You're going to a barbecue. What would you like to see? (Inspiration needed!)

[WhatToServeAtTheBBQ]

I know how fab MN is at this sort of thing!

We're hosting a barbecue tomorrow and making shopping list tonight and shopping in the morning so anything that requires overnight marinating or slow cooking for hours is probably off!

There will be 10 people altogether (including us). No vegetarians or food restrictions so anything goes in that respect.

What would you hope to see?

My brain is a bit addled from the heat and work this week so I need some help 😬

As far as the bbq food is concerned, it's probably going to be the usual sausages, burgers and chicken drumsticks. I'm looking for inspiration for other stuff!

Thanks!

(We have a sainsburys and Lidl nearby. And a butcher for the meat.)

You need a couple of decent salads:

• Caprese
• Orzo, Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, basil, olive oil
• Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta Cheese

Charred corn, halloumi with a chilli marinade. A butterflied leg of lamb sounds amazing. You could serve it with cous cous with coriander or mint and pomegranate seeds mixed in. Maybe a nice fresh proper Greek yoghurt mixed with garlic and mint or garlic and chopped up cucumber. That would be my perfect bbq menu.

Love a bit of chicken that isn’t a drumstick. Easy marinade of yogurt and tikka paste, or a sticky honey/soy sauce/garlic/oil one.

i love a Greek salad (feta/tomato/black olive/cucumber/bit of red onion with olive oil and oregano) as well as potato salad

A fresh and zesty side to cut through all thr richness of the meat.

Something like www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/healthy/greens-and-beans-salad/

Halloumi, red pepper, onion and courgette skewers
corn on the con
potato salad
savory rice
new potatoes on skewers with tomato
Cold tomato pasta with peppers, onion, sweetcorn, rocket, spinach and feta

Halloumi or a nice bit of steak

Potato salad
coleslaw
salad
rice salad
crisps and dips
bbq asparagus, peppers and baby sweetcorn.

I never do chicken on a bbq, it gives me the fear after being served raw chicken.
if you do chicken get thin chicken strips or breast fillets. We’d do sizzle steaks instead.
Lamb steaks or kofta skewers.
Nice homemade potato salad. Or if you have a Morrisons the one on their salad bar is good.
Orzo salad is a good alternative to rice.
Halloumi.
Tomato salad.
Decent bread.

Ooh yes, vegetable skewers - courgette chunks, coloured peppers, cherry tomatoes, fennel chunks.

Portobello mushrooms are superb barbecued, slices of courgettes and aubergine too. Really good tomatoes and lettuce. Relish. Agree with homemade coleslaw and potato salad.

I do a big BBQ every summer and Boxing day for about 25 people. Hopefully this helps but everyone is different.

What works is chicken breast marinaded, steak, good quality sausages, baby potatoes in pesto and Parmesan or just plain, coleslaw, potato salad, crisps, dips, olives, berries, magnums, crusty bread, good butter, corn on the cob.

What I find is left is burgers, chicken on the bone, lots of salad stuff. I still make a small salad but often it’s left. Baked potatoes or wedges.

Thank you so much!

Lots of suggestions I'd already considered and some I hadn't!

I'll definitely be using some of them.

TBH if I’m invited to a BBQ I’m just happy to get fed with food I haven’t bought or cooked.

I love hot dogs, chicken and chorizo skewers, slow roasted lamb, seared prawns. Don’t mind a burger as long as it’s not in a fucking brioche bun.

A nice salad is a bonus and some potato salad is always good. Plenty of drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic is helpful) and some snacky bits like crisps is great.

Maybe my friends are more easily pleased than Mumsnetters but we certainly don’t provide half a dozen salad options, three types of potato and a literal smorgasbord of meat choices.

I'm happy with a burger and a hot dog with onions. Salad on the side, coleslaw and cheese for the burger, Not fancy cheese, has to be plastic melty cheese. Crisps and dip to nibble on. I'm easily pleased though.

Watermelon feta and mint salad, slaw, pickled or fried onions, olives, sauces, even simple crudités for that fresh crunch

Really? What sliced and in tin foil?
Bbq bananas yes. Watermelon?
X

I would always avoid chicken drumsticks.

I would expect to see good.quality burgers and sausages. I would also add some skewers of some sort, chicken and chorizo maybe, halloumi and veg, lamb koftas.

Salmon and the corn on the cob.

For a sweet touch , BBQ pineapple and peaches are lush, and giant marshmallows

Had cabbage quarters sprayed with olive oil, cooked on bbq, delicious

If I went to a BBQ and was offered a barbecued cabbage I’d leave 🤣

Curried eggs.

A fancy starch based salad like tabouleh or posh potato salad
another salad -not starch based but root veg based or pulse based.
Watermelon and or berries for dessert - eton mess if you fancy ?
have fun!

Definitely coleslaw!

It's the law in our house that if we have a barbecue we have to have this halloumi dish:

1 block* halloumi, after barbecuing (which only takes minutes) dressed with:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
rounded tsp English mustard powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 crushed or finely chopped clove of garlic
handful of chopped coriander

*this amount of dressing also works if you do 2 standard blocks.

Chicken kebabs with chorizo and peppers/onions, couscous salad, potato salad, corn on the cob

Pork belly, lamb cutlets, salsa verde, Greek salad, tzatziki and flat breads.

Or

halloumi, corn on the cob, flat mushrooms, chicken skewers