Picnics are a classic summertime activity and we believe that there’s always room for chocolate in your wicker basket…here’s how you can keep it cool.

We believe that there’s no better way to spend a summer’s day than with a picnic. From the gingham blankets to the itty-bitty sandwiches, we love everything about them.

However, our very favourite thing about picnics is (unsurprisingly) the food. When you think of classic picnic food, scotch eggs and strawberries probably spring to mind. However, we think that no picnic is complete without a little chocolate. In fact, we’ve even created a range of summer-inspired chocolates that are perfect for popping in your picnic basket.

Chocolate picnic ideas

Ice cream is one of our favourite summer treats so we’ve created a box of chocolates inspired by it – our Ice Cream Swirls. Coming in classic flavours like Raspberry and Vanilla, these scrumptious little bites will give any picnic a taste of childhood fun. We’ve also come up with two summer H-Boxes – the Summer Sundaes H-Box and the Summer Desserts H-Box – which are bursting with fruity, summery delights. Get one of these to pass around and you’ll be the most popular person at the picnic.

How to keep picnic chocolate cool

As much as we love including chocolate in our picnics, we understand that keeping it cool on hot days can be a little tricky. After all, the last thing you want is an accidental chocolate fondue in your picnic basket!

But worry not, we have some great tips that will help you keep your chocolate cool during all those idyllic summer picnics, allowing you to enjoy your favourite sweet treat with no stress…

Refrigerate it before you go out

Whether or not chocolate should go in the fridge is an eternal debate. Usually, we’re firmly on the no side because chocolate is best kept in a cool (but not too cold) environment. However, we make exceptions for summer picnics because putting it in the fridge for a few hours before you head out is a great way to ensure that it won’t melt too quickly. As long as you make sure that your chocolate is airtight and well-wrapped, popping it in the fridge will help you avoid any melting disasters.

Take an ice pack

If picnics are your thing, you should definitely invest in an ice pack or two. These nifty little things are great at keeping your food cool and are especially important if you’re packing something that’s likely to melt in the summer sun – like chocolate!

Simply pop one next to your chocolate in your picnic basket and it should stay solid, snappable, and delicious.

What makes chocolate melt?

If you’re wondering why chocolate melts in hot weather, the answer is very simple – cocoa butter. A naturally-occuring fat that’s derived from cocoa beans, cocoa butter gives chocolate that creamy, melt-in-the-mouth consistency, but also makes it very easy to melt.

It may be inconvenient when your chocolate melts, but we think it’s a small price to pay for such a rich, delicious texture. And, let’s face it, its tendency to melt is one of the things we love most about it.

What kind of chocolate melts faster?

The more cocoa butter that chocolate contains, the faster it will melt. The purest chocolate is therefore the most meltable.

The other ingredients in chocolate – such as milk and sugar – slow down the melting process. So, in general dark chocolate will always melt the fastest because it often contains no milk and very little sugar.

Next time you enjoy a bar of intense dark choc, such as our 85% Dark Chocolate Slab, you’ll probably notice how quickly it melts on your fingers and in your mouth.

White chocolate, on the other hand, is the slowest to melt because it contains more milk and sugar than most other chocolate. It’s therefore a smart move to prioritise white chocolate when you’re packing your picnic because it shouldn’t melt too quickly. From our Eton Mess Slab to our Lemon Cheesecake Chocolates, we have a huge range of fruity white chocolate goodies that would be perfect for a picnic.

Picnic Ready

We hope all these tips have made you feel a lot more prepared to put together the summer picnic of dreams. From cool ice cream chocolates to fruity white chocolate, the addition of our favorite sweet treat is bound to make this picnic your best yet. We hope we’re invited…