9 best melamine picnicware pieces for dining alfresco in style

Comprising dinner plates, salad plates and small bowls, this smart set is suited to grown-up picnics and outdoor dinner parties alike. Allowing for up to four place settings, the tableware is beautifully illustrated with inky blue florals. And the devil’s in the detail: the four salad plates feature a different, complementary design, while the bowls include an attractive pale birchwood pattern inside. Lightweight and durable, these brought a touch of class to our picnic blanket.

Wonderfully retro and highly practical, no summer picnic should be without Made’s melamine offering. In four tonal summery shades, and with five nifty compartments, the lidded box easily comes apart and neatly stacks thanks to its sturdy metal handle and clasp. We found this one invaluable for all the picnic extras – such as fruit and crisps. It’s a must have for the campsite, too.

Part of a picnic-ready range that also includes side plates, bowls and cups, these painterly lobsters from designer and illustrator Sophie Allport bring the restaurant to the park. As with all of the brand’s melamine tableware, these are highly durable pieces, and are nigh on impossible to smash. Sold separately, you can build up your collection to suit your family’s alfresco needs.

OKA’s eye-catching aragonez collection is grouped in sets of dinner plates, side plates and bowls. Designed by world-renowned interior designer, Penny Morrison, these high-end melamine pieces are masters of disguise, shrewdly mimicking their ceramic counterparts. Featuring a grape leaf print alongside painterly patterns, the picnicware is inspired by traditional Spanish and Portuguese tin glaze pottery – and that’s inspiration enough to plan a picnic of delicious Mediterranean fare.

While you might not make it all the way to the beach for a picnic, this cheery set is the next best thing. Featuring graphic and chalky sailing boats, crabs and nautical stripes on a background of ocean blues, the melamine tableware offers a laid-back mix and match feel. Alongside the four place settings of dinner plates, side plates and bowls is a large salad bowl, making this 13-piece set excellent value for money.

You can trust Amara to bring the best European brands to a UK audience. This French company focuses entirely on outdoor living, and in this case takes its inspiration from warmer climes. These salad servers are part of a wider collection of melamine tableware and feature a hand painted Balinese jungle design. Team them with the matching salad bowl, plates and tray. All highly durable – and highly covetable.