Ahhh summer. It's a wonderful time of year. A time for sunshine, iced coffees, barbecues, applying sun cream all the time and generally enjoying the great outdoors.  Another thing the summer calls for is a good old picnic. You can't beat them sometimes can you? In this weeks blog post we're celebrating the Great British picnic and all the joys that come with it, rain n' all.

First thing's first, you can't have a picnic without something to carry it all in. That's where Hinza come in! We've been banging on about Hinza bags for years now because we just love them. They're super sturdy and practical, easy to wipe clean and pack a lot in, all whilst looking quirky and cute at the same time. You can even buy an additional cool bag that slots right in so you can whack some ice blocks in and you're ready to keep your humous and strawberries fresh. We're apparently the only UK stockist to have these, so they tend to sell out fast, just fyi.

Another company we always bang on about in the summer is Chilly's bottles. They're masters at not only keeping your hot drinks hot, but your cold drinks cold too. So fill up your bottle with some water (or wine), plonk some ice cubes in it, and it'll still be nice and fresh up to 24 hours later. A real game changer in the hot weather.

Picture this: it's the school holidays, you've decided to get the kids out of the house for the day and go for a picnic. Suddenly, out of nowhere, big grey clouds bubble their way up over the sun and you begin to feel the occasional spat on your arm. It's raining! Running for shelter or a large umbrella is your best bet next, so with one of the fabulous kids umbrellas we stock, at least they can still make the most of it. Their vibrant designs and birdcage design mean that your little ones (and you, if you fancy it) can still get some fun fresh air and splash in puddles whilst remaining somewhat dry.

Those are just a few of our picnic essentials here at Daisy Park. Other ideas include the Asta Barrington trays, which could be great for celebratory picnics in the park when you want to display things nicely. Line up sandwiches on them or pop all the dips on one for convenience. There's also our great selection of tinware, in which you could store the cake you've baked for the day, or whatever you fancy really.