The Essential Food and Drinks for a Spring Picnic

We’ve all dashed to the supermarket pre-picnic, but the spring food-and-drink spread always turns out much better if you do a little planning ahead. From coffee cans to crisps and dips worthy of Australia’s best restaurants, here are five food and drink items we’re packing this picnic season.

St Ali cold brew cans
Once upon a time, coffee in a can would’ve been an unthinkable option for caffeine-obsessed Aussies – but not anymore. St Ali’s Feels Good cold brew cans are some of the best around, and perfect for bringing along to a picnic. Made with St Ali’s signature Feels Good blend, an organic coffee with notes of sweet peaches and ripe cherries, the 250-millilitre cans are available in packs of four or 24.

City Larder pita crisps
From chefs Robbie Bell and Rebecca Bell, Melbourne’s City Larder supplies some of Australia’s best restaurants, eateries and grocers with terrines, pates and rillettes, as well as chips and crackers to go with them. The brand’s olive oil and sea salt pita crisps are made in Melbourne using Australian ingredients and much better than anything you can get from the supermarket. Order online for delivery or pick up from City Larder’s Coburg warehouse.

Botanical Cuisine dips
Made and designed in Collingwood, Botanical Cuisine’s certified organic dips and cheeses make a classy partner for your pita crisps. Raw, vegan, enzyme-rich and nutrient dense, they’re made with macadamias and cashews which are activated, fermented and blended with flavour. Popular sellers include the caramelised beetroot and fermented cashew dip, and a classic macadamia cream cheese. Grab them from Doorstep Organics.

Chandon Garden Spritz
Ready-to-serve drinks are perfect for picnics: grab a bottle and get everyone to bring a reusable cup for endless refills. The Chandon Garden Spritz is a lively blend of Chandon premium sparkling rosé, and bitters made from navel and blood oranges featuring dried orange peel, herbs and spices.
It’s a zesty spritz with a slightly bitter finish which encourages further sipping, a great choice for your next picnic. There’s no artificial colouring or flavouring, so don’t be afraid to pack an extra bottle or two – zero mixers required, just bring your own ice and orange slices.

Bennett St Dairy cookie dough
Bennett St Dairy’s giant, gooey, macadamia and white choc-chip cookies are so beloved, the Bondi cafe created rolls of bake-at-home cookie dough so no-one had to go without during lockdown. A couple of years later and the rolls are now available in major supermarkets. Cookies are perfect for picnics because you only need your hands to eat them. A 500-gram roll will make six to eight cookies – bake at home and bring along.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Chandon.