Picnic like never before this Platinum Jubilee weekend

Tuesday 24 May 2022
Two white cups with tea being pured into them from a thermos

With one month until the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, be prepared to pack the best of British delicacies and picnic like never before as everyone heads out to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70-year reign.

Over the long summers weekend, the Big Jubilee Lunch will be an initiative among many other events to gather everyone as part of the festivities, enjoy the Great British sunshine, and some picnic picks. Get involved and bring along some regional snacks for a truly British experience, or create your own picnic fun with the variety of special packages in favour of having the best picnic ever.

 

British Picnic Hamper must haves:

Jubilee Trifle: On the 12th May, a Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti trifle was crowned as the winner of the Platinum Pudding competition. Hailing from Jemma in Southport, the trifle is the latest celebratory treat and consists of a swiss roll with lemon curd and St Clement’s jelly, and amaretti biscuits paired with custard, mandarin coulis and chocolate bark to top it off. Visit a local bakery for their version of the Jubilee trifle, or grab the ingredients and enjoy a deconstructed version.

- Coronation Chicken: Created by Le Cordon Bleu Chef Rosemary Hume to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation lunch in 1953, it’s a quintessential British classic to add to any picnic, it can spice up a simple salad or work as a delicious sandwich filling.

- Jam Roly-Poly’s: Courtesy of Eliza Acton, an English food writer and poet, a jam Roly-Poly is a classic rolled suet pudding with jam, marmalade or mincemeat, when fresh summer fruits are not available. Also loved by football legend Harry Redknapp, who launched an online business selling jam roly-polys in partnership with Heidi bakery after his stint in I’m A Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!

- Scotch Eggs: Hailing from varying sources, namely either Yorkshire in the late 19th century or London’s Fortnum & Mason in the 18th century, Scotch eggs are a beloved small and biteable picnic snack. Made by wrapping breaded meat around a boiled egg, Scotch eggs can be enjoyed hot, cold or with a touch of mustard.

- English wines: With stunning countryside and award-winning wines, Vineyards In the South of England are an ever growing industry, and leaders of the fields being the likes of Simpsons, Denbies, and Chapel Down. Celebrate the Jubilee with their range of Sparkling Wines and specially packaged Jubilee cases.

- Sausage Rolls: Loved by city-dwellers and village folk, the sausage roll first became popular in the capital in the early 1800s. Modern versions of the pastry-based treat, which traditionally contain pork, include vegan fillings, helping to make the sausage roll a staple of British picnics.

- Pork Pies: A classic high crusted pie, with meat surrounded by a layer of jelly. Molton Mowbray in Leicestershire is the home of the pie, having used the same traditional recipe since 1851 in Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe.

 

Exclusive Jubilee picnic grabs:

Fortnum’s Jubilee hamper, biscuits or tea: The prestige store with a long-standing relationship with the Royals, Fortnum’s has served 12 monarchs, and today holds two Royal warrants, one from Her Majesty The Queen and the other from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Celebrate with their limited-edition collection from biscuits, truffles and tea, to sparkling wine, honey and caviar.

Biscuiteers Platinum Jubilee collection: Designed in collaboration with Buckingham Palace, and celebratory sweet treats, Biscuiteers special edition collection is a fun edition to any picnic as well as being great for fans of London and the Royals. 

 

Picnic experiences for the long summer’s weekend:

Go on a Mystery Picnic around the city: Designed for friends, families or couples, choose your pick of a mystery picnic experience and end up in a stunning city location with local produce you’ve collected along your way. Once you’ve chosen your destination, follow the clues on your phone to explore new areas and food offerings, with the newest additions including ‘Spring blossoms’ in Hampstead and Notting Hill.

Wander on a Loving Welsh Food tour: Upgrade from a sit-down picnic and go on a graze around Cardiff with Loving Welsh Food. Choose from the Cosmopolitan or Cardiff taste tour, experience the cities’ finest signature dishes, as well as the capital’s thriving market, cafes, and suppliers.

Gather your picnic snacks from iconic markets: The historic Borough Market, one of the oldest and largest in London, is a food lovers’ heaven with produce and ready to eat food, as well as an emphasis on high quality sourcing. Pick up some British preserves or cheese ready for your picnic hamper, or a grab a gelato on your way to enjoy the sunshine. Alternatively, try out popular weekly farmers markets, such as Growing Communities in East London’s Stoke Newington. Each Saturday enjoy the open-air shopping to pick up a fresh loaf or some baked goods, to organic Kimchi and honey. Each farmer who trades is either organic or bio-dynamic, offers sustainable and local produce, and with zero packaging.

 

For further ideas for the perfect British picnic spot and what you should bring, check out https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/

For more information contact:

VisitBritain Media Team

pressandpr@visitbritain.org