Unpacking the Great British Picnic

In a country where weather is notoriously fickle, how has the picnic become such a beloved institution?

Jaega Wise rolls out a blanket and invites a group of al fresco aficionados to share their picnicking expertise over a spot of lunch outdoors.

Joining her in the picturesque setting of Windsor Great Park on the edge of Berkshire are Robert Szewczyk - head chef at Cumberland Lodge, the park's residential conference centre, which provides picnic lunches for the famous Ascot races nearby; Kate Bielich - founder and chef at Konoba, a Manchester-based private caterer that, during the pandemic, launched home meal kits and picnic hampers; and Max Halley from Max’s Sandwich Shop in North London, who recently released 'Max's Picnic Book', teaching people to "picnic like a boss!"

Over lunch, the group discusses the British love of eating outside, and reflects on how the pandemic has forced us to embrace al fresco dining - driving more adventurous portable eating options.

Jaega also hears from food historian Polly Russell from the British Library, who helps unpack the history of the picnic, its strong social and cultural connotations in the UK, and how our approach to picnicking has evolved in recent decades.

Presented by Jaega Wise
Produced by Lucy Taylor in Bristol

Featuring excerpts from:
- ‘The Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame; read by Michael Bertenshaw and produced for Radio 4 by Karen Holden.
- ‘A Passage to India’ by E.M. Forster; adapted for radio by Tanika Gupta, produced and directed for Radio 4 by Tracey Neale, and featuring the voices of Penelope Wilton as Mrs Moore, Shubham Saraf as Dr Aziz and Jonathan Firth as Fielding.