Although the royal family may be up in Balmoral Castle having barbecues with the Queen up in Scotland, you can get a little taste of their lifestyle by picnicking on their front lawn. With this weekend set to reach highs of 26 degrees, sun seekers can head to Hyde Park for a luxe Italian picnic with Baglioni Hotel.
We had the pleasure of trying out the newest offering and it put our typical box of sad old wet sandwiches and Tesco crisps to shame. After arriving at the Baglioni Hotel to pick up a swish picnic basket - packed and curated by their culinary team at Brunello Bar and Restaurant - we were led out to Kensington Gardens by their foremost picnic experts.
After their team found a prime spot for us underneath a tree (just a couple of minutes away from Kate and Will’s home Kensington Palace), they laid out a feast on tartan picnic blankets.
Highlights included a creamy Burrata Caprese salad, traditional veal Italian dish Vitello Tonnato and Sicilian cannolis for dessert.
For those who like to snack their way through a meal, there was a strong selection of cold cuts, cheeses with crackers, dips and bread to nibble at.
Of course, drinks were also included and we had the choice of still or sparkling water, as well as a flask of tea or coffee. If you want to really make an experience of it (as we did), you can also pay extra for a bottle of Ferrari Maximum Brut NV sparkling wine.
The picnic is packed for two and ideal for a romantic date, however, there was so much that we actually struggled to get through it all (the opposite of a problem). Once we made a sizeable dent in the meal and unfortunately had to call it a day, all we had to do was ring a number provided on the basket and Baglioni Hotel’s team swiftly came over.
Within minutes, their staff packed up the entire picnic as if we had never been there in the first place - taking the stress out of cleaning up and lugging the basket, blankets and food around on your own.
Baglioni Hotel’s picnic offering is available all summer long at lunchtime and is priced at £90 (excluding sparkling wine). You can book the experience by emailing brunellolondon@baglionihotels.com or calling 0207 368 5900.
