams summer quite like a picnic in the park with friends or family filled with an array of food and booze. Unfortunately, in the current climate outdoor picnics are restricted. Indoor (or garden) picnics are a great alternative and are a fun way to change things up with whoever you are currently quarantined with. If you are with your family, particularly children, it is also an exciting way to get everyone involved in setting up and prepping the food. Equally, if you are with your partner why not turn it into a date and keep the romance alive!

With your indoor picnic you don’t have to worry about picnic baskets (although they’re totally welcomed for decorative purposes) or cooler bags (the fridge is literally right there). Planning an indoor picnic is very simple – it can be as basic or as extra as you want it to be, it’s totally down to personal preference. There are just a few things that you will need to set up and set the scene, so read on to find out how to organise the perfect indoor picnic.

Image: Mariam Olajide

Blanket

What is a picnic without a blanket? Luckily with an indoor picnic, you do not have to worry about sitting on damp grass or dirt but it is nice to have a clean surface to place all your food and drinks. If you do not have a picnic blanket, a throw or bedsheet works perfectly too.

Food

This is where personal preference really comes to play but I think we can all agree there needs to be a lovely mix of savoury and sweet items. We recommend a mix of the following:

Image: Mariam Olajide

A cheeseboard - paired with some crackers and you are onto a winner.

Mixed nuts and dried fruit to balance out the cheese and bring some health into the picture.

Crisps – pour them onto a bowl and mix up the flavours.

Skewers / kebab sticks – mini skewers are great for both meat lovers and veggies.

Baked goods – this can range from bread to cupcakes and cookies. A good baguettes will go far at a picnic.

Carrot and cucumber sticks – these not only look cute but are also one of your five a day. Win.

Dips – these are the best companion for your carrots sticks and  crisps. My go-to dips are salsa and nacho cheese!

Fruit – the beauty of an indoor picnic is that you can get creative with your fruit plate, both in terms of variety and how you cut it all up.

Sweets – it’s all about the balance, right? A bag of Haribo should do the trick.

Other great snack options include quiche, scotch eggs and sausage rolls all of which can be homemade, or bought in for us lazy folk.

Drink

The options are endless, you could go refreshing, fruity or thirst quenching, and of course either alcoholic or not. Some of my favourite alcoholic options include premixed cocktail cans, prosecco or wine. Or, why not challenge yourself to make your own cocktail / mocktail?

Lastly, don’t forget your napkins, cutlery and cushions to sit comfortably. And as if by magic you’re all set for an indoor picnic!

Words by Mariam Olajide