Tom Parker Bowles is in a philosophical mood. “People give up sex, they give up booze, but nobody can give up eating,” he muses, unpacking our hamper. “Food is the basis of civilisation. It contains the entire history of a country.” He pauses to unveil a tortilla. “Then again,” he adds, “perhaps I’m just greedy.”

We are sitting – rather uncomfortably – on a blanket in Hyde Park, almost within sight of Buckingham Palace. The sky is overcast and there are a few spots of British rain. Parker Bowles, 37, dressed in a dandyish velvet jacket, is dabbing his brow. “I’ve been rushing around trying to get hold of some eels,” he explains. “For the salad.”

This is not going to be your normal picnic. Cucumber sandwiches? Sausage rolls? Forget it. A picnic à la Parker Bowles involves cold tortilla, kipper pâté, fennel and orange salad, and a Californian Zinfandel rosé. Oh, and that smoked eel and bacon salad. Continue reading on the Telegraph website

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