With the warmest months of the year on the way, it’s natural to want to get outside and enjoy the weather- and what could be better than enjoying your own garden. We might still have lots of lockdown restrictions right now which means we cant meet up with family and friends, but when you have a busy household there’s plenty of fun you can have just with those you live with. Barbeques are a great way to get everyone outdoors, chatting, having fun and eating great food- and best of all they’re something we can still do even with the pandemic taking so many of our other freedoms away. Here’s how you can ensure your barbeque is a hit.
Put in the prep
Spending some time figuring out exactly what you need can go a long way. Write a list of what you plan on making and then create a shopping list from there. As well as meat think about vegetables, side dishes, bread buns, drinks, seasonings and more. Once you have everything you need, marinate your meat ahead of time and put together things like skewers if you’re going to be making them yourself. That way, when you come to actually grill you don’t have to mess around doing other jobs too. If you would like something a little special, how about some Elderflower Champagne
Get the right size barbeque
A big family means more food which of course means you’ll need a bigger barbeque. Get one that’s too small and it can take a long time cooking things in batches, meanwhile whats already done is going cold and everyone is getting impatient. Choose a grill with plenty of cooking space, and also place to rest things once they’re ready too. It will make life much easier!
Ensure there’s enough seating
If you’re going to be spending time outdoors eating then you’ll of course need a place to sit. An outdoor table with enough chairs is a good option, but if you don’t want to spend so much money then you can get creative. How about laying a large blanket on the lawn and eating your food picnic style? It costs nothing, it’s fun and you wont run out of chairs!
Make the garden look nice
Finally, if you’re making an occasion of your barbeque then it makes sense to make your surroundings look nice. Before firing up the grill, mow the lawn, prune back any large shrubs and tidy up things like kids bikes, wellington boots and anything else that’s accumulated. Many garden centres are reopening now so you could purchase some flowers to add to pots, hanging baskets and flower beds. Adding some 15w led security lights to ensure you can all see if your barbeque stretches on to the evening. A firepit that you could all sit around and toast marshmallows on to end the occasion could be really nice too.