Web Page No 2532

1^st December 2018

1^st Picture. Typical 1950s picnic

2nd Picture. Picnic Hamper

3^rd Picture. Meths Picnic Boiler

Picnic Time

The food was the domain of my mother and grandmother who would busy themselves over making fairy cakes, a Victoria Sponge, tinned fruit and evaporated milk and paste or ham sandwiches. The menu hardly ever varied. There was always fizzy pop for me and tea for the adults and the making of the tea was an art in itself, but more of that later.

First it was time to pack the car. The first item into the boot was the picnic blanket which would be spread on the grass when we arrived, then a chair for Grandma and three cushions for the rest of us. A box or hamper was next and is contained Bakelite plates, dishes, cups and sauces and knives forks and spoons plus small linen napkins. There were bottles with screw tops sealed with greaseproof paper for milk, little medicine tins or boxes with sugar in them and a screw top jar with the precious loose tea in it. However, the most important item in this box was the teapot with its accompanying tea strainer, loose tea then no tea bags in the 1950s.

Then, in would go the sunshade to protect us from the sun and the umbrella to protect us from the rain and wind breaks to shelter us from strong breezes, sun hats, sun cream, anti-mosquito cream and calamine lotion in case I got sunburnt. Then came the mysterious old biscuit tin with its tightly sealed lid. This was to form a major part of the running of the picnic.

Most families had a tin like this and when the picnic site was reached and everything was laid out it was father who brought this tin from the car and placed it on the rug ready for use. If you have not guessed it already this was the water boiling equipment. Out would come the camping kettle with its folding handle and screw top to the spout and this was slowly filled with some of the water that was brought along in old lemonade bottles so that the tea could be made. Lastly in the tin, which remained in there so as not to be affected by the wind, was the Methylated Spirit stove. Father would pour just enough Meths into the chamber in the bottom of the stove in the tin. Lighting it was always amusing as Dad attacked it with his cigarette lighter which he kept in a little leather pouch with a silver threepenny bit in it to open the bottom of the lighter to top it up. As soon as the stove was burning away with a blue flame the unstoppered kettle was put on the grid over the flames and the wait for tea began. My overriding memory is of the smell of burning meths at every picnic as they boiled the water for the tea.

After the picnic and a short walk in the countryside it was time to repack everything back into the car after having made sure that the Meths stove was completely out. However, this was preceded, believe it or not by more boiling water and the washing up. Mum would bring an enamel bowl with us, plus a dish cloth and tea towels  so everything could be washed up and put away clean before we came home. No Tupperware in those days!

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On this day 1st December 1960-65

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