Gourmet Picnics: Dine Outside in Style Around BC

Credit: Flickr/langalex

Hit the beach, the park or your local trail in style with a gourmet picnic

Who said picnics had to be casual? Add some epicurean decadence to your next al fresco outing with a gourmet picnic

Prepared and beautifully packaged by people who know food, gourmet picnics step outdoor eating up a notch. Just order online (the day before) or call in an order (the day of) and you’ll hardly have to break your stride to pick up your perfect picnic on the way to your destination.

Packing a Gourmet Picnic

Let’s be honest: Almost anyone can pack a picnic but no one short of Martha Stewart is going to take the time to pick up the freshest bread, house-cured charcuterie, imported cheeses and organic condiments in order to make gourmet sandwiches.

Lucky for you, there are folks out there that specialize in picnic preparations. What better way to start off a decadent day lounging on the beach or hiking through the back trails or catching a performance in the park? Just pick up your picnic en route and make everyone else green with envy as you unpack your gourmet delights among a sea of soggy sandwiches and rubbery hotdogs.

The Best Packed Gourmet Picnic Options Around BC

The Dirty Apron will fully equip you for a gourmet picnic / Kevin Clark Photography

The Dirty Apron, 540 Beatty Street, Vancouver

With an entire gourmet deli at its disposal, The Dirty Apron offers amazing picnic fare. Its online ordering menu makes it easy to order all your components. Sandwiches include luscious options such as confit Albacore tuna, crab and shrimp, and Montreal smoked meat – not your typical picnic fare! Add a couple of fresh salads, drinks and a few desserts and you’re good to go.

If you think you’ll have some hungrier mouths to feed, opt for the “gourmet picnic platter,” a box filled with fruit, cheese, charcuterie, dips, crackers and their famous pistachio cream cheese brownies. And if you’re on a date or are otherwise trying to impress your picnic mates, show up with a Dirty Apron wool picnic blanket (60” x 80″), complete with leather carrying strap.

Baguette sandwiches start at $7.75, and the gourmet picnic platter is $19.99 per person. More details and other picnic options at The Dirty Apron.

Provence Marinaside offers tapas-style picnics / Flickr

Provence Marinaside, 1177 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver

For those picnics when you know you’ll want to nibble away the hours, Provence Marinaside has delicious packable morsels. Its picnics centre around delectable antipasti including stuffed piquillo peppers, Merguez sausages, and pissaladière (a must). Meals are rounded off with drinks, fruit, dessert and, of course, a fresh baguette.

If you’re trying to make an impression with this picnic or if you need to do a little hiking to get to your destination, Provence provides an option (for a $50 deposit) to pack everything up in a wicker basket or backpack, complete with plates, cutlery and glasses.

A picnic for two (the English Bay picnic) starts at $38.00. More details and other picnic options at Provence Marinaside.

Anywhere you take your picnic in Fernie will be gorgeous / Flickr

Picnic Restaurant + Social, 701 2nd Ave (upstairs), Fernie

Any outdoor meal in Fernie, nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in the East Kootenays, is guaranteed to be spectacular. But add some delectable offerings from Picnic Restaurant and you’ll be set for a memory-making excursion. Just order as few or as many picnic nibblies as you’d like and they’ll add enough bread and spreads to make it a lovely meal. Choosing among delicacies like their house-made elk chorizo, picnic paté, and smoked wild salmon might be tough, so seriously consider taking it all.

$5 per item, 5 items for $20, 7 items for $28, or the full basket for $48. More details and other picnic options at the Picnic Restaurant + Social.

Packed picnics from Cheryl’s in Victoria come with a fully stocked basket / Flickr

Cheryl’s Gourmet Pantry, 2009 Cadboro Bay Road, Victoria

With eight themed picnics, ranging from The Tuscan Feast, to The Ultimate Seafood Basket, to The Summer Classic (with homemade fried chicken!), Cheryl’s covers every craving and any whim your palate could possibly have. And while it does offer a fully vegetarian picnic option, Cheryl’s is happy to make adjustments to any set meal to accommodate allergies and whims.

These lovely meals not only come in a picnic basket but also include a tablecloth, napkins, wine opener, glasses, cutlery and even fresh flowers.

Picnics start at $45 for two (The Vegetarian Platter). More details and other picnic options at Cheryl’s Gourmet Pantry.

24 Carrot Catering offers picnic for travellers and locals in Nanaimo / Flickr

24 Carrot Catering (formerly Carrot on the Run), Nanaimo

Located at a busy junction for people travelling by land, sea and air, Nanaimo is a perfect place to take a breather mid-travel and stop for a gourmet picnic from 24 Carrot Catering (formerly Carrot on the Run). For travellers, picnics can be packed to go with minimal fuss. All you have to do is choose from their seven picnic options (including vegan!) and they’ll make sure you don’t compromise on quality food while on the road.

Most picnics are priced per person, so it’s easy to mix ’n’ match to make sure everyone in your group gets a happy nosh. It also means that if you’re travelling solo, you don’t have to miss out – order a picnic for one before you jump onto your next ferry or flight.
Picnics start at $10.95 per person. More details at 24 Carrot Catering.

Prefer to make your own picnic? Check out these great picnic recipes.