Things to do in Zagreb: Little Picnic in the Upper Town

by croatiaweek
August 23, 2016
in News

Little Picnic Wednesdays in Zagreb’s Upper Town

Every Wednesday from 5pm – 9pm Vranyczany’s Lea on Zagreb’s Upper Town turns into a comfortable and refreshing summer oasis for locals and tourists with tempting gourmet-offerings…

Presentation of small, local growers and food-tasting “at the source” gets a new dimension combined within relaxed, self-service picnic gathering. Little Picnic visitors now can really take their time exploring Upper Town nooks while casually enjoying interesting meals a midst Upper Town ambiance.

Ahead of tomorrow’s Little Picnic we caught up with one of the organisers, Jelena Mikin.

How did the concept of Little picnic in the Upper Town start?

The inspiration for Little picnic came in spring 2016 when we held one Little market in the charming Upper town surroundings as a part of a bigger event ‘Changes of heart’, organised by the Museum of Broken Relationships.

What can people expect from Little picnic?

At Little picnic, people can feel the Upper town atmosphere in a friendly get-together accompanied with a glass of good wine and good local food from local Croatian producers. Locals and tourists, when they feel the warmth and ambiance, will definitely want to spend some time with us and relax with a great view of the entire city.

Can you give us a few recommendations from the offerings at Little Picnic?

It is recommended to taste seasonal and juicy fruit and vegetables, wine, cheese and a variety of local delicacies such as jams and spreads or cheese cakes and smoothies, and in addition there is also unleavened bread, smoked tofu etc.

How was the first Little Picnic received?

The first Little picnic had a wonderful atmosphere and was very relaxed and fun. There was something for everyone. On a summer evening everyone loves to relax on the grass, with a glass of juice or wine and a nice bit of homemade food, along with music from the turntables and the wind which can be felt on the Upper town.

Your platform and base is Mali plac, a charming little market that unites local family farms (OPG’s) dedicated to producing organic food and products. Now you have quite a big list of farms participating and a lot of people shop for groceries at Mali plac. Are you satisfied with the way project is developing?

Little market is developing beautifully with its natural rhythm from its beginnings until now, and will hopefully continue to do so in the future. We are immensely grateful to all who follow and support us, and we are open for cooperation with similar initiatives in Croatia and abroad.

Aside from being a unique market and promoting a healthy lifestyle, Little Market is also a place where you can learn about some new recipes, or forgotten wild plants that have great nutritional value.

At Little Market you can meet exhibitors who are beautiful and creative individuals from whom you can learn a lot about food, nutritional value, but also about wild foods and its benefits. That trading of information and knowledge almost every time is a special pleasure and surprise. That is why I encourage visitors to socialise with us and to question and be curious about everything that can be found at Little Market.

What are the plans for the future?

In the future we want to connect with the initiatives with which we have common goals and values. Last year we started a very precious cooperation with Kinookus and Slow Food international and we are working to deepen this cooperation and connect this to the future of it and create a completely new and added value.