Online shopping is a major convenience that’s simplified the life of people around the world. The only thing lost in the shift to digital retail is the ability to see and hold the products you want.
Since we know making a purchase online feels risky, we decided to bring you the next best thing to holding the product in person: a thorough and honest review with images.
The first product we’re reviewing is the Veranda Collection Basket for Two in Red-Green Stripes from Picnic & Beyond.
Exterior
The exterior of the basket is made of a nice willow material that has a lovely earthy tone. When resting on the grass or on a picnic table, the willow basket blends in with environment for a natural ambiance.
The front of the basket features a nice leather handle for easy transportation. The handle felt durable, even when the basket was filled with food, and if your hands are full, the smaller sized basket can easily fit under one arm. (The dimensions are 15.75″x11″x7″.)
Accompanying the handle on the front of the basket is the mechanism used to seal the basket. The front of the lid features a leather flap with a slit in the middle. When the lid is closed, the slit fits into the mechanism on the bottom half and you twist it to seal it. It’s a very simple design that does its job.
Interior
When you open the basket, the first thing that pops out to you is the decorative lining. The summery lining features red, green, yellow, white and pink stripes, which goes really well with the willow construction.
The next thing you’ll notice is the compartments on inside of the lid. The cups, plates and waiter’s tool are each held in place with leather straps. To retrieve the cups, you just have to undo the Velcro, while the plates are held by a belt buckle.
It’s quite capacious inside the basket with enough space for a hearty picnic for two. This probably won’t hold enough food for more than that, however. It doesn’t come with a cooler bag, but you could easily fit one off to the side and have some space next to it for non-perishable foods.
Accessories
One of the best assets of the basket is its inclusion of settings for two. It comes with two polystyrene wine glasses; two melamine plates; two sets of stainless steel spoons, forks, and knives with polypropylene handles; a stainless steel waiter’s tool; and two cotton napkins that match the lining.
This is essentially everything you need to enjoy a picnic (sans the food, of course), and the fact that the accessories each have their own place to go in the basket is super convenient.
The only complaint may be the quality of the wine glasses. They are extremely light and could be prone to tip over. Everything is dishwasher safe and the glasses are highly durable, but it’s also easy to replace them with something you like better.
Functionality
As a picnic basket, this item from the Veranda Collection is as functional as they come. It’s compact enough to fit in your car and features a nice handle. The inside is large enough to hold a main dish and sides for two.
The least functional aspect of the basket is the lid. It’s fine for keeping open when taking out food or packing up, but the lid will occasionally fall shut since there’s nothing to really hold it open except for its own weight, which will be diminished when you take out the accessories. This isn’t a major issue unless you’re picnicking on a windy day.
Availability
The Veranda Collection from Picnic & Beyond currently only has two models in the line: this red-and-green striped version and another green-and-yellow striped version. Previously, the collection featured a version with blue checkered lining and a larger version for four. Both of those have been discontinued.
If you’re interested in seeing the pricing of these picnic baskets, you can head over to the Veranda Collection Picnic Basket for 2 product page.
Overall Thoughts
From the nice willow exterior to the eye-catching lining and everything in between, this picnic basket from the Veranda Collection features a cohesive look that perfectly blends in with the outdoors. The included accessories are an added bonus that simplify your picnic adventure, despite the fact that the quality of the glasses will not exceed expectations.
At the price, this is a great all-around picnic baskets for two.