Picnic Experience in Mayfair, London
Celebrate the British summer with our exclusive Lanson Champagne collaboration
St. James’s Picnic Experience
In exclusive collaboration with Lanson Champagne, experience cakes and sandwiches and scones from our signature Masterpiece Afternoon Tea paired perfectly with a chilled bottle of Lanson Champagne. Simply rent our modern picnic backpack, and savour the very best of a London summer in Green Park, located just a stone's throw away from the hotel.
Choose from pairing afternoon tea for two with a bottle of Lanson Brut at £205 or with a bottle of Lanson Rosé at £218.
*Food must be consumed within 3 hours of collection
Available throughout summer from 29th June to 31st August
The St. James’s Picnic Experience must be pre-booked at least four hours in advance and is available for collection daily between 11:30am and 7:00pm.
To enquire please contact us via +44 (0) 20 7316 1621 or restaurant@stjameshotelandclub.com
Booking & Cancellation Policy:
- Payment: No deposit required; full payment is taken at the time of booking.
- Notice Period: Same-day orders require a minimum of 4 hours’ notice.
- Cancellations: Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled booking time
- Cancellations made within 24 hours of the booking are non-refundable.
The Surprising History of the Picnic
Before it became a casual afternoon of sandwiches and plaid blankets, the picnic was actually a high-society, indoor event. The word originated in 17th-century France as pique-nique, describing an upscale, indoor potluck where guests split the cost of food and wine. It wasn't until the French Revolution in 1789 that the concept moved outdoors; when royal parks opened to the public, everyday citizens took their meals outside as a celebration of new democratic freedoms. The tradition was later romanticized by Victorian England into an elaborate, multi-course art form packed into heavy wicker baskets, before eventually evolving into the accessible, relaxing outdoor escape we know and enjoy today.