No, I’m not talking about that time when I ate too much food at the all-you-can-eat buffet.

What I am talking about, is The Big Lunch, an initiative that aims to bring people together through community picnics.

These picnics are hosted by people in their local neighbourhoods, every June, across the UK.

We first hosted a Big Lunch in my garden, four years ago, as a way to get to know some of our neighbours, not long after we’d moved in.

About twenty people came, bringing with them different foods for us to share.

Many of my neighbours had never met, which was surprising, but perhaps not uncommon these days.

The following year, we did it again, but on a much larger scale.

This time, it coincided with the Queen’s 90th birthday, so we had a village-wide community picnic, combining The Big Lunch with the Queen’s birthday celebrations.

We held the event in the village hall, with the support of the Parish Council. It was a big success!

Members of the WI baked a huge cake, and people of all ages came along to the event.

Since then, it has become an annual event in our village. I am busy now planning the next one, which will take place in June.

The idea is simple; everyone in the community is invited to come along. All they have to do is bring some food to share.

I highly recommend holding a Big Lunch in your community if there isn’t one already planned. It is a fantastic way to get to know your neighbours, and it really does boost community spirit.

For more details about The Big Lunch, click here.