Can you believe it’s August already? Well the good thing is Summer is not over yet! Every Summer Sashien and I plan to go on a picnic. I’ve always loved picnics, I went on my first picnic when I was four years old. My grandmother took me on one since I didn’t know what a picnic was and hadn’t been on one yet. Since then picnics have always held fond memories for me.
Picking a Venue
I’d been looking in to quarantine safe date ideas this year and a picnic seemed like a great fit since we would be outdoors but still away from others. For our picnic date we decided to do some research on parks in the city and came across Strathcona Park. I’d never been to it before and the pictures of the fountain online piqued my interest. Picnics are a great way to enjoy nature whether you’re out at a park or in your own backyard.
The Food
As you all know I’m quite active on Instagram so I had seen the page Ottawa Picnics and loved their charcuterie to go concept. I immediately decided to place an order for the earliest pickup date which was July 18. I was so pleased with our picnic box.
Here’s what was in the box: Pepper-encrusted Italian wine salami, hot Genoa salami, Manchego cheese, Double-smoked, aged cheddar, “apple” goat cheese, “everything bagel” goat cheese, baked crostini, beetroot crackers, chive pita crackers, garlic and Parmesan twists, pickled radishes, red onion and jalapeños, fire and ice wine jelly, Canadian honey, gherkins, Kalamata olives, dried figs, local green beans, garden rosemary, grapes. It truly was a treat and we had some leftovers as well.
We decided to spruce up our picnic and brought along a bottle of our favourite sparkling rose Bulles de Nuit. We picked this up in Gatineau for under $10. It’s sweet and light with a hint of strawberry. Perfect for a summer picnic.
The Ambiance
I wanted to have a formal picnic setting so in addition to a picnic blanket I brought along a pink striped outdoor tablecloth and some plastic plates and cutlery. I found the plates and table cloth at my local Dollarama and they were so affordable. As products at Dollarama vary I’ve linked some similar plates and table decor at the end of this post.
We really wanted to enjoy our time outdoors and what better way to add to the ambiance than with some music. I had forgotten to bring my bluetooth speaker with me so we used our phones to play some relaxing jazz music that really helped set the mood but you can choose whichever music you like. I’d also recommend bringing a portable fan if you’re going on a particularly hot day. I’ve link some options for speakers and fans below as well.
We really enjoyed our picnic in the park, special thanks to Ottawa Picnics for the scrumptious spread.
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