Picnic chic with Blue

Spring has well and truly sprung, the sun is out, the washing is drying on the line, and the daffodils are open. I am feeling fantastic, despite the fact that my wound had not yet healed. Due to the brilliant weather, my thoughts have this week turned to picnics. The origins of the word can be traced to the 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Française which mentions pique-nique as a group of people who brought their own wine to a restaurant. (I once got barred for doing the same thing!)  Evolution turned this first brief mention into what we know today; eating al fresco on a tartan rug, with a wicker basket close at hand, tucking into sausage rolls, corn beef and ginger beer.

 Many of you would argue that this somewhat idyllic image exists singularly in Enid Blyton novels. Indeed, the picnic is beset with potential calamities that could keep the Famous Five busy for hours; wasps and warm ginger beer to name just two, not to mention the large, cumbersome, scratchy and altogether lethal picnic hampers that many insist on utilising for the occasion.

 If I could be so bold as to make a suggestion here; for the ultimate in picnic chic why not turn to a blue bag? Obviously I can no longer speak for myself, since my injury would prevent me from carrying a whole bottle of Old Jamaican Ginger Beer (which, incidentally, is made in the UK). However, I urge you to turn to my blue friends for all your carrying needs. No we haven’t got separate compartments for cutlery and nor are we lined with a fancy tartan pattern, but we are large enough to carry a baguette, couscous salad, a small bottle of Shloer and a French Fancie (the edible variety, not an attractive French ‘sac bleu’).  On top of this, we will not pluck your tights if you hold us too close, nor will we take up room in the spare bedroom! What else could you ask for?  

So for modern picnic chic turn to Blue and friends for a modern re-thinking of a quintessential classic: haute cuisine en plein air. Happy picnicking!