Everyone knows that our summers and falls are BBQ season, but did you know that picnics are also an excellent excuse to bring together family and friends?  They are also an excellent way to spend time quality with your partner.

For children, picnics are particularly wonderful.  Eating a meal outside in a parc is a bit like proposing to pitch a tent in the middle of the living room!  An amazing break from the ordinary.

Picnic can be a simple affair, or they can be as elaborate as your imagination allows. It only depends on how much time you want to devote to its planning and whether you want to make this activity something truly memorable.

No matter where your fancy takes you, here are a few tips to make your picnic a success in every way:

Pick the perfect spot for your picnic

Remember that the originality of your picnic depends a lot on the location you choose.

Therefore, we suggest that you first do an advance inspection visit before arriving with a rimmed basket full of food and drink only to find that the place is not suitable. What a disappointment that would be!

Invite a group that gets along

Since the picnic still suggests some form of proximity and the possibility that things might go wrong, for example, insects deciding they want part of your lunch or the fact that you are not installed as comfortably as at home.  It is important to surround yourself with easygoing people that can laugh off small inconveniences. Give children plenty of opportunity to burn off steam before and after the picnic.  So that they are in the mood to sit and enjoy the picnic for an hour.

Choose food that is easy to eat

Since you are likely to be sitting in the grass, it is important not to serve a menu that requires, for example, the use of overly fancy utensils.

It is best to prepare each dish in advance and have not to venture too much into onsite prep.  Once there you do not know if a mini storm is going to occur during your picnic or if there is no room, you’ll have to be able to pick and leave quickly.

In closing, you owe it to yourself to experience the picnic at least once this season! It is an activity that allows you to connect with nature and the people you love at the same time.

Jackie Beaudoin, Leclerc Insurance and Financial Services