John W. from San Diego, CA
What, oh what, on earth do you give your wife for a 9th anniversary present and still come out the hero (9th = pottery/wicker, so good luck!) Answer: A romantic
picnic basket for two! She loved it; at least I'm pretty sure her reaction was genuine when she opened it.
As of yet, we have not had a chance to use the basket (wrong season!), so keep that in mind as you read this review, but here are some initial thoughts.
If you've been shopping around on this and other websites offering picnic items, you know that there is quite a huge selection of
picnic basket sets available out there. After sifting through them for several weeks, I finally chose this one because I felt it was the most comprehensive and stylish of all of them; and I was not disappointed when the set arrived. It has just about everything you could ask for, both in materials and aesthetics. I'm also happy to say that the quality of the set appears to be quite good; but of course, time will tell.
The only question mark I have about this set is its capacity. With all the other items stuffed in there, it doesn't seem at first glance like it has room to carry much food. Then again, how much food do two people realistically need on a picnic, right? It's not like we'd be stuffing an entire ham in there! :-)
An additional feature that would have been nice and would have pushed this basket over the top is a bronze/brass nameplate above the handle, suitable for engraving, just to give it a personal touch. I'd add it myself if I was the craftsman type (probably not that difficult). Not having a nameplate certainly doesn't detract from this set, but it would have added to the class and charm already present; and in my particular case, it would have marked a special event.
I know this review is long, but I'd like to make one last suggestion/observation. This exact same set is available with a blanket included as an option (catalog number 316922). I originally opted not to get the blanket, but now I find myself regretting that decision; picnic tables are great, but they pretty much limit you to public parks only, right? And there's no guarantee you'll always get one. Plus if nothing else, a blanket gives the dogs a place to lie down. So definitely consider opting for a blanket. HOWEVER, in my humble opinion, the plain ol' brown blanket available as an option with this set is pretty bland and doesn't do the set justice!! I think, judging solely from stock photos, that the
Picnic at Ascot "picnic blanket tote w/attached case" in the London Plaid design (catalog number 34294) is a FAR superior match for this
picnic basket set than a plain brown blanket. I just ordered one. The tradeoff is you won't get those neat leather straps to tie it to the basket; but here again, probably something that's easily added if you're the craftsy type.
But as far as the Cheshire London
picnic basket set for 2 itself is concerned, I'd have to say it's a real winner!
