6 Stylish Picnic Essentials

Plan the perfect picnic with these six stylish essentials.

Plan the perfect picnic with these six stylish essentials (and one classic picnic recipe from chef Rob Feenie). Though these modern blankets and colourful dishes will make even a peanut butter sandwich look elegant, you can always up the ante with smart gourmet buy-and-bring baskets. Either way, get ready to celebrate summer with food, friends and plenty of fresh air.THE BEST PICNIC BLANKET The classic striped picnic blanket gets an update with this season’s colour-block trend, and we couldn’t be happier about it. Colour Block Stripe Picnic Throws, $49, West Elm, westelm.com

PACK IT UP Pack your picnic in style with one of Herschel’s roomy Little America Backpacks. The classic pack comes in 34 colours and prints, but we like the new Malibu Stripe print from their summer collection. Herschel Little America Backpack, $99.99. herschelsupply.caDURABLE DISHES Who says plastic dishes can’t be beautiful? Ashley Longshore has designed this great collection of durable melamine plates adorned with bold colors and tropical florals. We’ll take one of each! Ashley Longshore Under Sun Melamine Dinner Plates, $10 each, Anthropologie, anthropologie.com STURDY UTENSILS Ditch the wasteful, oh-so-unsophisticated plastic cutlery and try these stylish wooden utensils from MEC instead. Hand-crafted from reclaimed Maple and finished with chemical-free lacquers, the Justenbois Wood set can be reused again and again (the knife even self-sharpens with use!). Justenbois Wood Utensil Set, $32, Mountain Equipment Co-op, mec.caTURN UP THE TUNES Play a little background music at your next picnic with Anthropologie’s Sunny Life Beach Radio – we love the soft pastel colors and sweet retro design. Sunny Life Beach Radio, $49.99, Anthropologie, anthropologie.comPACK A SANDWICH IN STYLE Black + Blum’s stylish bento boxes are made of hard aluminum and have bamboo lids that double as mini cutting boards so you can cut and add fresh ingredients right before eating, which means your sandwich will never end up squished and soggy again. Sandwich on Board, Black + Blum, $28, black-blum.com THE BEST FRIED CHICKEN Pack your bag with this picnic staple from chef Rob Feenie. Buttermilk fried chicken stays super moist and tastes great cold. Get the recipe here.  WL