Sunny skies and Summer can only mean al fresco dining, picnic style. According to figures from National Picnic Week earlier this Summer, ninety-four million people roll out the blankets and enjoy food outdoors each year. In addition to this, that same study found that the average person picnics three times per year.

Eating outdoors has become a fun, low-cost way of spending quality time with family and friends. Having boomed in popularity during the pandemic, it wasn’t until the 1800s that picnic first became a word and a serious hobby. With so many people turning to innovation to help plan and organise indoor and outdoor activities, we look at some must-have picnic planning apps.

BBC Good Food app – Picnic Apps

Tasty food and snacks are at the heart of every picnic, and sometimes we all need a little inspiration. The BBC Good Food app is jam-packed with picnic recipes, from sandwiches to mini quiches, charcuterie boards, and filled peppers. There are hundreds of different snacks to make from scratch. It’s also filled with baking ideas, skills videos and tutorials for those needing a kitchen hand. Available on Android and iOS, you can get a free trial before committing to a subscription. You can also share, comment and rate over fifteen thousand recipes indoors and out!

Accuweather – Picnic Apps

Crucial to the success of all al fresco dining is the weather. From dealing with temperamental climates across Europe, one of the most important apps has to be Accuweather. Free to download on Android and iOS, you can read the forecast with your fingertips, watch rain move in, in real-time and check conditions anywhere in the world. The app is so popular it has received numerous awards, including “Best Weather Warnings” and “Best Design and Presentation of Information, User-Friendliness; Access and Customization.”

Around Me

There are numerous factors to be considered when dining outdoors – if it’s not the weather, it’s the nearest toilet or even the closest place for shelter. Around Me is a clever app that helps users prepare for every eventuality. Available on Android and iOS, this GPS-powered app pinpoints your location and cleverly identifies the nearest amenities to you at that time. You can navigate to the nearest petrol station, hotel, supermarket, taxi rank and more. Tap the category of the facility you are looking for, and let Around Me do the rest! It’s also free to use.

Spotify

No picnic is complete without the right music, and where better to look for the soundtrack to your outdoor dining than Spotify? With over one hundred million tracks, you can use either the free version or paid for to stream your favourite tunes. Create your playlists or search for ones the app has automatically created for you. You can also search for picnic songs; surprisingly, Spotify has lots of them! It is estimated that there are over five hundred and seventeen million Spotify users worldwide as of 2023, with 229 million of those being premium subscribers, making it a must-download if you haven’t already.

FoodKeeper

If food depletion and storage are of concern when dining outdoors, why not try the FoodKeeper app? It contains a handy guide on keeping snacks fresh and containers to use; it also features suggested timelines for each. This means you can estimate how long meats, cheeses, and salads will last in a cooler bag whilst en route to your picnic destination. Unfortunately, The app is currently only available on Android and was developed by the USDUSDA’ sod Safety and Inspection Service in association with Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute. Its tech-driven mission is to help users consume food when it’it’s its best and to help combat waste.

PackPoint

The biggest headache of picnic planning has to be packing everything away, and luckily, there is an app for that. This free travel packing organiser will help you organise what you must bring in your bag based on where you are going, how long you are staying at your destination and any planned activities. To use, manually enter the type of excursion, the date, and the area you hope to picnic in, and its AI will generate a list of things needed to make your trip successful. It features a number of customisable templates; even better, you can save all lists for the next time you decide to venture off the beaten track. PackPoint is available on both Android and iOS.