I have seriously overstretched with a barbecue and I am panicking.

[Theresip]

I decided to have a barbecue next weekend because I’ve got my garden looking the way I want it and I do enjoy hosting. I’ve been inviting people for the last couple of weeks or so. I thought I’d invited around 10 people but I haven’t. I’ve invited almost 20. I’ve only just counted them up and now I am seriously panicking.

I’m not a particularly good cook, never mind on a barbecue. How on earth can I do 20 burgers and sausages and time it so people aren’t sitting starving? It’s a charcoal barbecue so putting more charcoal on after one batch would mean some people waiting another 40 minutes whilst the coals cook and I cook again?? What can I do?

And also, my garden isn’t tiny, but it’s not particularly big. I have a garden sofa and stools that could fit around six people near the kitchen door, and then on the upper decking I’ve got a high dining table that would seat another six. I do have additional small stools but they’re too little for the high table and it would be very squashed round the other table because it’s right in front of the kitchen where everyone will be getting their drinks.

Any advice gratefully received. I have never hosted for this number.

Have everything prepped the day before and do lots in the oven, 20 is very doable.

No, what is wild is that people are suggesting that the OP gets one of her male guests to do the cooking!

If a man posted saying ‘I’m hosting a dinner party and I’m a bit out of my depth. My girlfriend isn’t coming. Any advice on what to cook?’, would you say ‘well women tend to cook more than women so get one of your female guests to do the cooking instead’? Then be indignant and outraged when the man said he’d rather do the cooking himself?

Oh and to answer the question about my parents, they divorced when I was 3 so if my mum had a BBQ at her house she did the BBQing, and if my dad had one at this house then he did the BBQing.

My family barbecued, and as I’ve already mentioned, it was always my mother who did the barbecuing. That must mean that only women barbecue.

You seem to struggle to read.

It’s irrelevant who BBQ’s are marketed at! It has absolutely nothing to do with the OP’s situation. She is hosting a BBQ. She is doing the BBQing. She just wanted some advice on what to cook for a large number of guests.
This thread is wild.

No one thinks it’s wild that some men like to barbecue.

People think it’s wild that people are answering a question about cooking timings and seating with ‘get a man to do it’.

You can't argue with pick-me women. Of course they love to do something very banal but societally male-orientated and pretend wide eyed that it's so shocking anyone still believes in outdated stereotypes. Most important part is that they have an audience. Every must know that THEY ARE NOT LIKE OTHER WOMEN. Cue applause.

What absolute bullshit 😂.

If ever there was a pick me woman, you are it.

@Theresip i can't believe this thread is still going off on this weird tangent.

Ps. I'm still.awaitomg my invite to pre-orgy coffee.

You can come but could you bring a man please? You should not be doing anything socially without one.

So just to check, no woman in her own home, with food she’s paid for, should cook said food in her own home on her own barbecue, and should instead get a male guest to do it, regardless of whether they want to do it, or she is a ‘pick me’ woman? 😂

Get a grip of yourself.

I'll bring him, but i have to tell you, he's bloody useless at all xooling, bbq included.

I can't beleive that the crazies are still going on this. Absolute nutters on this thread. Bloody hell OP I admire your restraint.

I do a bunch of prep work day before boil baby potato's let cool add salad cream and a fine chop onion. Potato salad dam easy for that many i would doa couple bags of potato's

I would also do a tuna pasta salad so mix in a bowl two cans tuna,couple big spoons mayo,squeeze a lemon ,add chopped cucumber,a chopped onion mix into cooled pasta

On the bbq i would buy those cheap frozen burgers that are thin they cook quick and i would do hotdogs they cook quick

Then couple bags crisps and snacks

Thank you! A tuna pasta salad is an excellent shout actually.

Not many people have garden seating for that amount of guests.

Among my local friends it is quite normal to borrow garden chairs etc if someone is hosting an outside party. They drop them off (or I collect the day before) and then they get returned at their convenience over the next week. The same with gazebos. I don't see why you couldn't extend the idea to borrowing an extra barbecue.

I don't think that's the case for many of the people commenting.

Your post is about you panicking about your upcoming BBQ and perhaps having taken on too much. In response, others have chipped in to basically say "don't panic, people will help and some of that help is likely to be blokes stepping in on the BBQ side of things". That isn't to say women can't BBQ alone, or that men are needed to BBQ, it's just a reflection of the experience seemingly many of us have had over the years.

You said your guests aren't the sort of people who will want to do that. Cool. But some of the comments you've reacted to were only trying to help reassure you (based on those individuals' experiences) which is ultimately what you've asked for by posting on this public forum.