The kitchen team at St Anne’s College Oxford have launched a perfectly timed offering for a summer in parks and gardens – picnic boxes!

The new range of picnics to takeaway includes a standard hamper for two (from £18) or a premium hamper for two (from £29), with a selection of drinks you can add to the order.

We tried a premium hamper, which included: mortadella & salsa verde baguette; crayfish & herb mayo baguette; egg & watercress baguette; two packets of crisps; houmous; strawberries; and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. We added two soft drinks to go with it (and additional £5).

The food gets neatly packaged up in an easy to carry box, with a ribbon handle running around it. Napkins are included, as well as a fork for precise clotted cream spreading (always cream first).

It was actually raining when we got home with ours, so we used our initiative and set up camp in the front room until the sun came back. Note pot plants for added outdoor effect! 👇

The baguettes were delicious, the strawbs plump and sweet, and scone condiments of the proper variety – clotted cream and strawberry jam. Drinks and crisps were good quality and the houmous a nice addition.

The college chef brigade has launched a special ‘Alice in Wonderland tea party hamper’ to run alongside Creation Theatre’s Virtual Alice in Wonderland event, which includes:

• Sandwiches: Smoked salmon & cream cheese, duck egg & cress, brie & onion marmalade, mortadella & salsa verde
• Scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream
• Barefoot Oxford salted caramel brownie
• Macaroons
• Cupcakes

The special Alice hamper is available from £29 for two people, with a range of soft drinks and wines that can be added, too.

Place your order from St Anne’s College website up to 11am on the day before you’d like to collect it; then collect Monday – Sunday, between 12pm and 2pm from the car park at 48 Woodstock Road.

Perfect for some safe distanced dining in the park, garden… or front room.

Picnic in the park with St Anne’s
Follow St Anne’s Kitchen on Instagram for updates: @st_annes_kitchen
st-annes.ox.ac.uk/picnic-in-the-park-with-st-annes

We tried the hamper as a gift, all views remain our own.