Hosting Your Annual Great British Barbeque

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The very warm, un-British weather seems to have continued for far longer than any of us anticipated! Us Brits don’t have the opportunity to bask in an abundance of vitamin D very often. So when we do, we do it in the only way we know how – Barbeque!

It might only be pushing 20 degrees outside but there we are, deckchairs and cool box in hand, wearing our finest Hawaiian shirts and beach shorts. On particularly sunny days, one might even opt for the British staple, flip flops!

The result, is an unparalleled display of optimistic sun cream application and mid-day drunkenness. To any other nation on earth, it’s understandably bizarre, but it only happens once a year, so let us off!

Here is how my fellow Brits can host their annual summer BBQ without a hiccup.

Food

It doesn’t matter where you shop– a great British barbeque must include the following:

·         Sausages

·         Burgers

·         Chicken Drumsticks

·         Chicken Breasts

·         Chicken Wings

·         Ketchup – (four bottles will do)

·         Corn on the cob

·         Soft Drinks

·         Salad

·         Alcohol

Face it, we’ll burn each item on the list to a crisp anyway – so it really doesn’t matter where you get it from.

Every BBQ has one and its usually the host - the designated griller. Prong wielder, meat turner, kindler of selected consumables and novelty apron model. It’s their responsibility alone to equally distribute the food to the attendees. A steady stream of meat from the barbeque is essential.

Décor and Decorum

How you decorate your barbeque is likely to dictate how people will behave. Of course, you know your friends best, so I’m not talking about managing the hell raisers – every group of friends has one. Remember that a nicely mown garden is inviting to grass sitters – a large selection of garden chairs is going to encourage people to talk to one another. Plenty of blankets will ensure everyone is comfortable; it’s not rocket science. If you invite your guests to simply sit on the concrete floor of a patio, they’re not likely to feel at home.

Seating and manging space are the key factors in a successful barbeque. Additional decorations can include: fairy lights, themed props from films or pop culture and even areas for party games. You could buy light up letters to add the finishing touch to your barbeque - for some reason it adds so much to a theme and the general atmosphere to have chic letters displayed on walls and tables. But expect to find crude word constructions in your garden by the end of the night though (you know your friends best!).

Music

It’s not a barbeque without any but that doesn’t mean any music will do though! Music can make or break an otherwise perfect barbeque. Encourage your guests to contribute to a group playlist before they arrive, that way everyone can have their say, you’re more likely to get a feel for the general vibe before the night and no one can catch you off guard with fourteen Spice Girls’ songs in a row. Of course you have to allow for one or two interesting musical selections – it is a great British barbeque after all.

Expect to hear the likes of Amy Winehouse, Queen, The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Girls Aloud maybe even S Club 7. Make sure you test your speakers and get setup before your guests arrive. There’s nothing worse than realising that your speakers are too quiet for everyone to hear. You may even have to rent a pair of speakers or ask one of your trusted guests to arrive earlier to set theirs up if need be.

We’re British which means we’re socially awkward to extreme levels, how are we meant to interact with one another without deafening music in the background?