If you’ve got a barbecue planned for the weekend and aren’t sure how to prepare for it, here are some handy tips on how you can make it the best barbecue ever.
Food
Burgers, sausages, steaks, fish, chicken – anything you can cook in an oven or on a grill, you can cook on a barbecue. In fact, many of these are a lot tastier when cooked on the barbecue – particularly if you throw some smoky mesquite on the charcoal rocks.
Stocking up on these tasty treats will really make your barbecue the talk of the town; and if you think outside the box, and throw some sweet treats on as well, it’ll be an event your friends talk about for weeks. For example, grilled peaches, bananas and apples are all delicious, especially with a big dollop of ice-cream and maple syrup.
Garden furniture
People won’t enjoy themselves if they’ve nowhere to sit – be sure to have lots of garden furniture at the ready to keep your guests happy. Be it wooden chairs or benches, or comfy sun loungers, people will have lots more fun if they can sit down when they get sleepy in the warm afternoon sunshine.
Also, if you throw a trampoline and paddling pool into the mix, you’ll have even more fun – remember, these aren’t just for kids!
Drinks
Be sure to have a good mix of soft and alcoholic drinks. Where some guests might indulge in a cocktail, some people might be driving or just prefer not to have a beer or wine, so having coke, lemonade and fruit juices on hand – as well as water – is a great idea.
Music
Get some summery tunes on your iPod or line up some feel-good CDs; this can make an amazing difference to a party, and will really get the party started. Just be careful you don’t play it too loudly, or too late at night, as the neighbors might have something to say about it.