The Picnic - Part 1

How to beautifully style ad-hoc outdoor eating

Pique-nique: a brief history

Coming from the French word (isn’t it always?) pique-nique means to peck at something small. Whilst people have of course been eating lavish and/or disappointing meals outdoors forever, often as a post-hunt snack, the French gave us a word for it.

In those early days, French aristos would hold a sort of indoor ‘potluck’ with some BYOB action. Very nice indeed. Even Jean-Jacques Rousseau got in on it.

They were indoors though. They hadn’t quite got the hang of it.

For the French at the time, pique-niques were places to show off one’s wit and to share a ‘picky bits’ meal with good company. A place for intellectual sophistication and light, haughty nourishment. So far, so French.

Picnics in England really took off in the 19th century. As those same French aristocrats fled the guillotine in France, they bought their fancy French words, their fancy French habits and… their French fancies…? to England.

Clubs were formed! Specifically, ‘The Pic Nic Society’. A group of around 200 rich Francophiles would put on extravagant outdoor events. When Daddy owns Devon, what’s a girl to do on a Wednesday evening?

There were plays! There was gambling! There were little pork pies! (Probably).

It all sounds fairly Bullingdon if I’m honest.

But by Jove did it catch on!

Suddenly we were all doing it. By the time the railways arrived, even we day-tripping plebs were taking some cake in a hanky out to Brighton beach.

Above, Edouard Manet Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe 1863. An example of a ‘clothes optional’ picnic.

Well now you know the history, I suppose we had better tell you how to throw your own. Fear not! Part two is coming soon…