Ideas for great London family picnics

– I’ve just taught her to play tennis!

Daddy T seemed really proud. It was the first time he had showed Baby Girl how to make a proper tennis swing, and they had been laughing and having fun together. The tennis set had come packed in a picnic hamper we received from Lactofree, and we were thrilled with the brand new basket with picnic essentials, as I think it’s so important to make the most of the outdoors and “Say Yes to Summer” like this summer’s Lactofree campaign.

Here are our top suggestions for how to make the most of late summer picnics with children in London:

Keep it local
Although it’s great fun to head out of town for a picnic, a picnic can be done much simpler and it doesn’t have to be planned far in advance if you have some fun outdoor toys and basics at home. Keep it simple and take the family to a London park, such as South Park in Fulham where there are lovely areas to sit near the nature-inspired playground, or Battersea Park where there’s also the option to rent bicycles or visit the playground or Battersea Park Children’s Zoo after the picnic basket has been emptied.

Choose a British menu
The lovely hamper we received from Lactofree, which offers a range of real dairy products just without the lactose, included Lactofree mature cheddar, rolls and cucumber, meaning we could put together tasty cucumber sandwiches, which are great for the whole family to enjoy in the park. There’s also a recipe for easy cheese twists, using the Lactofree mature cheddar and Lactofree spreadable on the website, and I can’t wait to try these next. In the hamper now, we also had yummy British strawberries and Lactofree cream, which made for a delicious summer dessert. There’s nothing more needed really. Even Baby Girl loved her treat.

Invest in a picnic blanket
Before we had Baby Girl, I never really missed having a picnic blanket. We didn’t use London’s parks as much as we do now, and we didn’t have the same ideas of what makes a suitable dining area. Now, we love going to the park with toys and snacks to spend more time outside, and I was very excited to receive a picnic blanket with a water resistant back in the basket from Lactofree. I also love the picnic blankets from Anorak, which have fun animal designs and are machine washable.

Tags: Family day out, Lactofree, Outdoor activities, Picnic, Recipe, Summer, Tennis, Weekend fun