PICNIC KIT

Essential items for al fresco dining.

Ceramivac Go Vacuum bottle Stanley, £31.99 0115 784 5942, leisureoutlet.com This flask carries 475ml – a mug-full and a top-up – and has a metal loop to hook it to the outside of your pack. The ceramic mug’s ‘smooth-fired feel’ is perhaps overstated but it’s a well designed container, with a wide mouth (good for cleaning) and should keep drinks hot for up to six hours. Kickback Breeze Chair Coleman, £29.99 www.coleman.eu This comfy little bucket chair collapses quickly into its stuff sack, making it easy to carry to your picnic spot. At 2.5kg, it’s not ultralight, but the affordable price tag is a bonus. Boulder flask GSI Outdoors, £15.99 www.gsioutdoors.com Keep your spirits high with this pocket-sized booze bottle – a practical, modern take on the laird’s silver hip flask. Salt&Pepper Plus Light My Fire, £6.95 www.lightmyfire.com What’s life without seasoning? Keep your salt and pepper neat and dry in this palmsized container that has a third dispenser for your favourite spice (chilli powder, anyone?). Infinity four-person compact tableset GSI Outdoors, £40 www.gsioutdoors.com This picnic set comprises four insulated mugs, four bowls and four plates, which all fit snugly together like puzzle pieces – a feature that makes tidying it away after your picnic a bit more fun. Terra Kettle Optimus, £24.50 www.optimusstoves.com Boil up a brew in this compact, anodised aluminium kettle, which weighs only 153g but holds 70cl – enough for two steaming brews.

Delta V Seat Deluxe SI Sea to Summit, £30 0191 296 0212, seatosummit.co.uk This blow-up pad can be folded together for a squishy 50mm cushion, or unfolded for extra lower back comfort if you’re sat up against a rock. It’s light (222g) and compact (10 x 22cm packed). It’s also nice to kneel on if you’re hunting for bugs. Moroccan Bloom Salad Bowl Lakeland, £13.99 and Bowls, £3.99 each www.lakeland.co.uk These summery bowls look ceramic but are made of reassuringly shatter-proof melamine. Plates also available. MR300 Portable Mosquito Repeller Thermacell, £29.99 0115 784 5942, leisureoutlet.com If midges pester you on your picnic, spark up this portable device, which releases a repellent into the air (allethrin, a synthetic version of a natural repellent found in chrysanthemum plants – the same stuff used in RAID and mosquito coils). It’s light and compact and designed to drive away insects within 20m2. Inside the device, a small butane container fuels a pilot light that heats a pad, releasing the repellent; both pad and butane are replaceable. Crux burner Optimus, £52.50 www.optimusstoves.com Sauté your wild mushrooms on this tiny stove, which weighs only 83g and folds into a tiny pouch that attaches to a gas cartridge (sold separately). Small enough to stow in a pocket of your pack, whether you’re having a slow afternoon in the woods or a longer backpacking trip. Deep dishes Falcon Enamelware, £41 for four 0207 837 9749, falconenamelware.com These robustly stylish enamel dishes are great for camping or picnicking. White on top; black, red or grey underneath. Kaleidoscope Virtually Unbreakable Plastic Tumbler Lakeland, £3.79 each www.lakeland.co.uk These rather classy 400ml tumblers have a slightly rosy tinge that makes a cold drink look extra appetising. Wine glasses also available. Campfire stainless-steel plate and Cutlery set Primus, £12.95 each primus.eu/shop Frontier-chic looks and apocalypse-proof toughness; a pretty stiff price tag, too. The stainless-steel knife, fork and spoon have a small leather sleeve to keep them all together.