The Andes Camping Picnic Hamper

by Steph Fox 9th June 2020

My impulse buy a couple of weeks ago was a good one. When it became very apparent we wouldn’t be going abroad anywhere, and that outside activities are likely to be the only ones we can really do this summer I decided to invest in a picnic hamper. The weather was incredible, and we were suddenly allowed to drive to places for walks and the great outdoors – so taking our own picnic just made sense, and naturally I needed the whole works rather than just a carrier bag with a few boxed sandwiches in it. After some research I decided on the 4 person Andes Camping Picnic Hamper.

Disclaimer: The Amazon link in this post is an Affiliate link, no other links are.

I spent about half an hour researching different ones, on a number of different sites. I will share them all linked at the end but I looked on Fortnum and Mason (far too £££), Wayfair, Amazon and a few other places before finding it. The world of picnic hampers is quite exciting when you get into it, and there’s some really cute ones about.

I know appearances aren’t everything but I wanted a pretty one, with the picture perfect gingham pattern inside, the whicker basket exterior, and as much as possible inside, all with it’s own little space but leaving room for plenty of food and drink.

The Andes Camping one ticked all the boxes, as it comes with ceramic plates x 4, stainless steel cutlery of knives, forks and spoons x 4, mini wine glasses x 4, a cork screw and bottle opener, salt and pepper shakers, 4 napkins, 2 cool bags and 1 wine or bottle cooler.

It cost £44.99 which based on the hampers I looked at was probably mid range pricing, but I didn’t mind not buying the cheapest to get what I wanted. I’m looking at it as an investment that will last for years, and we will definitely get our use out of it this year alone.

Throughout lockdown and as restrictions eased, we’ve been desperate for fresh air and being outside. May was incredible weather so we got to use it straight away on a couple of occasions. We packed up sandwiches, antipasti, grapes, sausage rolls, mini sausages, a cheese board, lemon slices, crisps, fruit, and of course a bottle of wine for me.

We firstly went to the beach (a disaster, not because of the hamper but because Arthur got sand absolutely everywhere), then more successfully Ingram Valley in Northumberland. All the food and drink fit in perfectly, but I did take out two of the four plates, knives etc – no point making it twice as heavy. It all fastens together with a secure lock, and the leather handle not he side is sturdy so no worries about weight.

Everything was still in perfect condition when we opened it, no squashed sandwiches or warm wine at all, and it was nice to have actual plates and cutlery to eat from rather than over a cardboard box or picnic bag. I think it’s more cost effective too if you’re planning more than one picnic, as you can make everything at home and reduce waste.

I’m ready for the weather to warm up again, it’s set to mid June as I want to use it again. It will also come in very handy when we are all being well, in the Lake District later this year.

So you can get this specific one on Amazon here, but I actually found that as there was no option for Prime, delivery was going to be much quicker and also free by ordering directly from the Andes camping site here. I ordered it on the Thursday and it arrived on the Sunday.

What was just a silly purchase has turned out to be a really good one, as I’m already planning where else we can take it so would highly recommend especially for the summer we will be having this year. Once you’ve ate your fill it’s a lot easier to re pack up all the rubbish to take home in one place too.