What a fantastic Summer we’ve had here in the UK this year! And although I’ve not been able to enjoy as much of it outdoors as I would have liked due to being very pregnant, it’s been very uplifting just seeing the bright blue skies most days.

A great Summer always reminds me of growing up in Cape Town where the really long Summers meant spontaneous parties on the beach with friends (that feels like a hundred years ago now), but I just love how Londoners embrace the warm weather too, and sprawl out on any available piece of outdoor space to make the absolute most of it. A good Summer in London is one of the best experiences, it just comes alive.

The warmer weather here in the UK of course means more picnics, and grabbing the chance to dine alfresco. I have to admit my picnic kit has never been that well put together, countless previous soggy Summers usually meant a couple of sandwiches and plastic cups thrown into a backpack, but when the weather is this gorgeous, you want your picnic experience to match. So I was very pleased when M&S sent me some of their beautiful picnic range to try out.

I’m not a fan of the brightly coloured plastic picnicware usually on offer, so I loved the stylish Leaf print melamine plates. I really liked how the plates each have their own leaf design and are not perfectly round, but have been made to feel more organically shaped. The colours are grown-up and subdued on both the plates and the Palm Tree Tumblers and won’t make you feel like you’re at a kid’s party!

I love how each plate has a different leaf design. Set of four side plates, £14

Lately I’ve been consciously trying to cut down on my plastic use, and something that really used to bother me about picnics is the use of single use of plastic plates, cups and cutlery that all end up in the bin at the end of the day. So having a set that’s good-looking and dishwasher safe that you’re happy to use again and again is definitely good for the planet too.

I’ve also been on the hunt for a decent picnic blanket for a long time, and the green herringbone picnic blanket is a perfect match for the leaf picnic range. It’s nearly 1.5m square, so there’s plenty of room to squeeze some extra people on too. It has a waterproof backing so no wet bottoms either - for when our Summers undoubtedly return to our usual expectations!

Thanks M&S for seriously up-levelling my picnics! They’ll be much more sophisticated affairs from now on.

Set of 4 Melamine Leaf Print Side Plates, 4 X Palm Tree Tumblers and Green Herringbone Picnic Blanket, all gifted to me by M&S Home.

Food: M&S.
Styling and Photography: Tash South

Upgrade Your Picnics With M&S