June 18, 2021 - On international picnic day, TCN introduces Piknika, an excellent way to enjoy food and nature while others cook for you! 

Summertime is ideal for weekend trips and new experiences in nature, and one of them should be a picnic. We present a wonderful project by two friends who found a way how to offer urban families a great experience – time in nature and a delicious lunch on a blanket!

Just over two years ago, friends Ana Gašparović and Aleksandra Kuratko Pani were exchanging their experiences of weekend trips and enjoying nature and came up with a great idea – offering a picnic experience modeled upon numerous world-renowned destinations. And not just any – all it takes is goodwill, several clicks on the menu of the restaurant of your choice, and good company for a feast on a blanket!

“Our Piknika came to life two years ago, and the name consists of the words Pik and Nika, who are actually two characters, mascots who will speak not only of food and places to enjoy it, but also of how to behave in nature and how to properly dispose of everything used in the picnic. We came upon the picnic idea after many times we went to lunch with our families, often facing the fact that kids need entertainment along with food and how it would be good to carry something along and explore the surroundings. This is exactly what we offer to our clients daily in a more sophisticated form of healthy food made from domestic goods,” said Ana Gašparović at a press picnic, asking her business partner Aleksandra to present the contents of the picnic basket.

“As you will see, each basket contains bio-degradable packaging such as paper plates, cups, straws, wooden utensils, and food boxes. With each basket, we provide a blanket and table cloth along with bio-degradable bags for waste, as well as for instructions on disposal in order for every picnic to be nature-friendly. We strived to use products from Croatian companies. The knitted basket is made by Međimurjeplet, the textile is from Tekstilpromet, and the official sponsor of our project is the Consultare company which provides biodegradable bags. The food and drinks you want to enjoy is chosen by you on our website which displays all our partners and their offers. The food you order is packaged in carton boxes which preserve heat for around 30 minutes, so from the time you pick up your order at the desired location to the moment you start eating, you will have a warm meal in your hands,” explained Aleksandra and added a large number of consumers are women and younger people who do not wish to spend their weekend in the kitchen, but rather enjoy nature. The food in the basket is not priced differently than in the restaurant, while a picnic offers the opportunity to explore various destinations. The specialties filling up the baskets, as well as the offer that has a bit of something for everyone were also discussed at the press picnic run by Alma Premerl Zoko. The owner of Međimurski Dvori, Tatjana Martinjaš explained the Međimurje basket often contains breaded chicken, pasta with cabbage, and Međimurje gibanica cake, the symbols of picnicking and enjoying nature in Međimurje. Tatjana added how many young families use this service to offer their children a special experience of a family lunch with a wonderful view. 

The experience of combining traditional specialties, but also enticing cooking, was also spoken of by Bernard Tkalčec, owner of rural tourism Zlatni Klas Otrovanec. Since his rural tourism is located on the border of Podravina and Slavonia, they offer traditional Slavonian specialties: veal baked in a wooden oven, but also an excellent offer for vegans and vegetarians with many specialties from nettle and pumpkin. Rural tourism Kezele, the first Piknika partner, was represented by Slavko Novaković who spoke of specialties of this well-known destination such as kotlovina dishes and homemade strudels, all with famous Kezele wines. The current favorite in picnic baskets is a rose sparkling that goes great with domestic strawberries. The fifth Piknika partner (Ana and Aleksandra invite all interested restaurants to join with their offer) is the Na Malenom Brijegu agrotourism from Bilogora, where among other options you can enjoy white polenta with cream, barbecue, stuffed salted pancakes, zlevanka cake and enjoy unspoiled nature only two hours from Zagreb.

What it’s like to choose your picnic basket food and the place to enjoy your picnic was explained by Jasmina Rakić Horvat, the young owner of the Rakić rural tourism near Križevci. She prepared delicious rolled turkey with nettle, pieces of fried chicken, interesting buckwheat fritters, excellent homemade cheese strudel the way grandmothers make them. The basket also contained drinks – a bottle of wine, homemade citrus juice and utensils, blanket and table cloth, along with the ordered food. Blankets can be spread next to the estate, as well as next to the nearby Čabraji lake within walking distance, or a tractor ride. Guests often take their picnic baskets to Kalnik mountain. Baskets are available all day long, and when your picnic time ends, return it to the start of your gastro nature adventure – the restaurant of your choice. If you wish, you can purchase the basket, blanket, and table cloth for future picnics.

Photos: Nikola Zoko

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