To ask what goes in your beach day picnic?

[holtol]

Family day out to the beach is planned, not something we have done for years, 7 of us in total.

We park a short walk away from the beach and don't have a trailer to transport although think we may need one!

Beach towels, blanket, buckets and spades as well as camping chairs will be out little set up.

But I'm struggling with the picnic - do I freeze loads of bottled water and fill a cool bag with snacks or do we just go somewhere cheap for lunch? Trying to keep costs down!

Picnic ideas are welcomed, was thinking

Sausages in rolls
Fruit - what is easiest to eat - bananas?
Snacky things like soreen bars
Would carrot sticks work?

I feel a bit out of practice so what are the easy things to fill us up and last us the day?

Couple of Baguettes, Le Bousin, Crisps, Packet of Club biscuits. Flask of real coffee. Cool box with Sparkling water, a few beers, bottle of Rose. Plastic stemless wine glasses. Kitchen towel. Mandarins. Those packets of mini chorizo or biltong. Pot of olives. Wedge of Brie. Wedge of cheddar. Some cheese biscuits. Bunch of grapes. Wet wipes. Voila.

I like to keep it simple, a nice fresh french loaf that you can break bits off, hummus, carrot and cucumber sticks, cherry tomatoes and any other tasty looking dips.

Don’t go to Broadstairs as it’s happened twice to me this summer already! 🙈

Is anyone taking a massive salad?

The seagull situation would put me right off. I am slightly bird phobic anyway and those big herring gulls are SCARY.

Years ago when now adult DD was about 2 we were having a picnic on a beach in Jersey. The gulls were really persistent, probably because a lot of silly people were feeding them. I kept trying to chase away one that was circling too close for comfort. I looked away for maybe a couple of seconds to put something away when I heard DD cry out. I turned to see the nasty fucker had snatched the biscuit right out of her hand.

Luckily she wasn't hurt but that did it for me. We packed our things and cleared out.

I'm not a fan of picnics. Food inevitably gets soggy & warm food ends up cold, cold food ends up warm. You can't beat a cone of chips at the beach. M&S do some nice pre mixed drinks.

🤣 thats brilliant ! Im not quite that bad but i do like a posh picnic !!

I live by the sea and we usually do individual rolls with whatever each of us wants in them, and bring a couple of bottles of squash.

Also sometimes do cold pizza (cooked in the morning then left to cool, cut up and put in a tupperware)

Beware of seagulls!

I loathe making sandwiches so I take food in flasks, either something hot like curry or chilli or a cold pasta salad.
It means we don't have to lug a cool bag about, there's no rubbish or risk of seagulls or dogs pinching our food and it's more filling for the children who are always ravenous after being in the sea.

@Heydiddlediddlethecatandthefiddle I got mugged for a cornish pasty by a seagull in Broadstairs. I wasn't even eating it, it was in a bag in my hand as we walked back to the car. I'm still bitter about it, it was the last one in the shop and the seagull flying dog took it off me.

Many many beaches are in places where there are no shops or food places at all, so you have to take a picnic if you're there for the day. The beach I go to often has a kiosk which only sells ice creams, that's it.

In my experience seagulls are more likely to descend on you if you buy hot food, like chips.
They will parole around a group of us having sandwiches on the beach but I occasionally ask the kids to run towards them and it works.

Don’t be ridiculous, it wouldn’t be safe to swim after a massive salad.

No wonder kids are so desperately fat and unhealthy in the UK.
Have you heard of vegetables, fruit, fish, real meat?

No @Omlettes never heard of any of that shite, where do you get this stuff?

Sounds vile though....🤮

I have a backpack cool bag (cos I’m so young and hip 😎) and I put an ice pack in the bottom, chopped watermelon in a Tupperware, ice pack, sausage rolls, layer of already frozen ice pops, apples, sarnies of choice. Top of the bag holds the bottle of water.
We do beach days a lot in summer and am I buggery making it an expensive or hassle filled day. To me our picnic is just refuelling for fossil hunting.

Chicken Caesar salad

Cooked chickens
Ciabatta rolls
Cos lettuce
Bacon bits/cooked up bits of streaky
Croutons
Caesar dressing and mayo

Boiled eggs and/or Homemade coleslaw if wanting a bit extra

Strawberries
Frozen Greek yoghurts

If you keep the cos lettuce whole you can fill the leaves like wraps

@Omlettes well aren't you a bundle of joy? 🤣

Do fuck off back to your soulless life!

These are usually the beaches we go to. Just a beach, near a small village usually.

Cheese, olives, bread and/or crackers, fancy crisps, pickles, fresh fruit.
Wine, water and elderflower or berry cordial. Hopefully pick up ice creams too if near a kiosk.

We did this yesterday.
lessons
Don’t forget the wind break.
Take far nore water to drink than you think is necessary
take a roast of tea for late afternoon when you need warming up.
We had egg, tuna or peanut butter sandwiches, individual packets of crisps, a packet of biscuits to share, some apples.

everyone was happy.

It's ONE DAY. get over yourself.

I’m starving and all of this sounds delightful!