How to plan the perfect picnic

Few things in life are as elegantly and simply joyous as a picnic. The combination of good company, sunshine and, of course, amazing food is so soothing that even the risk of ant invasion or duck stampede can’t spoil the party.

Even better, with a few simple ingredients, you can transform a picnic from simple social activity to genuine culinary event.

These are some of our favourites:

Smoky popcorn:

Whether it’s at a movie, on the couch or in a beautiful garden, popcorn is a snack that’s perfect with beer or your favourite wine. Make it a real treat by tossing freshly cooked popcorn in smoky paprika and salt. It won’t last long.

La Dalia paprika is widely considered the world’s best, made by a family company with over 100 years experience. Highly committed to meeting the most stringent of food regulations around the world, the family maintains control over all stages of the propagation, growing, harvesting, smoking and drying, storing and packaging of their products.

Zesty salad:

One of the great joys of summer is the incredible produce; vibrant, colourful and full of flavour. A salad is one of the best ways to take advantage of the incredible fruits and vegetables on offer through the warmer months, and can be easily customised to use all your favourites.

A delicious dressing is all you need to tie it all together, and a quality aged balsamic is always a great choice. Just as delicious on fruit as on vegetables, aged balsamic combines naturally sweet notes with subtle acidity, and makes great produce taste even better

The Giacobazzi family tradition of making balsamic vinegar dates back at least five generations. Giacobazzi’s traditional balsamic vinegar contains stock up to 120 years old, exhibiting complexity only the passage of time in a variety of wooden casks can give. Other vinegars are aged 2, 5, 10, 20 or 30 years old and correspondingly become sweeter with more wood character as they age.

The Essential Ingredient is proud to be the sole Australian representative of the Giacobazzi brand.

Duck classics:

Bring a touch of the South of France to your next picnic with a jar of duck rillettes, duck terrine or a succulent plate of confit duck. These classics, made in France by Valette, transform your picnic into something truly memorable.

The South West of France is famed for its ducks, truffles and rugby. It’s in this food-rich region that the Valette family are revered for their duck production, being one a few in France to control all process of production including farming, slaughter, processing and packaging.

Of particular importance to The Essential Ingredient is the extreme care Valette take in raising the duckling to adulthood in open green paddocks with the freedom to move, resulting in stress-free animals and premium products. Valette is truly a model food grower/producer celebrated by The Essential Ingredient.

Valette’s beautiful duck rillettes can also be found in our ‘A Cut Above’ Gift Box. Everything in the box is perfect for a picnic.

Get to the picnic in style:

Straight from the catwalks of Europe to the farmer’s markets of Australia, Rolser shopping trolleys are functional, reliable and unbelievably stylish.

The Essential Ingredient has partnered with Rolser for over a decade, bringing some of Europe’s most popular trolley designs to Australia every year.

With new designs released annually, Rolser make convenience and comfort fashionable. Their sturdy construction, comfortable handles, strong wheels and other ingenious design features make your Rolser trolley a valuable companion on any grocery shopping trip.

All these products, and many more perfect for your next picnic are available at your nearest The Essential Ingredient store, or buy online for delivery to anywhere in Australia.