The weather here (at the moment) is glorious. It’s been raining for the past couple of days and now a pale-yellow sun is reaching for the earth with soft sunrays. It’s the ideal weather for a picnic. Just assemble a picnic hamper, pool in a few friends and drive down to a picturesque location. In fact, if I can’t head out to a scenic spot, I wouldn’t mind spreading out my garden mat in my garden and plopping down for a picnic.

For all those of you who like picnics like me, here a few tips to get going.

• The first thing to look out for is the weather – a crisp weather, not too hot or too chilly is ideal to get you into the picnic mood. Get together a small group of friends, who would enjoy a picnic like you and start planning.
• Take along the right amount of food, so you don’t have to bring back leftovers.
• Carry plenty of fluids with you – juices, lemonade and lots of water. A long journey and a day out are set to make you thirsty.
• The next step is to plan a picnic menu. Well, there’s nothing difficult about that. There are a variety of interesting foods that you can choose from. The simplest would be to make some sandwiches with tomatoes, cucumber, and fruit preserves.
• If you’re looking for something different how about making a meatloaf or stuffed bread?
• Try making chicken, paneer or vegetable wraps and take along a tangy dip made from hung curd to get the picnic going.
• You can take along packets of wafers, cucumber and carrots, sliced lengthwise with a cheesy dip, if you think you would like to munch on some snacks.
• Carry paper plates, napkins, and Styrofoam cups. Of course, make sure you don’t dump all this at the picnic spot after you’ve eaten.  It’s a good idea to carry a large paper bag that can act as a dumping bin.
• Also, remember to take along cutlery from home.
• Remember to wrap the food in aluminium foil and handle the food hygienically.