BBQ Ideas for Summer 2022

BBQ season is nearly upon us, and even though we all love attending a barbecue, when we’re hosting one we want the focus to be on our friends, family and food. But, having a stress free affair can be a tough achievement.

We have plenty of BBQ ideas for you to take advantage from this summer, from food ideas, BBQ essentials and even BBQ accessories that will make you the host of an ultimate BBQ party. 

Have Your BBQ Essentials Ready Before You Begin 

Before you begin putting together the best BBQ your friends and families have ever seen, make sure you’re stocked up on the essentials. To make things easier for you, we’ve created a simple BBQ essentials checklist, covering everything from BBQ station tools to the delicious dishes.

BBQ Station Essentials

Whether you’re using a smaller instant BBQ, a foldaway BBQ or a full scale barbecue grill and smoker, you’ll need a variety of tools for your BBQ.

• Tools
• Spatula
• Tongs
• Cleaning brushes
• Grill fork
• Basting brush
• Meat thermometer
• Grill trays
• Grill gloves
• Firelighter
• BBQ cover
• Gas, charcoal or propane
• Oil

BBQ Drinks Essentials

Keeping your guests cool with ice cold drinks during a summer BBQ on a hot day is important to making your BBQ an unforgettable experience. Having plenty of drinks to choose from is a great place to start:

• Water
• Squash
• Lemonade
• Alcohol
• Recyclable cups
• Ice
• Coolers

BBQ Food Essentials

Regardless of the amount of guests you have attending, you should have the essentials at the ready. But dont be afraid to add in some innovative approaches to refresh your BBQ ideas. 

• Skewers
• Plates
• Cutlery
• Napkins
• Serving dishes
• Burgers
• Hot dogs
• BBQ sauce
• Mustard
• Ketchup 
• Mayonnaise
• Cheese 
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Pickles
• Ice lollies
• Fruit

Spice Up Your BBQs This Summer With Fresh Ideas

Everybody loves a BBQ, as it’s hard not to appreciate delicious food and drink in the British summertime. But, if you’re looking for some BBQ ideas to bring a new level of excitement to your party, why not try adding in a few new things to your celebrations?

We’ve got some things for you to try out, from themes you can incorporate into your BBQ, different lighting to bring a new vibe to your outdoor space and fresh entertainment that’s perfect for enjoying the warmer weather.

Themes

A themed party always goes down a treat and is a fantastic way to get your guests more involved and get their creative juices flowing.

Asking them to come in fancy dress, with themed snacks or even specific games that go along with your theme is all part of the fun when making your BBQ one to remember. 

Why not try out a Hawaiian theme? Greet your guests with flowers, ask them to bring their brightest floral shirts and have some fruit kebabs and coconut water ready and waiting for them. You can even incorporate some pineapple into your menu, including grilled pineapple slices, pineapple upside down cake and some pineapple salsa! 

An 80s retro theme will have your guests raving about your BBQ for weeks after. Glowsticks are a must have, along with some cheesy tunes and classic treats such as fizzy sweets and lolly pops. If you really want to go the extra mile, try adding some disco balls and flashing lights and transform your outdoor space into a rave!

Glitz and glamour can turn a BBQ into a true celebration for your family and friends. Black tie, shirts and shorts are certainly an interesting combo! Level up the class with champagne, plenty of gold decorations and some classical music. Although be careful, some of the glamour might be lost if you spill ketchup on your fancy dress…

Lighting

You can really transform an outdoor space with some basic decoration, plenty of food and some interesting lighting. A BBQ idea that will certainly get people talking is having some new lights dotted around. We suggest adding in some candles across the dining table to light up the food once the sun begins to set.

Make the rest of the garden look spectacular with some solar powered tiki torches. A beautiful decoration and the perfect way to create some ambience, they’re fantastic at helping create a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere as the sun slowly sets on the long summer nights.

Entertainment

The expected garden games such as hide and seek, giant jenga and rounders are always a hit, but trying something new will get everyone interested.

B&M Top Tip: We suggest offering entertainment that helps people get shade from the sun if they’re a litle bit burned or need a break from the beating rays. Of course, for the little ones they should always have some shade to take advantage from, such as a parasol picnic table. 

But, for an added extra, put some materials together to have your guests create their own summer hats. 

Our paper hat method makes use of any spare paper plates once all the food has been devoured (we don’t recommend using a dirty plate though!)

Steps to make a paper plate hat

1. Fold a large paper plate in half
2. Cut away the rim part way, but don’t cut the entire center out
3. Draw a half-shape along the fold, starting at the inch wide gap and make sure that the bottom of your shape connects to the inch wide gap
4. Cut along the lines of the shape 
5. Unfold the plate and decorate your hat however you like

Have you had a unique BBQ recently, or are you planning on hosting a BBQ and want to use some of our ideas to make it the ultimate BBQ your guests have ever experienced? We'd love to see your BBQ set-up, along with any interesting additions you’ve chosen! Share your buys with the B&M Community on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.