Picnics are happy occasions and have always been a diversion from every day cares. We think of the picnic as an outdoor meal, set on a blanket, usually in the middle of the day, featuring a hamper filled with tasty morsels and perhaps a bottle of wine, but historically picnics came in many forms, served any time of the day. This first culinary history reveals rustic outdoor dining in its more familiar and unusual forms, the history of the word itself, the cultural context of picnics and who arranged them, and, most important, the gastronomic appeal. Drawing on various media and literature, painting, music, and even sculpture, Walter Levy provides an engaging and enlightening history of the picnic.

While considerable animosity and criticism generally existed between British and French societies throughout the 18th century, the British - especially the middle and upper classes - were very fond of French cuisine with its extravagant flavors and ingredients. Clermont's cookbook, The Professed Cook, is an 18th century translation of the popular French cookbook, Les Soupers de la Cour, or The Court Dinners. This book provides interesting insight into the influence of the French upon English cuisine.