An Effortless Nordic Summer Picnic Edit

A Nordic summer picnic flatlay styled on a blue and white patterned picnic rug with dishes of summer salads and sticky salmon.

Relax in style with a simple Nordic summer picnic in your own back garden.

**This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase using my links. These are clearly marked as ** and were chosen purely because I love and use these brands myself.

Summer is the only time of year where eating alfresco feels completely effortless. At least, in my opinion. The back door is open all day, the BBQ rolled out ready to go at a moment's notice - it's easy to whip something up and head out with the picnic rug. But the thing I love most about picnicking is the freedom it brings you to go wherever you want. Pitch up at the beach, a secluded spot in a cool forest or the local park. You can even pick up what you fancy along the way to save time, just sling it in your basket. And my Nordic summer picnic edit is packed full of functional, minimalist accessories to take picnic hosting up a notch.

Let's Go Outside

I like to mix up glasses and ceramic dinnerware with more practical items to make the experience feel more personal. Think simple Scandinavian aesthetics, mixed with reusable and natural materials.

We've got stackable stainless steel and bamboo lunch boxes, ideal for storing mini salads or dips. And I love the stackable cutlery sets I found in classic Nordic colours. Call we untraditional but I've vetoed the somewhat cumbersome picnic basket and gone for a large basket tote instead and there's a seriously stylish cool bag to keep your refreshments chilled by my favourite Nordic food brand, Nicolas Vahé. But just because it's a picnic, it doesn't mean you have to use a rug. I much prefer rolling out a couple of light cotton throws that we can use later as a blanket if the weather turns chilly and I've got you covered on the portable BBQ front if you fancy a cookout, too.

You provide a delicious menu, I'll provide you with the look.

A cut-out shopping page of Nordic summer picnic accessories including baskets, salad servers, bowls and blankets.
  1. The Basket Room Gua tote bag, Oliver Bonas. £85.

  2. HAY Picnic Container Tiffin Box, Trouva. £39.**

  3. LEON Bamboo Lunch Pot, John Lewis. £10.

  4. Recycled Glass Tumbler, Graham & Green. £9.95.

  5. Rosendahl portable outdoor lamp, Connnox. £60.50.

  6. Yumi Wooden Salad Servers, Oyoy at Trouva. £23.**

  7. Smorgasbord Modern Scandinavian Recipes, Waterstones. £18.99.

  8. Natural Cotton Throw, Anza. £49.**

  9. Organic cotton seat cushion, ARKET. £19.**

  10. Set of three travel cutlery by Koziol, Anthropologie. £10.**

  11. Stainless Steel Reusable Bottle, Frank Green. £29.99.

  12. Mi Square Gingko Pocket Speaker, Not On The High Street. £49.

  13. Portable BBQ Bucket, Olivia's. £49.00**

  14. Wooden Serving Bowls and Tray, H&M. £19.99.

  15. Nicolas Vahé Cool Bag, Trouva. £15.**

Oven melted camembert stuffed with blackberries and toasted walnuts laid out at a picnic.
A beautiful summer picnic laid out on a blue and white rug with linen cushions, grey ceramic dinnerware and cotton throws.

Photography © Tiffany Grant-Riley featuring the 2020 collection of summer picnic accessories from Urbanara.

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