Even in the centre of London, on a sunny day, the parks are full of office workers eating their lunch outside on the grass. That might be a pretty basic picnic – a shop-bought sandwich and a bottle of water.

But if people are planning a picnic on the beach or at the park, they would probably pack a cool bag with a whole variety of home-made sandwiches, snacks, cake, fruit and soft drinks. They might have a picnic rug to sit on, and paper plates and cups. Another item which is useful is a thermos flask which keeps hot drinks like tea or coffee hot, or cold ones icy.

University students enjoy having picnics, and usually take along some kind of sports equipment, such as a Frisbee or ball in order to burn off some energy after lunch. British student picnics usually involve drinking beer or wine too!

For small children the idea of a teddy bear’s picnic is popular – each child brings their teddy bear along to ‘enjoy’ the fun as well.

Some people love to have a very elaborate picnic, and really go all out to make it an occasion. For a very posh picnic you’d need a proper picnic hamper to hold the food complete with china crockery, metal cutlery and real wine glasses. A picnic could be a romantic occasion, but only if it’s in a quiet attractive spot, not in a busy park with lots of children playing nearby!

In that case there might be champagne or chilled wine to drink, and gourmet picnic fare, either home-made, or bought from a local delicatessen. Crusty bread, dips, paté, and strawberries with cream for dessert make for a more sophisticated al fresco experience.

Of course, you can never reply on the British summer weather, so taking an umbrella along might be a good idea just in case!