Join me for a Picnic in Holland Park

I live close to Holland Park and often find myself having slow lunches and early dinners there whenever the weather permits. Sometimes it’s just takeaway and a cheap bottle from a nearby shop; occasionally — like yesterday — it’s something a little more elaborate: rolling out a picnic blanket, preparing food from home, bringing along an ice bucket, and spending the entire evening lazing about and soaking up the sun.

When I was young, “a picnic with family” was the standard title of many school compositions — an activity that never quite leapt off the page. It always felt like something that existed only in workbooks, waiting for us inexperienced Malaysian children to fill in the blanks with imagined picnic baskets, homemade sandwiches and fruity squash beneath a leafy tree in the park or a quiet corner of a sandy beach. In truth, we Malaysian children rarely went on picnics. With the scorching heat all year round, and a common preference for fair skin, why would we?

My lazy Saturday began with a morning walk for some fresh air — and a stop for a baguette and fruit. After a few candid snaps along the way, I headed home to make sandwiches and pack up my picnic bag.

Ready to find a spot in the park!

On the picnic blanket: a bottle of apple and pear sparkling juice (the label said “a delicious grown-up soft drink” — and I was sold), some BBQ chicken from Marks & Spencer to start, a cheese and ham sandwich, and summer fruits to finish… except for the grapes, of course. It’s always acceptable to have grapes, isn’t it? At any time of the year — much like it’s always perfectly acceptable to have a glass of wine.

Or two.

An afternoon like this really lifted my spirits.

Still not quite satisfied after a few hours of healthy snacking and people-watching, we decided to pop into Café Tarte for something a little more buttery and sugary.

A cuppa, a mini apple tart and a large slice of baked cheesecake later, I skipped home in a much, much better mood.

Consider this well-planned lazy Saturday a success.

Hope you have a lovely week ahead.

With love x