Category: Food and Drink

The sun is out, the sky is blue and it’s time for a picnic! And if you want to do it in some style, you need one of the Life’s a Picnic hampers.

They’re vintage hampers created by Elly and Evie Pace – or rather, hampers using classic and vintage materials. Each hamper is a one-off, featuring vintage tableware, linens, cutlery and lining fabrics – never in the same combination and all housed in a willow hamper with naturally tanned West Country leather straps.

And if you fancy a basket rather than a hamper, they do those too –  using vintage melamine tableware for your outdoor feast. Obviously you’ll have to pay for this level of detail, with a two-person hamper available from £180 and a four-person baskets starting at £160. But it’s going to beat anything you’ll find on the high street.

See the full range at the Life’s a Picnic website

Probably sold out now and destined for high prices on eBay, but if you’re a Monty Python fan, I’m guessing you’ll be very keen to get your hands on the Monty Python-themed HP Sauce.

It went on sale exclusively at Selfridges in March and features an exclusive design (pictured) based on the Spamalot musical. However, the flavour is still that same HP taste.

1,075 bottles were made in total, each containing a numbered certificate of authenticity. All proceeds from the sale of the HP Spamalot Sauce bottles are going to baby’s charity Tommy’s.

The shelf price was £6.99. But the eBay price will probably be much higher.

HP website

There’s a number of signs that you’ve got too much money burning a hole in your pocket – buying something with diamonds encrusted on it, investing in a football club or perhaps collecting vintage cars. I think we can safely add to that list buying sterling silver lids and sleeves for classic condiments.

The sleeves pictured here are the work of Theo Fennell and can be bought online. The set here offers a Coleman’s Mustard lid, Marmite lid, HP Sauce sleeve and a Heinz Tomato Ketchup sleeve – all in sterling silver. And if that’s not enough, there’s a range of other products, including Smirnoff vodka, Haagen Dazs ice cream and Lea and Perrin’s sauce.

The set featured here retails for £95. See the website for other or individual items.

Find out more at the Theo Fennell website