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Picnic is Reading's cosy coffee house.
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  • Local Homemade Cakes
    Click here for the finest selection of homemade cakes in Berkshire

    Local Homemade Cakes

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    Picnic has the finest selection of homemade cakes in Berkshire! All our cakes are handmade in local kitchens by people who love baking – like Mrs Long.

    The options usually include things like:

    • coffee & walnut cake
    • Victoria sponge
    • chocolate cake
    • coconut cake
    • wheat- and gluten-free lemon polenta cake
    • dairy-free carrot cake
    • chocolate brownies
    • flapjacks
    • fruit and nut flapjacks
    • tiffin
    • gluten- and dairy-free almond macaroons...

    The list goes on and is ever changing. So come down to Picnic and sample a slice with a cup of our delicious ethical coffee or Fairtrade tea.

    If a slice is not enough, why not order a whole cake to take away? Just give us a call on 0118 958 9292, drop us an email or pop into the café.

  • Reading Climbing Centre
    Click me to find out about the Picnic Cafe at The Reading Climbing centre
  • Deliveries
    Click here for business lunch catering

    Deliveries

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    We provide catering for business lunches in the central Reading area.

    We can either design a menu based on what we’re serving in the café that week or prepare something to your specific requirements.

    A typical business lunch might include:

    • a range of sandwiches prepared on the morning of delivery
    • freshly baked savoury items, such as vine tomato with cheddar and chives, spinach and ricotta parcels, sausage rolls, asparagus and parmesan quiche and peach, parma ham and pinenut canapés
    • a selection of homemade cakes
    • and fruit sticks comprising melon, pineapple and grapes.

    This would be charged at £7.50 + VAT per head, including delivery and collection of platters.

    Please contact us to discuss your needs and request a quote.

  • Great Salads
    Click here for fresh, healthy and tasty salads

    Great Salads

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    Our fresh and healthy salads have been the basis of our menu since the day Picnic opened. In fact we started out offering a healthy salad option to festivalgoers in the summer of 2006. Since then we’ve produced over 300 variations!

    Available to eat in or take away, our Picnic Boxes are the perfect alternative to one of our lovely sandwiches or soups. They make a quick, wholesome lunch that will give you an energy boost for the rest of your day.

    The menu changes every Monday, but we always have two options – one vegetarian and one meat-based. All come with couscous and fresh leaf salad from the fields of Hampshire.

    Picnic Box favourites include:

    • Chicken & homemade pesto
    • Mexican beef salad
    • roasted red pepper
    • Roasted chorizo & homemade humous
    • Mexican beef salad with homemade guacamole and salsa
    • asparagus and parmesan quiche
    • halloumi and homemade coleslaw
    • roasted winter vegetables
    • chicken with mint
    • bacon and avocado
    • smoked mackerel with sweet chilli sauce...

    Click on the links below to see details of what’s in this week’s Picnic Boxes:

    • Picnic Box 1 – £3.20 to take away / £3.80 to eat in
    • Picnic Box 2 – £3.50 to take away / £4.20 to eat in

    We’re always looking for inspiration for our Picnic Boxes, so please feel free to share your ideas with us!

    • picnic box 1
    • picnic box 2
  • Fresh Sandwiches
    Click here for freshly prepared sandwiches made with local bread

    Fresh Sandwiches

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    We prepare sandwiches freshly on the premises every morning, using locally baked bread.

    Here are some of the options:

    • brie, cranberry and apple
    • houmous, celery and red pepper
    • houmous and sun-dried tomato
    • smoked cheese and spicy tomato chutney
    • cheese and tomato
    • plain cheese
    • smoked salmon and cream cheese
    • chorizo and sweet chilli sauce
    • pastrami and emmental
    • pate and brie
    • ham and cheese
    • ham, cheese and mustard
    • ham, cheese and chutney
    • plain ham
    • roast beef and horseradish
    • roast beef and mustard
    • Thai green chicken
    • bacon and avocado

    Our sandwiches are all £2.99 to take away or £3.65 to eat in.

  • Superb Ethical Coffee
    Click here for ethical coffee and Fairtrade teas and hot chocolate

    Superb Ethical Coffee

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    Coffee Kings of Coffee Corner since 2007!

    Having so much coffee competition on our doorstep we have to work hard to hold onto our title of 'Coffee Kings of Coffee Corner', as voted by our own very discerning customers...

    We use 100% arabica beans, which are ethically sourced from the fields of Honduras. We've invested in top-notch equipment and training to ensure we fulfil our aim of providing the best possible cup of coffee, every time!

    You can buy Picnic coffee beans to enjoy at home, either whole or ground. Just ask at the counter.

    We also serve a range of Fairtrade teas and hot chocolate as well as juices and smoothies.

  • Gallery
    Click here to visit the Picnic photo gallery
  • Soups
    Click here for award-winning Dorset Blue Soup Company soups

    Soups

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    All our soups are made for us by the Dorset Blue Soup Company at their farm in Sturminster Newton.

    As the name suggests, many of the soups contain their award-winning Dorset Blue Vinny cheese. Chief soup chef Emily tells us, “We use the milk from our own herd of Friesian dairy cows, who graze the lush pastures in the heart of the Blackmore Vale”.

    Some of the soups are dairy free, plus all of them are gluten-free and made using vegetable stock.

    The Dorset Blue Soup Company has won coveted one star Great Taste Awards for their roasted squash, garlic & sage and pea & blue soups, as well as their their spiced tomato chutney, which we use in our smoked cheese and tomato chutney rolls. All their soups and chutneys are handmade on the farm using fresh, seasonal vegetables.

    Enjoy a delicious soup with bread and butter for just £2.99 to take away or £3.85 eat in.

    Superb!

  • Deals
    Click here for our latest deals

    Deals

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    Summer 2012 Climbing wall lunch time deal!

    Any freshly prepared sandwich or roll, a packet of Pipers crisps and a delicious Picnic apple juice for a mouth watering £5.00!

    You could either savour the deal in the pleasant surroundings of centralising wall café or take it away. The decision is yours.

  • Click here for details of this week

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    Roasted Roots with delecious houmous (12/05/2013), served with couscous and fresh leaf salad from Hampshire.

    £3.50 to take away / £4.20 to eat

  • Click here for details of this week

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    Roasted Chorizo sausages with homemade Tomato & Basil Salsa

    (w/c  12/05/2013) served with couscous and leaf salad fresh from the fields of Hampshire.

    £3.90 to take away / £4.60 to eat in

  • Jelly
    Click here to read about some of our fans

    Jelly

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    We all love Picnic at jelly. We've been hanging out here since the week it opened. In fact sometimes it feels like jelly HQ!

    Picnic hosts the hang-on artists network group that meets on the last Friday of each month from 4.30pm. They’ve also been involved in some of the mad art interventions we do, including the knitting marathon for Innocent’s little hats campaign, Let Me Ease Your Day (art intervention Belfast, Reading, LA and Chicago) and Town Centre Day 2009.

    We love Picnic because it’s independent, individual and idiosyncratic like us, but also much younger, better looking and has more cake!

    If you want to find out about jelly and the work we do, please visit our website or ask Jon to point us out to you.

    Suzanne Stallard, Director

    suzanne (at) jelly.org.uk

    0118 9507926

    • About Picnic
      Click here to find out about Picnic

      About Picnic

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      Picnic is an independent café located in the heart of Reading town centre. We’ve been established at 5 Butter Market since the summer of 2007.

      Specialising in ethical coffee and locally produced food and with a unique welcoming atmosphere, we attract a varied and discerning crowd of people who live or work in Reading, as well as shoppers and even visiting artists.

      We serve:

      • ethical coffee, Fairtrade teas and hot chocolate, juices and smoothies
      • a range of breakfast options, like cereals, toast, pastries and croissants
      • freshly made sandwiches using locally baked bread
      • Picnic Boxes featuring Hampshire-grown salad
      • award-winning soups from the Dorset Blue Soup Company
      • and snacks, including samosas, crisps and fruit
      • as well as delicious cakes and organic ice cream.

      We also sell products to take away including picnic hampers, pickled cabbage and onions and cookery books, as well as cakes, and provide a business lunch catering service.

      We’re proud to offer an independent alternative to the people of Reading.

      Voted - Independent retailer of the year 2010 at the Reading Retail Awards.

    • Click here for Mrs Long

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      Yes, believe it or not, Mrs Long does exist and makes some of our most popular cakes. In fact she’s been an integral part of Picnic since opening week, and her baking expertise has secured us a reputation for reassuringly homemade cakes.

      Some of Mrs Long’s classics include:

      • coffee & walnut cake
      • Victoria sponge
      • raspberry friands
      • bakewell tarts (don’t tell her we add a cherry on top!)
      • date & walnut cake
      • iced ginger cake
      • and farmhouse fruitcake.

      She also produces various seasonal treats, like:

      • Easter nests
      • Easter biscuits
      • mince pies
      • Christmas puddings
      • and Christmas cakes.

      As well as enjoying a slice in the café you can also order whole cakes to take home, including ones for special occasions. Just send us an email letting us know your requirements, give us a call on 0118 958 9292 or pop in to Picnic.

    • Opening Times
      Come in and relax in our unique atmosphere

      Opening Times

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      Opening hours

      Monday-Saturday – 7am-6pm

      Sunday – 8am-5pm

      Christmas Day & Boxing Day – closed

      Contact

      Picnic Foods Ltd, 5 Butter Market, Reading, Berkshire RG1 2DP

      Tel: 0118 958 9292

      Email: info (at) picnicfoods.co.uk

    • Deals
      Click here for our latest deals

      Deals

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      Summer 2012 Climbing wall lunch time deal!

      Any freshly prepared sandwich or roll, a packet of Pipers crisps and a delicious Picnic apple juice for a mouth watering £5.00!

      You could either savour the deal in the pleasant surroundings of centralising wall café or take it away. The decision is yours.

      • Follow Picnic on Twitter
    • About
    • Opening hours
    • Deliveries
    • Deals
    • Local homemade cakes
    • Mrs Long's cakes
    • Great salads
    • Fresh sandwiches
    • Soups
    • Superb coffee
    • Picnic Box 1
    • Picnic Box 2
    • Gallery

    telephone: Butter Market 0118 958 9292 Climbing wall 0118 975 7980

    email

    © Picnic Foods Limited. Picnic is a registered company based in England. Website design by Giles Taylor Design Copywriting by Kat Creative