Picnic delivery programs are popping up in major cities like Paris, London and New York, where summers are short and patches of green real estate in short supply.
And you can bet that the selection of hampers are conspicuously void of peanut butter or bologna sandwiches on sliced white bread, as they cater to the well-heeled and time-crunched who are willing to fork over upwards of hundreds of dollars for gourmet baskets.
In New York, Perfect Picnic offers a range of hampers that start at $14, but can go up to $1,000 for the ultimate picnic experience, where plastic cutlery is replaced with real silverware, dinnerware, fresh flowers and linens.
On the menu: caviar, meats, cheeses, smoked fish, salads, pastries, breads and desserts.
Once the sun has set and the last drop of wine finished, picnickers can leave everything as is and let the company clean up.
Other themed packages include the “The Proposal Picnic,” a brunch picnic, and the gold picnic, in which customers can customize their al fresco meal from a variety of purveyors.
Delivery service areas include Central, Battery and Brooklyn Bridge Parks.
On the other side of the Atlantic, London-based Picnic2u is distinctly British, with picnic hampers like the Ascot Box, Lord’s Hamper, and the Wimbledon Picnic, a £180 (about US$305) basket that comes with lobster tails, slices of Highland beef with horseradish cream, rose and red berry fool, cans of Pimm's, an English cheeseboard and a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne.
Meanwhile the menu at Paris Picnic features baguettes, charcuterie meats, salad, foie gras, champagne and macarons.
Picnic sets include blankets (to keep), utensils and cups needed for the meal.
Delivery service includes some of the most popular picnic areas in the city, including the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel tower, The Tuileries Gardens near the Louvre and Place des Vosges.
Source: Relaxnews