Ah, the joy of picnics! The luscious grass, the fragrant breeze, the seductive crunch of carrot batons loaded with warm supermarket hummus. Inside was always overrated. But, wait, have you considered the myriad dangers lurking beneath your never-cleaned fleecy blanket with handy Velcro straps? Well, roll it up and read this first. It might even save your life.
Wicker ban
Sure, wicker hampers look the business – if you’re mad enough to plastic-fork out for one (Harrods does an empty basket for £150). But, according to timely advice from the Food Standards Agency, they can be laboratories for bacteria. Perishable food can turn nasty within an hour of being stored in a hamper in a car boot, the agency says, singling out soft cheese and dips as well as mayonnaise and mousses, as potentially stomach-bothering foods. The advice: stick to harder cheese and get a less aesthetically pleasing but more practical cool bag or box.
Bugs strife
A picnic is an invitation to feast for a gallery of winged and multi-legged rogues, from wasps to red ants and dive-bombing birds. Consider deploying a jar of sweet liquid with a cling film cover and poke a hole in it. Or take the advice of biologist Seirian Sumner, AKA “wasp woman”, who suggests taking hostage the first wasp who turns up to the party. By detaining it, the theory goes, it can’t go back to its nest with news of your picnic. Be sure to let it free once you’re done.
Gone grill
When does a picnic become a barbecue and vice versa? The lines become blurred in the age of the disposable grill. But if you do go down the budget BBQ route, the danger levels start to heat up. If you’re even allowed one (most parks ban barbecues), don’t stick it on grass or a bench or anything else that will burn. And when you have finished your average-at-best burgers, City Fire Protection, a commercial fire safety firm, recommends leaving the grill to cool for several hours before dousing it in water and binning it. Also: never use a disposable barbecue inside – that includes tents – unless you want to serve a fatal side dish of carbon monoxide with your sausages.
Soap springs
Tempting as it might be to throw all caution to the wind (the same wind that is most likely blowing all your plastic cups over) when eating al fresco on ground typically reserved for peeing dogs, don’t forget basic hygiene. There is a reason that food poisoning peaks in the summer. Wash your fruit and veg before you set off, stick your picnic blanket in the washing machine occasionally and, if you don’t have access to water, use hand sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes where appropriate.
