The Ferry Picnic: How to Plan a Picnic for Two

Start with somewhere you can reach without turning the meal into an expedition. A bench with a view is useful if you prefer a proper seat. A dry patch of grass works if you enjoy sitting on a blanket. Check that eating there is allowed and think about where you would go if the weather changed.

Decide how long you want to be out. Lunch and a short walk may be enough. If you are taking public transport or a real ferry, check the current service, return journey and rules for the place you are visiting. Nothing on the Willowmere map is a real timetable.

Choose a bag you can comfortably carry. A separate cold compartment or small cool bag can do the useful work while the napkins and book travel elsewhere.

For each person, begin with:

Take napkins, the utensils your meal needs, a reusable bottle, somewhere comfortable to sit and a bag for rubbish and used containers. A light layer is often more welcome beside the water than a second decorative plate.

Use containers that close securely. Wrap the book separately from anything that might leak. If you plan to share, agree who brings the food, the drinks and the blanket before you both arrive with bread.

Use the free packing list below and tick it off, or copy the short list onto the back of your shopping note.

Pack refrigerated food in an insulated cool bag with ice packs, distributed around the contents. Keep it closed and out of direct sun. Sandwiches, prepared salads, cooked dishes and dairy products still need chilling outdoors. Wash produce and hands before preparing food, follow use-by dates and storage instructions, and take out only what you are about to eat.

Choose a time and place together, then keep the food decision small. One person can bring the sandwiches while the other brings water, fruit and something to sit on.

A simple bag: two filled rolls, two apples, a few biscuits and water. Add cooling suitable for the fillings and other chilled food.

Sit down before deciding whether you want the walk. It is easier to enjoy lunch when it hasn't become a reward for completing a route.

If you like a little ceremony, bring two cloth napkins or your favourite reusable cups. Leave room in the bag for the things that make the meal comfortable.

A pleasant shape for the outing: arrive, eat, take the short walk if you feel like it, then go home before you become tired of carrying the bag.

Choose a place where you feel comfortable spending time on your own. A familiar park or your own garden can be a very good beginning.

A simple bag: one sandwich or other familiar lunch, a piece of fruit, water, a napkin and the book you actually want to read. Add a cool bag and ice packs when the food needs them.

Use a meal you can put down easily and a container that doubles as a plate. A bench may be more comfortable for reading than the ground. Put your drink on a stable surface before you settle in.

You can read for half an hour or watch what is happening around you. There is no required page count. Some books are excellent company without being asked to improve the afternoon.

Before leaving, check the seat and the grass for your bookmark, lid and anything that has slipped out of the bag.

Choose the nearby version and make the food decision early enough that it won't become another job at the end of the day.

If you bring food to work, keep it refrigerated there when required, then move it to a properly prepared cool bag for the outing. Otherwise, pick up a suitable meal on the way and follow its storage instructions. An ordinary work tote left under a desk all day is not the plan for chilled picnic food.

A simple bag: the supper you would enjoy anyway, water, a napkin and a warm layer. Add a small sweet thing if that sounds good. Take the food that suits the time and cooling you have available.

Choose the bench, corner of the park or garden table you can use without much preparation. Eat before you become too hungry to enjoy the idea. If the evening turns cold or wet, take the food home and sit by the window instead.

This version can be twenty minutes near home. You don't have to rescue the entire evening; you have simply found somewhere pleasant to have supper.

The recipes in The Spring Table are made for a warm kitchen and a table, not for the cool bag. None of them has been reviewed for serving cold or for carrying, so this guide works with bought or familiar food. You can borrow the mood of The Morning Room without baking before work.

If the weather stops being inviting, keep the meal and change the setting. Sit beneath your own covered outdoor space if suitable, or lay the picnic cloth across a table at home. The book, the napkins and the lunch still work there.

If your available time shrinks, shorten the outing rather than giving yourself a deadline to enjoy it. A drink and a sandwich near the door may be the version that fits today.