Jones the Grocer, UAE’s favourite gourmet grocer and café, shares the ultimate know-how and products for the perfect picnic basket. As the UAE weather starts cooling down, our dreams of spending long hours outdoors are finally coming to life.

The basket itself

Go for an environmentally friendly wicker basket that is spacious and can hold your picnic favourites and more, comfortably. Available in two different sizes, you can pick up a wicker basket from your nearest Jones the Grocer.

The Food – the ideal picnic list includes:

• Jones organic sodas. Refreshing with a light fizz, these sodas come in a variety of flavours including passionfruit and orange, pink lemonade, and ginger beer. You can enjoy these sodas straight from the bottle, or from a large pitcher with crushed ice!
• For guilt-free snacking, Jones crispbread paired with Paxton & Whitfield white fig confit makes the perfect duet.
• A fresh Jones sourdough baguette can be paired with Creamy French brie de meaux and fresh fruits like grapes, strawberries and even peaches.
• For gourmet sandwiches on the go, fill a freshly baked sourdough baguette with truffle veal salami and a dollop of jones habanero chilli mayo for some heat.
• A salad is always a must, whether you prefer to make your own or simply pick up one made by Jones chefs – our recommendation lies with a Jones classic caesar salad.
• And for snacks – a Jones small luxury cranberry nut mix or a jones fig & walnut rolada make for great savoury and sweet options.
• For the BBQ lovers, marinade your meats with Jones superstar rubs and spices. Get your chicken finger-licking with chicken spices, or rub a dill and lemongrass spice mix all over your shrimps – ready to be grilled.

 The know-how

• When packing, plan your menu based on the location and weather, to ensure food safety and good taste.
• Temperature control must be monitored for perishable items that might need to be kept cool. It may help to add ice packs, or thermal containers inside the basket to keep the food in the necessary conditions.
• Make sure to pack small but necessary items like serving utensils, a bread knife, a bottle opener and plenty of napkins. Knives are best to be safely wrapped in a towel to avoid injuries.
• For items that are frozen or will be taken out of the fridge, make sure they are in bags, so that once they “sweat” they will not dampen the rest of the products in the basket.

For more information and to shop the products, please visit www.jonesthegrocer.com/shop-now-2021-i221 .