As summertime begins in Britain, people start to feel
the urge to go outside to eat. People love to have a picnic whenever
the weather is good enough, especially people with children. It’s a great way to
spend a sunny afternoon.
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!
to feel the urge to 
