To dread picnics...

[Picklepest]

I've had it already. Up. To. My. Neck. 2 under five. I just take food with me to be criticised, ignored, left and mangled. Some recent examples...

Don't like ham.
I'll eat the butter/more butter
The filling goes that side not that side
I want those crisps not these crisps
Apples? Who eats apples?
Cold pizza is stinky
The pizza has something on it. (That's cheese) uuurgh I don't like cheese
I had mini cheeses at x friends. I'm not eating mini baby bel.
I want yogurt, open yogurt, I didn't want strawberry yogurt
I want ice cream with blue sauce. Waaaa no flake?!?!
I want chips. Hot dog. Anything shop bought. That's all dis.gust.ing

What's to like? So, tips to help picnic-mares please. Food ideas? Or stories of woe and elusive happiness....

And breathe.....

I give them
2x ham sandwich, 1 x cheese sandwich, yoghurt and piece of fruit
Bottle of water
The same as they get in school. They are aware that that is it.
My eldest's bf mother is brilliant at picnics which the children mostly all reject and the mothers hoover up

More boring parenting is called for imo

BBQs are much much worse imo...cremated on the outside, food poisoning on the inside anyone?
I love to do them myself for the girls but hate to attend external ones

I lay nice picnic out for Godzilla to come and tramp it all down....then run off...

Oh...

I thought we were all coming here to moan about the wasps?

The damn wasps!

And the ants. And those little black buggery gnat things that always manage to get in that tasty food just before it gets to your mouth.

I've decided picnics aren't for me, I fucking hate nature

I used to do a lot of picnics with the kids then realised that I hate sandwiches/rolls as do they - I started taking a packet of cream crackers and some cheese/brie/dairylea/babybel and they woofed them down quicker than I could butter the crackers. Ended up sharing with all the kids!!

I never take fruit (squashed fruit is yuk, we can eat fruit at home) always take crisps, always take cake.

I freeze bottles of squash the day before (especially if we're at the beach cos they drink gallons when they come out of the sea and too much coke isn't great and warm coke is worse) and it works for us!!

I don't do picnics. We just pack a packed lunch for everyone.

They have a sandwich on a sandwich thin, bread or wrap according to taste. And they have to say what they want before I make it.

They then have to pick something from the fruit bowl to add to their box.

Then they add something like some yogurt or babybel. Again they choose ahead.

Sometimes we then add a kitkat or something like that - but not if I know that where we are going has an ice cream van. :)

Had a picnic with newish friend and our dcs. I took egg sandwiches, crisps and homemade biscuits (the biscuits were me showing off.) She took a whole roast beef fillet, two kinds of mustard, a homemade potato salad and those bloody individual tiramisus in jars. We don't seem to be of the same species...

As an adult, I hate potlucks and any sort of community food buffet where I have no clue about hygiene and how it was made.

Can you bring snacks or sandwiches for them to enjoy while you talk and mingle?

Would it be terrible to tell them "Fine, then don't eat, go play"? They won't starve to death from skipping a meal, and if they're really hungry (assuming no SN's), they'll eat.

She took a whole roast beef fillet, two kinds of mustard, a homemade potato salad and those bloody individual tiramisus in jars.

That made me snort out loud!

I bloody love picnics. Nothing salad-y that involves cutlery, though - it should all be finger foods and sandwiches. Smoked salmon with cream cheese and dill on naice bread for adults. Plus cold white wine in a freezer bag thingy.

Heaps of picky stuff for kids: grapes, nuts, slices of cheese, cut up veggies with dips, mini quiches, and sliced fruit dipped in choc for after. (Don't bring that out until they've eaten some of the savoury stuff first!)

Obfuskate bahahaha!

OP I want = Does. Not. Get.

What do yours usually eat and is it transportable, if so, take that.

Euphemia "DD used to think hot dogs were made from cow's udders" thank-you, that's made my day, I'll never look at them in the same light again

Let them choose what they want while you are making it....or just take stuff you like and if they don't like it they can go hungry! My DS is so inconsistently fussy - likes something one day then finds it 'yucky' the next - and I hate waste, so he just has to eat what I eat or have nothing. He is 3 and a half and very healthy and happy.