Picnic Rugs

How To Create The Perfect Picnic?

There are many things to think about when you organise a picnic. From packing and transporting your food to making sure everyone is comfortable, a picnic does require some consideration.

At Spotlight, we love a good picnic, so we are more than happy to provide you with some top tips on how to create the perfect picnic for your friends and family. So, if you want to make the organisation process a little easier, be sure to follow our convenient guide.

How To Best Transport Picnic Supplies?

A picnic requires some smart transport. After all, you will need to move everything from food to tableware. To make this easier, here are some tips that ensure the safety of your delicious picnic foods and accompanying supplies.

Pack separately: It is always a good idea to pack your perishables and tableware separately. Ideally, you want a picnic basket or a cool box for food and another basic container for tableware.

Smart packing: To ensure a quick setup, think about the things that you will be using first. Make sure you put those things on top of the basket, this gives you easy access and saves you loads of time.

Bring additional bags: You should always have some bags on your person, this to put dirty dishes in and keep them separate from the lining of your picnic basket. You should also have a garbage bag, especially if you are not sure there is a bin near your location.

How To Keep Picnic Foods Cold?

When you are going on a picnic, many foods are perishable. While you can try to add as many non-perishables as possible, there will always be some food and drink that needs to be kept cold. So, what is the best way to keep them cold once you are out of the house.

Cooler tips: A good cooler goes a long way, but the way you pack it can make a big difference too. Ideally, you want to achieve a combination of 25% ice and 75% food. You also want to pack the cooler as full as you can, as a fuller cooler will stay colder much longer.

When you use ice, make sure you use bigger ice blocks. Big ice blocks will melt much slower, so it will keep your cooler cold for much longer too.

Foods to avoid: There are certain foods and drinks you should not take on a picnic. Items such as mayonnaise and ice cream are very susceptible to heat and warmth, so there are two prime examples of foods you shouldn't take on a picnic.

Chill foods in the refrigerator first: Don't put foods in a cooler the day before. Instead, you should keep them in the refrigerator and make sure they are properly cooled before you add them to your cooler.

When selecting a picnic spot, it can be a good idea to look for a shady spot to begin with. After all, you don't want to return home with a full sunburn.

Look for shade: Even a sufficiently chilled cooler can suffer in direct sunlight. Therefore, we recommend looking for some shade to put your cooler in. By avoiding direct sunlight, your cooler will stay colder for longer.

Putting out food: Once you have the picnic rug and the tableware set up, you may want to put out some salads and some of the other foods you have packed. Evidently, you want to keep these foods cold too once you take them out of the cooler.

There are several ways to keep your foods cold on the picnic rug. Firstly, you can use a container and place it in a larger pan with some ice. You can also keep some of the food in the shade. If there is no shade present, add a sun screen or an umbrella to provide some much-needed shade.

Picnic Supplies Available At Spotlight

At Spotlight, you can find a catalogue filled with picnic supplies. We have picnic rugs, but also coolers, containers, and other supplies that may prove useful for your next picnic trip. Spotlight also provides the best prices on all picnic supplies, so you do not have to break the bank to experience the perfect picnic.