It is officially July! Summertime! This is the perfect time to organise a BBQ with your close pals and sit outside and enjoy the sun.
Here at WillowBrook Foods we have created a checklist of essentials you will need to plan the perfect BBQ.
Starting with our stir-fries:
- Oriental
- Mixed Pepper
- Mushroom
- Classic
- Chinese
- Ribbon
- Firey green
- Butternut squash
- Egg Noodles
- Vegetable
- Rice Noodles
- Wheat Noodles
You can pair your meat or salad of choice with our Cooked Products:
- Cooked Pasta
- Cooked Potatoes
- Cous Cous
- Rice
- Grains
It is important to make BBQ’S enjoyable and safe following the COVID-19 guidelines. According to www.highspreedtraining.co.uk, they have provided us with different methods to keep ourselves safe while having a BBQ. They have said, for most of us, barbecues with friends and family in the summertime are one of the things we look forward to the most. However, most of the world is still under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning any social visits are not possible.
We can still enjoy our beloved barbecues though and we may just have to get a little more creative to make them even more fun.
Theme and Decorations
We all need some cheering up at the moment so getting creative around the house might just help. It will even occupy the little ones for a couple of hours and could be a fun learning activity involving crafts. Some great themes include:
- Garden tea party.
- Tropical; think floral shirts & flower garlands.
- Decades: 70s, 80s and 90s are crowd pleasers.
- A fiesta.
- Beach theme.
- A favourite film.
BBQ Preparation
Preparation is key to ensuring your BBQ goes smoothly. Let’s take a look…
BBQ Shopping List
Need some ideas about what to cook? Here are your essential BBQ items:
- Sausages
- Burgers (…and don’t just think beef! Chicken, lamb and veggie are great options)
- Hot dog rolls and burger buns (why not try brioche buns for a street-food feel?)
- Chicken wings and thighs
- Burger garnish: lettuce, tomato and red onion (cut into rings)
- Cheese slices
- Mixed Salads – basic salad, cous cous, potato salad etc
- Meat / Fish Skewers: make them with prawns, chicken or chorizo chunks
- Veggie Skewers: halloumi, red pepper, onion, courgette
- Portobello mushrooms
- Coleslaw
- Corn on the cob – could get messy so make sure you’ve got some holders handy!
- Baking potatoes
- Mustard, Ketchup, Mayo, BBQ sauce or burger relish
- Bananas wrapped in foil or marshmallows on sticks for dessert!
Depending on the dietary requirements of your household, you may want to have a separate vegetarian and vegan grill and another for meat-eaters.
Try and get your BBQ food with your weekly shop to minimise your outdoor trips at the moment.
Pre-BBQ Food Prep
Prepare the BBQ foods that you can in the morning. This will give you more time to sit back and relax in the evening. The following prep ideas will save you loads of time:
- Create and toss salads (add dressing before serving)
- Chop onions, meat, peppers and fruit ahead of time and get it all ready in bowls.
- Glaze and marinate joints, breasts, fillets and other portions of meat the night before.
- Pre-cut bread for hot dogs and burgers.
- Get your skewers ready for the grill.
BBQ Apparel
If you’re cooking, wear clothing that’s suitable for grilling. Don’t forget your mitts for handling anything hot and perhaps use gloves if you’re going to be handling a lot of raw meat. You can change your gloves more easily than you can wash your hands in the great outdoors.
And do avoid wearing clothing with long sleeves, as they might be a fire hazard.