All the picnic essentials you need for a perfect experience

For those living in New South Wales and Victoria, picnics quickly became the new way of seeing friends and family during lockdown.

WATCH BELOW: Ultimate picnic loaf

As restrictions started to ease, a certain number of people in Sydney and Melbourne were able to gather outdoors for a picnic, under certain rules.

While lockdown days are in the past, picnics have remained a go-to way to catch up with friends.

And with summer upon us, there has never been a more ideal time to grab your rug and basket.

If you know what to include in your set up, a picnic can be the ultimate experience.

Here, we've rounded up some essentials for your picnic gatherings, including delicious food, comfortable gear, and more.

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The perfect snacks

With any picnic, you want a good range of options that are not only delicious, but that are easy to eat so that you don't have to lug around cutlery with you.

Quiches make for a perfect option, and you can find an easy recipe for mini ham and cheese quiches here, and a recipe for ones with ham, cheese and tomatoes here.

Easy to make and made for sharing, a good cob loaf is also a good option, and you can find the recipe for a creamy French onion cob loaf dip here, as well as the recipe for a creamy cheese and bacon cob dip here.

Of course, grazing platters are the number one choice, because they include a range of finger-licking good treats for a picnic.

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‘Fries Boards’ have emerged as the hot new entertaining craze, with people all over putting together amazing grazing platters featuring chips, chips and more chips. See more here.

If you're looking to really impress your guests, then a dessert-themed share platter is the way to go, and you can see how to make one here, and you can even go for a pavlova-themed one here.

Alternatively, you can take packaged snacks with you if you're wanting a quick and easy option, and Krave's mixed grain bars are a great choice as they come in three delicious flavours.

There's also the Creamery yoghurt range from Tamar Valley, and you can find them at Coles, Woolworths, Coles and independent supermarkets now, along with the Krave snack bars.

Cotton On

Essential gear

Long gone are the days where you would simply grab a random blanket and head to the park for a quick picnic, because sure, it might be easier, but where's the fun in that?

And, if you have the right essentials, it can be just as easy to set up, not to mention way more comfortable, and it will just make your picnic experience so much more enjoyable.

This stylish Quilted Picnic Blanket from Cotton On, which you can buy here, will bring the perfect level of comfort to your experience.

Having the right picnic basket is also non-negotiable, and the Cottesloe Picnic Basket is a great option, which you can buy here, or you could even go for a Premium Tote, which you can shop here.

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Fun extras

To really make your picnic extra special, some added extras will do the trick.

Choosing the right drinks, like De Bortoli Prosecco from Dan Murphy's, which you can shop here, or a mixed pack of Vodka Cruisers here, will make sure there's something for everyone.

If you're craving something a little different, Dare’s Sparkling Cold Brew is a tasty and refreshing afternoon pick-me-up, and you can find it at convenience outlets, independent retailers, and Coles.

You can also liven things up with music via a portable speaker, like the JBL GO 2, which you can buy here.

Plus, if it's a particularly sunny day, you can make your own shade with this Mirage 2 Metre Beach Umbrella, which you can shop here.