My London | Duke's Posh Picnic by Buckingham Palace
I was looking for a fun day out for my friend, Amber, before she had her baby girl. Since it wasn't her first baby, we agreed that she wasn't in need of swaddling muslins, bottles or diapers... but probably could go for a little "me" time before the baby arrived.
We were stuck in between doing another afternoon tea (not complaining! just wanting to shake things up a bit!) and jaunting away for the day somewhere fabulous (felt like so much effort!)... in the midst of this planning pergatory, I heard about Dukes Hotel's Picnic in the Park and knew it would be perfect.
Why, you may ask, did I think a picnic would be a good fit? I'll keep it simple with some bullet points.
WHY WE SAID 'YES' TO DUKES PICNIC IN THE PARK:
1. It was a luxury meal that we didn't have to make or prepare.
2. It came in an adorable stripey hamper and was served to us by a butler.
3. It only costs £35 per person, so it wouldn't break the bank.
4. We could sit alongside Buckingham Palace as we ate... which, if we are honest, is as close are we will be getting to lunching with Lizzy anytime soon.
And did the outing living up to our experience? YES. It was such a refreshing day out for both us doing something easy while feeling very extraordinary!
Our butler was so sweet and very attentive. He met us at the hotel when we arrived and walked us to the park.
When we got to Green Park, he let us choose where we wanted to set up camp, laid out everything for us, poured our drinks and then left his number for us to call should we need anything. He came back every so often to check on us and bring us sill things that we requested.
The actual picnic itself was really good- light and fresh. As all picnic food can be, it was a bit messy by the time it made it across the park and out of saran wrap. But we quickly fluffed everything up with a fork though and tidied it up to restore it back to its full potential. The cous cous salad and piri piri chicken skewers were exceptionally tasty.
And there's no better way to celebrate an upcoming birth than with some baby-friendly fizz!
As we lounged around Green Park like we were Roman nobility, people kept strolling by and gawking at us like we were pretty fancy. (Which made us giggle a lot.) By having a butler serve you a picnic does get a bit more attention than our normal picnic spread of M&S sandwiches, juice boxes and plastic hummus cartons.
This posh picnic in the park from Duke's Hotel in Mayfair is a definite winner for an exciting London experience. I'd recommend it to anyone- tourist or local alike. It's a fun and tasty option for enjoying the city in a really special way!
DUKES MAYFAIR | St James Place, London SW1A 1NY. +44 (0)207 491 4840
*images original to Aspiring Kennedy
*our picnic was complimentary. review is my own.