Since spring is just around the corner, I’m reblogging this post from several months ago. 

Pleasures and Proprieties of a Country Picnic

The London Season is over. Most everyone has retired to the country for the summer. What did one do for a date in the English or Scottish countryside during the Regency Era?

Why, a picnic of course!

A picnic provided the enamored couple with the proper chaperonage but also permitted them a stolen moment or two.  As long as the pair was in full view of the other picnickers, the love interests might take a stroll on the pretense of discussing nature, studying the fauna, or admiring the picturesque view. It was a perfect opportunity to whisper sweet nothings to each other too.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. A picnic was no small endeavor. A suitable location some distance from the manor house must be decided upon; perhaps a lovely moor or meadow, or a glistening lakeside. Suitability included trees for shade, a pleasant view, and a surface favorable for walking or playing lawn games. 

Ladies were attired in light-colored muslin gowns with a gauze shawl or spencer jackets—just in case it became breezy—comfortable shoes, and the required bonnet. Oh, don’t forget gloves, a parasol, a fan, and reticule  with a lacy handkerchief and perhaps even  vial of smelling salts—you never know when a gentle-woman might have a fit of the vapors.

Gentlemen wore hunting jackets, pantaloons, knee-high boots (Wellington or  Hessien) generally, and they too must have their hat, gloves, and frequently, a cane. It goes without saying they also wore a neckcloth and waistcoat, likely with a watch fob.

Ladies rode in a barouche  or perhaps landau  (both had a folding or collapsible hood) and gentlemen either accompanied the women in the equipages or chose to travel by horse. It wasn’t uncommon for the family’s pet dog to join the picnickers. Wagons transported servants, outdoor furniture, food, dishes, and other supplies that might be needed. Once at the picnic location, the servants took care of all preparations as well as the cleanup and repacking the wagons afterward.

Naturally, the menu was simple, but satisfying. Food was packed into wicker baskets and consisted of such basics as cold roast, eggs boiled or deviled, fruit sandwiches, crusty bread with butter and jam, seasonal fruits and nuts, cheeses, and boiled tongue. For dessert, seedcake, route cakes, shortbread, and a trifle were favored. As it was impractical to keep tea hot, other beverages such as lemonade, a sweet  madeira wine, or a white wine claret were often served.

After dining, the amorous couple might skip stones, gather wildflowers, or even pick wild strawberries, if they grew in the area.  Braves souls might venture to row about the lake in a skiff if one was available. Other entertainment included archery, a rousing game of Blind Man’s Bluff, or for the more sedate, a game of  whist  or loo. Quite moment spent sitting on large pieces of linen beneath towering shade trees were perfect for napping or reading aloud. Poems by Lord Byron or John Keats, or a novel by Jane Austen, even the La Belle Assemblée’s  latest theater review might be shared.

So there you have it; picnicking, a most proper Regency group date.

What’s your favorite food to eat on a picnic?