Picnics and outdoor eating on a grocery budget in Australia

Spring and summer make outdoor eating more appealing — and more expensive if you are not careful

A picnic or park lunch sounds simple, but the combination of convenience packaging, deli purchases and single-serve items can push the cost well above a home-cooked meal of similar quality. With a small amount of planning, it is straightforward to pack a genuinely good spread at a fraction of what a deli or café would charge.

Foods that travel well and cost little

Sandwiches and wraps made at home. The cost per sandwich made from a standard loaf of bread and fillings bought at the supermarket is a fraction of a café sandwich. Wraps hold together better than sandwiches in warm weather. Fillings that travel well include egg salad, tinned tuna, ham, cheese, hummus and salad leaves packed separately.

Frittata or Spanish omelette. Made the night before, cut into wedges and packed in a container, this is a satisfying and cheap picnic food that holds at room temperature for a few hours. Eggs, leftover vegetables and a small amount of cheese make a filling dish for a group at minimal cost.

Pasta or grain salad. A large bowl of cooked pasta, rice or pearl barley with seasonal vegetables, olive oil and whatever herbs or protein you have is cheap to make in bulk and travels well in a sealed container.

Fresh fruit in season. September and October bring strawberries, grapes and early stone fruit into better quality and price. Whole fruit that travels without preparation — grapes, strawberries, mandarins — is ideal for outdoor eating. See our spring produce guide for what is currently in good value.

Crackers, cheese and dips. A block of cheese, a box of crackers and a tub of dip (hummus, tzatziki, baba ganoush) from the supermarket costs significantly less per gram than the same items packaged as a "grazing platter" from the deli or specialty store. Portion into a container at home.

Where the cost climbs if you are not careful

Individual serve packaging. Small bags of chips, single-serve dip portions, juice boxes and individually wrapped snacks are all priced at a premium over buying in larger formats and portioning yourself.

Deli platters and pre-assembled cheese boards. These are convenient but expensive per gram compared with assembling the same components yourself from the same supermarket. A deli-sliced charcuterie board from the counter costs significantly more than buying the same smallgoods packaged.

Speciality drinks. Canned sparkling water, premium soft drinks and bottled juices in small formats are expensive per litre. A reusable bottle filled at home, or large-format drinks divided into cups, cost far less.

Practical packing

Reusable containers and a cooler bag eliminate the need for single-use packaging and keep food at safe temperatures on warm days. This is both cheaper per use and reduces the amount you need to carry in.

For larger groups, checking which chain has the better price on the main ingredients this week is worth a few minutes. Run a search on TrolleyChecker before shopping for a group picnic.