Picnic Date
Planning a date with your special someone? Take it al fresco.
Giving you unique date ideas is something we do every week — but a picnic is a classic date scenario for a reason. Whether you’re trying to impress someone new or you just want to do something nice with your long-suffering partner, packing their favourite snacks and getting outdoors is a failsafe plan. Unless of course the weather has other ideas (La Niña, stop threatening our summer!).
So, we’ve teamed up with Captain’s Table to show you how to build the perfect platter for your next al fresco date. We also enlisted the help of Nikki Phillips from Sydney catering business Shared Affair for some pro styling tips.
ASSEMBLE YOUR PLATTER ON SITE
The last thing you want to do is trip on the way to your picnic spot and destroy the beautifully laid out platter you made at home, so Phillips suggests doing all the “fiddly bits” before you leave — like decanting the cream or dips into little bowls — and wait to build the platter once you arrive. Sure, you’ll lose the chance for a big reveal but at least you’ll get the chance to impress your picnic partner with your food styling skills.
CONSIDER THOSE PERFECT PAIRINGS
When you’re celebrating a budding romance or a successful one, bubbly is the obvious drink of choice. Blue cheese may not seem like the most obvious choice to pair with sparkling wine, but they actually complement each other quite well — particularly a super creamy blue and a bone-dry prosecco. Then, consider what other ingredients to bring into the mix and style them around the board so it’s effortless to pair.
“A piece of blue cheese screams for a sliver of quince paste or a berry to balance out the intense flavour. Place those items together on the board so it’s a no-brainer,” Phillips says.
THE ULTIMATE COMBO
We can’t forget the most romantic of pairings (after you and your date, of course): chocolate and strawberries. You can purchase pre-prepared chocolate-covered strawberries from gourmet grocers or online. Or, better yet, can do it yourself by giving a block of chocolate a quick zap in the microwave before you leave home (Cottee’s chocolate topping will also do the trick in a pinch).
Whipped cream is another dipping option. We’ve just popped it in a bowl with a drizzle of passionfruit pulp, but you and your picnicking partner may have more exciting ideas for serving suggestions (wink).
AMP UP THE ROMANCE
Timing your picnic around a spectacular sunset? Mother Nature will do much of the heavy lifting for delivering those romantic vibes but you can contribute to the mood with a few extra details.
“Grabbing a bunch of roses and scattering the petals around your picnic set-up looks gorgeous,” advises Phillips. She also suggests also investing in some LED candles because “real flames at a picnic can be a little precarious”. And, of course, an ice bucket to keep the champers cold.
YOUR SHOPPING LIST
Want to recreate this perfect platter for your picnic date? Here’s what you need (amounts at your own discretion):
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- Captain’s Table Classic Water Crackers
- Olina’s Date and Apricot Artisan Crackers
- Chocolate
- Whipped cream
- Passionfruit
- Berries
- Grapes
- Cheese
- Quince paste
- Champagne
Images: Cole Bennetts
Food styling: Nikki Phillips