Fly Net Food Umbrella

Continuing with our picnic theme…

Now, don’t snicker — a food umbrella is a lot more practical gadget than you might think at first glance!

Or maybe you enjoy a bunch of flies sharing your picnic?
Ah, I thought not!

The idea is that you set out your salads and whatnot, then cover them over with this self-supporting net to keep off the flies while you queue up at the barbecue or dash back into the house for the beverage tray.

A couple years ago, my aunt gave me a pair of little mesh umbrellas, just the right size to cover a plate of food. (I think she picked them up at the dollar store.)

This particular food tent, spotted on Amazon, is big enough to cover the better part of the average family-sized picnic buffet spread. I saw smaller ones there too, but the large table size seems like a good idea — less fussing about, but no more space needed to fold up and tuck away in the kitchen cupboard for next time.