Please critique my first ever bbq menu

[Liud]

Hosting my first bbq this weekend in my first home.
Sadly the weather looks a little iffy but we’ll have a laugh regardless.

This is my menu. We have a few vegetarians. I think it’s a very easy menu as I can give dh the skewers I’ve premarinated. And the rest can be prepared in advance.

The only thing that really requires effort is the focaccia (I don’t love making bread but I love the recipe).

Its probably a bit carb heavy but I’ve done it that way with the vegetarians in mind.

Pasta salad
Homemade focaccia
Greek salad
Bombay new potatoes (dishoom recipe)
Butter herb new potatoes (for ppl who don’t like coriander)
Halloumi skewers
Veg skewers
Tandoori style chicken skewers (tastes better than takeaways imo)
Mint lamb kofte
Corn on the cob

Homemade mint chutney
tamarind sauce
Mango chutney

Crisps and shop bought dips
Nuts

Key lime pie
Profiteroles

Wine
Beer

Are you the potato police?!! There can never be too many potato/carb options!
If you don't want more than one choice, great. But those of us who like a potato or 6, leave us with a choice

Oh wow! Can I come? That sounds great.

If I was preparing a BBQ I’d make it much simpler, but if you are happy to put all the work in then that sounds really good.

Omg! After replying to 1st PP, I've noted the entire carbs/potato, police are out in force.!

Love that you ask people to critique it and then reject 99% of the criticism!

honestly? It’s just a bit fancy. Cooking salmon and skewers on a bbq is much harder work than sausages or steaks.

if your veggie friends are strict they don’t want their stuff cooked with salmon or chicken anyway…

Op, I think your menu sounds nice, and I'd actively enjoy eating it. I don't enjoy BBQs that are just cheap burgers and sausages served in pappy white bread. I'm quite surprised how many on here want UPF muck rather than a properly seasoned variety of delicious home made foods.

You are not very accepting of criticism for someone who has created a thread ASKING for criticism.

It's not that there's only one way to do a barbecue, but a barbecue = grilling meats over a fire...and you plan on providing your guests with only two meat options, and 500 sides with very clashing flavours that don't go together at all. By all means do you, but I can't quite understand the point of this thread when the only feedback you are willing to take on board is to reduce the carbs.

It looks lovely OP.

But I'd secretly cry at the mint in the lamb.

Lamb is my favourite meat by far but I absolutely hate mint 😭🐑

Sounds lush. I wouldn't personally bother doing the other potatoes- just do the ones you like, there are plenty of other options if someone doesn't like coriander.

why are home made burgers and excellent sausages UPF muck?

Maybe her friends aren't fussy eaters. Mine aren't. My friends would feel pretty disappointed if I only did sausages and burgers at a barbecue

They have more sophisticated palates than people who only eat children's food sausages and burgers.

You do need some normal meat

Why?
Lamb and chicken are normal meat. Just because you don't like "forcing muck" doesn't mean the OP' friends don't. I think her menu sounds great.

Auto correct - forcing muck is forrin muck.

In my experience, people who serve majority burgers and sausages on the bbq aren't making homemade burgers and excellent sausages. More likely to be pink Richmonds and frozen burgers shoved in a white Warburtons bun, and it tends to be quantity over quality. I'd still prefer OPs menu over burgers and sausages, however good quality they were.

@TheCountofMountingCrispBags
’potato police’ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Agree, I would hate to eat that sort of thing in any environment.
Presumably OP knows the tastes of the invitees

Assume away. You would be wrong in my case. Have never bought Richmond sausages, frozen burgers or Warburtons buns. I wouldn't judge those who do though, as everyone has to cut their cloth according to their budget.

While OP's menu sounds lovely, I love a proper homemade burger, butcher's sausages and rolls from my local bakery and these simple options 'make' a barbecue for me, in a way that tandoori chicken never will.

Sorry to hear that. My experience is different, luckily. My friends like good burgers and are quite happy to make an effort with them. Same with pork sausages.

For what's worth, I have had disgusting skewers and tough, almost inedible lamb in BBQs, admittedly in pub gardens where they are cooking for lots of people.

Well, if I turned up to just burgers and sausages, my heart would sink to my boots, and I'd be walking away hungry.

I liked forcing muck 😅 Agreed though if her friends like it then all good. I was just saying from a fussy person's point of view we would like some plain meat.

Bit weird to ask for advice then 🤣

You can always stop at a MacDonalds on the way home

I love when these threads degenerate into people personally offended by someone’s choice of meat BBQ bingo right here, just ticked off ‘foreign muck’ so think that’s almost a full card.

Also very much enjoying the various implications that serving some meat on a stick puts you on a higher cultural plane than serving meat in the shape of a burger or a sausage.

Where do those of us who enjoy a kofta but also like a blackened sausage stand? And if I want a burger, am I disqualified from eating any of the tandoori chicken on a stick? If I put my burger on a stick, will I be accepted?

If op knows the tastes of all of her guests, than why the thread? I think alot of people have assumed she didn't know.

I love koftas and overdone sausages. I'm not fussed about burgers though.

Looks really nice. I would say it looks way better than the usual burger and sausage option which tend to be pretty lame.

But will appeal to people who have unadventurous tastes ie most of the posters on this thread.