Christmas at the Beach

Take inspiration from this family in South Africa

Words Justine Hewitt. Photography Toby Murphy and Warren Heath. Styling Tara Sloggett

Summertime festive fare

It’s easy to make an extra special beach brunch with a little planning – and cheating! Easy help-yourself food limits wastage and mess, leaving everyone more time to chill and enjoy the perfect beach setting.

· To avoid your picnic being invaded by sand, a table of sorts is a must – an old wooden board is easy to carry and creates a perfectly flat surface for setting up your feast.

· Savoury spoils that look and taste amazing and that can be prepared with minimal fuss ahead of time (and served cold) make sense for Christmas in the sun. Here, salmon-en-croûte is an undeniable spoil (you’ll want to pack a pot of dill mayonnaise) while grilled lamb skewers are ideal for carnivores, especially after an energy-sapping surf or swim.

· And for a jewel coloured side salad, simply pick up a pillow pack of leaves, plus pre-shredded carrots and beetroot on your way to the beach and you’ll be good to go.

· For something sweet, a beautiful berry pavlova is the perfect Christmas pudding and is so easy to assemble. Simply make (or buy) a pavlova and pop whipped cream and fresh berries in separate containers – your masterpiece will take a few minutes to assemble and will look amazing.

Summery season’s greetings

The Raeburns brought comfort and good cheer to the beach with them with cushions for their picnic, eco-friendly raffia garlands to decorate their beach hut for the day and even a guitar for an impromptu carol singing session. Plus, what would Christmas be without a few gifts to open? Keep things sustainable and on the stylish side by wrapping gifts with simple brown paper – adding a colourful ribbon for detail. Self-adhesive vinyl cutouts transform an old-school style wooden board into the merriest Instagram prop you could hope for! A surfboard makes a great impromptu picnic table on the sand too.