With picnic season nearly upon us and the weather looking up a little, our thoughts are finally turning to the summer. We’re getting ready for a little alfresco living this year with this picnic hamper for two, £35, from The Wonderful Garden Company. Find out what our reviewer, Sara Walker, thought.
Lightweight and solid, this is a nice-looking hamper.
Vintage style wicker insulated picnic hamper – the details
Made from antique effect wash willow, linen lined and has an insulated, zipped, chilled compartment. Comes with two china plates, twoglass wine glasses, stainless steel cutlery (knives, forks and spoons) and a corkscrew. Carrying handle and fastenings are cream faux leather. Size: 42cm long x 28cm wide x 19cm high.
What we thought about the picnic hamper
Accessories include ‘proper’ plates, cutlery and glasses
“I go to a lot of open-air theatre in the summer, and this is what I tend to use my picnic hampers for. If I’m walking any distance, I prefer to shove a sandwich or two in a rucksack as I’m not keen on carrying!
This little hamper, though, is ideal for alfresco eating. Firstly, it’s incredibly light. I have an old wicker hamper given to me by a relative which is lovely to look at but so heavy I don’t think I’ve ever taken it out of the house! Empty, this little hamper weighs almost nothing so you’re just really carrying the weight of your food. I also like the china plates and ‘real’ cutlery – after all, no-one really likes eating off plastic, and the accessories gave this hamper a touch of class. I also liked the zip-up insulated compartment, which was roomy. The fact that you could close it with the zip meant everything stayed secure, even when I was flinging it around a bit!
It accommodated enough food for two very easily, and although I’d packed everything in square plastic boxes to fit it in neatly I probably didn’t need to.
Bubbly, anyone?
“Although I liked the ‘glass glasses’ (again, much nicer to drink from than plastic) I was a bit worried about how they’d travel. There are straps inside the food compartment to hold them steady, but I also wrapped each one up to keep them safe. (Again, this was almost certainly overkill but no-one wants broken glass in their dinner!)
Roll on, picnic season!
“For the money, I thought this was a well equipped, good looking hamper which would make a nice gift. My only quibble was that the fastening catch on the front was a bit clunky and had to be turned in a certain way to close. Otherwise, the accessories were great, the weight was great and I think this hamper will see a lot of use this summer, as it’s far and away the most practical of the three I have.”
The vintage style wicker insulated picnic basket hamper for two, £35, is also available in a larger size for four people, and is part of a range of picnic equipment from The Wonderful Garden Company.
All photos (c) 2019 Write Image for you Media
(Disclosure: The picnic hamper was gifted for the purposes of a review, but all views are our own).
This is lovely! What a bargain too, although I’ll be bringing additional vintage silverware just to really get the look!