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ASIAN

The spread

Start with sun tea - add green tea, shiso leaves or fresh lemon and ginger (wrapped in cheesecloth) to water and set in the sun to infuse.

While you're waiting, serve a first course of cool and crispy lettuce wraps: Lettuce leaves filled with lightly stir-fried mushrooms, chopped water chestnuts, grated carrots, green onions, chopped tofu, chicken, pork or baby shrimp, shredded cabbage, garlic and ginger. Sprinkle some crunchy noodles on top and finish with a squeeze of hoisin sauce. Or try a combo of chicken, mango, cucumbers and rice topped with soy sauce, mayo, sesame oil and fresh cilantro. Serve them do-it-yourself style with the condiments in Chinese takeout boxes.

Follow up with chirashi sushi in wooden bento boxes. Literally "scattered" sushi, chirashi is much easier to prepare than rolled sushi: Simply layer ingredients on top of the rice. Start with vinegared rice and add your own combination of marinated shiitakes, sesame seeds, grated carrot, edamame, ginger, fried diced tofu. Raw, smoked or cooked salmon is the non-vegetarian option. Don't forget the shredded nori sheets.

The setting

Pack chopsticks and bamboo mats, and top off your Asian picnic with a summery-striped green cloth and geometric throw cushions to sit on.

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FRENCH

The spread

Serve chilled white wine, and even red - Beaujolais is best served cold and still tastes great when left at room temperature. Start with crudités dipped in lemon oil and, for the main, serve your own version of pan bagnat: Spread the interior of the sandwich bread with olive oil to soften it and fill it with ingredients of your choice - meats, cheeses, vegetables. Wrap it in greaseproof brown paper and tie with string the night before to hold your sandwich together in French-rustic fashion. You can also serve pissaladière - a French onion pizza with olives - or vegetable quiche.

Laze away the afternoon sipping wine and nibbling on an array of crusty breads and fabulous cheeses. Be creative and eco-friendly: Wrap your cheeses in chestnut, walnut or grape leaves. You will have the bonus of the subtle infusion of fragrance and flavour from the leaves.

For dessert, choose from a scrumptious chocolate fondue with fruit on skewers, chocolate mousse served in hollowed-out frozen orange cups, or all-about-summer cherry clafouti.

The setting

Take inspiration from the royal blues and rich yellows of the French countryside. A white-and-blue cloth is particularly reminiscent of summer in Provence. Old wooden wine crates serve triple duty as picnic basket, serving tray and cutting board. Round out your sights and smells of France with artfully arranged throw pillows and bouquets of lavender.

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MIDDLE EASTERN

The spread

Go for a small-plates affair with fragrant aromas. Pair a Moroccan mint iced tea with fresh pitas that guests can fill with a selection of falafel, tabbouleh and tzatziki. You can also cut the pitas for dipping in various kinds of hummus and baba ghanouj.

For other nibbles, bring an assortment of black and green olives, as well as nuts and dried fruit. A salad of small-diced cucumber and tomato garnished with parsley and herbs travels well. Add tomatoes and feta to couscous or tabbouleh and season with cumin. For dessert, serve baklava, fresh fruit with rosewater syrup, cardamom cookies or lokma (small, sweet doughnuts).

The setting

Pour the dips into hollowed-out fruit bowls or bread bowls and you will leave no eco-footprint. Decorate with tablecloths and blankets of scrolling patterns in luxurious golds, fuchsia and deep reds.

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MEDITERRANEAN

The spread

As a twist on iced tea, try a combination of lemon and Red Zinger teas: Steep four bags each in four cups of boiling water, add equal parts apple juice and refrigerate.

Serve a cold gazpacho in small Mason jars. If you're feeling ambitious prepare this southern Spanish favourite: White gazpacho made with blanched almonds, bread, garlic, sherry vinegar and white grapes. To make sure it's still refreshingly cold when you serve it, let your soup chill in the freezer for a few hours before leaving the house.

Pack an antipasti spread of grilled vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes, some interesting cheeses, such as Manchego and Asiago, and an assortment of sliced, cured meats such as chorizo or sopressata. Round it out with breadsticks and coarse rustic bread or focaccia. (Be sure to pack a wooden board and bread knife.)

Your show-stopping main course is a muffuletta sandwich filled with a combination of tapenades, grilled veggies, cured meats and cheese. (Go to globeandmail.com/life for a step-by-step recipe). Finish with frozen grapes - they're like tiny, concentrated popsicles - for a light end to your meal.

The setting

Add a little seaside to your picnic with blue, turquoise and sunset orange. Be inspired by the beaches and sunshine of Portofino, Italy or Marbella, Spain: Decorate with shells, using them as beautiful accents that can also weigh down your tablecloth in a breeze.

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TIPS AND TRICKS

Prep

For pasta salads, undercook the pasta so it doesn't go mushy. Use veggies that lend nicely to softening over time, such as broccoli and cauliflower. Avoid mayo.

Prepare fruit skewers ahead of time so that people don't have to mess around with cutlery and get sticky hands from handling fruit. Packing

Bringing a few baskets will help with organization. One can be packed with the cutlery, glasses and plates, another with non-perishables, plus a cooler with food and drinks.

Wrap fresh leaves around cheese to pack them up and add flavour. (You can use them later as coasters.)

Pack salsas, dips, salads in hollowed-out fruit for flavour, beautiful presentation and eco-friendly cleanup. You can also freeze the fruit "cup" first. Use larger fruit hollowed out as ice buckets. Cut up or ball the fruit and freeze it to make flavoured water.

Setting the 'table'

Always layer blankets and tablecloths. Place all your food on one, with a much larger one underneath for people to sit on. This ensures sand and dirt won't get too close to the food.

Buy quick-dry towelettes to use as placemats. Pack wax paper or small paper bags for sandwiches people can hold in their hands.

Drinks

Freeze drinks the night before so they will be cool for the picnic. Be sure to pour out a little first, so when the ice expands it doesn't pop the lid.

Use clean jars as glasses, and differentiate guests' drinks with coloured elastic bands. A large candy or Mason jar makes a good pitcher - pack a ladle.

Inflatable water wings are easily transportable and make great cup holders to prevent spilling drinks on the uneven grass.

Adele Hagan: foodstylist.ca