Summer is almost here, and your mind may have wandered to the all-important summer barbeque. Perhaps it is the first time you have hosted one, or perhaps you have moved home since your last experience. It might be that you host a barbeque every year and need some new inspiration. Whatever your situation, here are some great tips to help you host the perfect home barbeque event that will be talked about for years to come for all the right reasons, you can also add Mahogany Smoked Meats to your menu to elevate your barbeque party.
Guest List
Firstly, you need to decide who you want to invite. This is necessary so that you can decide what sort of barbeque to host. For example, is it going to be a formal occasion for work colleagues or is it a family affair? Deciding on the guest list will help you to decide everything else. The food, drinks and activities will differ depending on who is coming. You may not want to serve a hog roast if most of your guests are vegetarian, or play twister with your boss. Write a list of who you want to invite and make sure that they will all get along. Your barbeque will fall flat on its face if everyone you have invited are feuding.
Garden
Make sure that your garden is looking its best well in advance. This may take a while and you don’t want to be trying to mow the lawn while someone is lighting the barbeque. Make sure that this is taken care of well in advance of the big day. Pay particular attention to the barbeque and decking areas as this is where most people will congregate. Replace your decking if it is looking old and tired. Light grey decking options are especially popular this year. If you are looking to replace decking, then look no further than Ecoscape UK, who can provide the best quality light grey decking at affordable prices.
Food
You need to consider whether you will prepare the food yourself or get your barbeque event catered. This may depend on the guest list as if you are out to impress, you may want to hire caterers. It also depends on how much time you want to spend catering and organising and how much time you want to spend mingling with your guests, as doing the work yourself may mean that you must spend a lot of time preparing food rather than socialising. However, if you are hosting a family and friends’ event or a smaller affair, then home catering is a lot less formal, and you can get everyone to muck in and help with the clearing up too.
Drink
If your event is being catered, then the caterers may be able to provide you with drinks too. However, if you are going it alone, there are a few golden rules to follow. Firstly, make sure you don’t run out. Buy enough drink such as wine, beer, and mixers to last you through the party. Don’t forget the soft drinks for the kids and those who are driving. If your event is informal, don’t be afraid to ask your guests to bring their own drinks. This way, it keeps the cost down for you, everyone gets what they want to drink, and there is less likelihood of you running out. Pimm’s is a great traditional summer drink and this will go down wonderfully well with your guests who are drinking alcohol. Make some the day before and it will keep in the fridge overnight. Serve with crushed ice.
Music
Your guests’ taste in music may vary wildly, so make sure you provide the tunes for lots of different styles that all your friends can enjoy. Vary the music from song to song or select different types of music depending on the time of day. For example, you might decide to opt for classical music to start off with and while your guests are eating, but choose something that they are more likely to dance to if your event is going to continue into the evening.
Outfit
Your outfit may depend on what you are doing and who you are entertaining. For a catered event for your work colleagues, something formal will look nice, and it will keep you cool. If you know you are going to spend a lot of time cooking informally, then it might be more practical to wear shorts. The great thing about hosting the event at home is that you can change outfits. You could choose something formal for the daytime and then change into something more comfortable for the evening if you want to. You could also add more layers in the evening as it could get chilly once the sun has gone down.
Hopefully, this has given you some great ideas about how to host the perfect home barbeque. Enjoy it!
