The British Picnic

By Jess Bongard

This July marks the third year of Slow Food Vermont’s first cooking class with me, Jess.  And since the first: Wine & Cheese Please, followed by last years: Pinxtos, the month of July sets a certain standard for something special.  Or you could easily say, I can’t help myself from going a lil’ overboard.

Each summer I look forward to setting out a nice long table under a stand of five large pine trees on our property.  Whatever the class ends up being, it seems as though the eating absolutely has to happen in that setting.  This year is different, I did not see the table.  Instead I saw blankets, hampers, croquet, and people walking around the lawn with a glass of Pimm’s talking wittily about their gardens.  This year I give you The British Picnic.

Taking several tips from The Great British Picnic Guide by Mark Price, my overall obsession with Fortnum & Mason’s general existence and the fact that; it’s a Hamper not a Picnic Basket, are just a few reasons why it was just a matter of time until I got to let my Anglophile flag fly.

For me, these classes are all about the experience.  Sure, we’ll learn how to pack a proper hamper, plan ahead, and “pic” the right “nic.”  An evening where you learn a few things by watching or doing, or by just being there, is the kind of atmosphere that I find so damn delicious.  Especially when it ends with an Eton Mess.  Check out the details and sign up for this and many other offerings with Slow Food Vermont on our Event page.

Cheers,
Jess Bongard