Elaborate, elegant beach picnics have been popping up all over my Pinterest feed for months. Beautiful bohemian scenes with flowing fabrics, pillows, and freshly prepared foods. Stop right there, who are these fancy people? I want to be them, but what I want even more is practicality. So I decided I'd try to create a pretty picnic with fresh, delicious food that was actually easy. I mean easy in every way: easy to plan (like one stop at the grocery store easy), easy to pack and carry to the beach, and even easier to clean-up after the evening was over.

What I landed on was a cheese plate-inspired spread entirely from the grocery store (in this case Trader Joe's), with everything in a resealable container that made clean-up a breeze. This is quite possibly my new favorite way to entertain: Pick a beautiful spot where nature provides the setting, throw down a blanket, scatter some Turkish towels that can be folded for padded spots to sit-- and which double for guests to use if they opt to take a dip. Entertaining really can't get any easier! 

I split the menu into a few key categories to ensure I'd have a wide range of options for guests. You can easily apply these same categories to your preferred grocery store. Prefer milk chocolate over dark? Swap it out. There's nothing mandatory about this list. Just think of it as a loose guideline for your own picnic planning and you'll wind up with a simple menu that'll please every taste.

Sweet: Lemon cookies and dark chocolate

Savory: Oven baked cheese bites, assorted olives

Spicy: Chili pepper jelly

Tart/Fruit: Cherries and peach jam

Herbal/Veggie: Tabbouleh

To Dip, Spread, or Top: Pita chips, wheat crackers, and baguette

To Drink: Ginger Beer, Elderflower Rose Lemonade, and Peach Bellini

I used Suite One Studio ceramics and glassware to add elegance to this casual scene, but hauling around breakables isn't always the best option and I get that. I've rounded up some of my favorite picnic approved plastic, wood, and textiles in the links below. Bonus, each of these items would coordinate beautifully with any of the items in the Suite One Studio shop or in our design collaboration exclusively at Anthropologie! Enjoy!