One of our favorite picnic spots is Peter’s Point, where you can enjoy the beach views from your own covered picnic table. We were happy to spread out our cloth on this sunny day and unpack our delicious lunch, along with plates, utensils, hand wipes, and bottled mineral water—everything we needed for a lovely beach picnic. First off, we opened up the thermos full of hot apple cider—perfect for a winter afternoon at the beach. After a quick toast, we opened up our fruit and cheese plate. The tangy blue cheese and sharp aged cheddar paired really well with fresh sweet grapes and crunchy, slightly tart green apples, and we both commented on what a pleasure it is to enjoy such high quality cheese. Our sandwiches were freshly grilled marinated chicken on delicious artisan bread. The bread was tasty and slightly doughy, but not at all tough, like some grocery store artisan bread. A light honey Dijon mayonnaise complemented the tasty and moist chicken.

As a side dish, we enjoyed chilled asparagus with cherry tomatoes drizzled with a green Caesar dressing—a traditional Caesar dressing with fresh herbs. The asparagus were perfectly cooked—still crunchy but cooked completely—and the flavorful dressing was not at all heavy, like some Caesars. Blended with fresh parsley and chives, the dressing was light and fresh.

For our dessert, I was delighted to find homemade carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Carrot cake has always been one of my favorites. Unfortunately, we usually have the dried-out and heavy store-bought variety. Old South Yankee’s carrot cake made me remember what I love so much about this classic dessert. It was very moist, but not too heavy, and had wonderful cinnamon and orange flavors. In fact, I learned that they make the icing with orange zest—something that gives the creamy icing a fresh and light quality. With freshly grated carrots and golden raisins, it was just out of this world.

And what do you do with the picnic basket after the picnic? You can return it to Old South Yankee for a discount, or opt to keep it. We immediately returned our basket because, with these wonderful gourmet take-out picnics available at a very reasonable price, we’re already looking forward to our next picnic lunch date. The picnic lunches are also great for groups who are boating or fishing. Old South Yankee also offers terrific hot pressed sandwiches, as well as complete “Brown Bag Lunches” that include sandwich, salad, dessert, and sweet or unsweet tea—all for under $5, including tax! Old South Yankee is located at 1667 South Eighth Street. They are open daily and serve lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.