Seasonal menus: Sizzling in summer

The barbecue season has come early this year. But to get meat lovers out of their back gardens and into yours, you need to offer something special, John Porter writes

All it takes is a glimmer of sunshine and the wind to drop marginally below gale force and we Brits are outside like a shot, heating up charcoal and attempting to get a couple of Captain Birds Eye's finest four-ouncers sizzling away al fresco.

Britain is officially Europe's top barbecuing nation, having seen off Johnny German a couple of years back to take the number one slot. Last year, helped by a better summer than in 2005, consumption of barbecued food increased by 46 per cent.

All of which ought to be good news for pubs. However, the same factors that keep people at home clutching their Sky Plus remote control and a four-pack of supermarket lager when they could be watching the match at the pub apply in this case too.

With relatively little skill, most of us can manage to cook a few burgers and bangers in the back garden without poisoning our friends and family. To persuade people to come to the pub, what's on offer has to be more compelling than the experience at home. That applies as much to a barbecue as it does to the big match.

The key to achieving that is the food. Figures compiled for the British Pig Executive (BPEX) show that sausages are the number one source of protein consumed at a British barbecue, followed rather predictably by chicken and beefburgers.

For a pub, offering different cuts, value-added products and a touch of theatre should all help to bring in the punters. OK, sausages are popular, but it doesn't have to be the same boring old bangers your customer can cook at home. Your catering butcher or wholesaler should be able to find you something a bit more unusual - a chalkboard advertising outdoor-reared local pork or wild boar sausages will have them queuing up.

Beef features at more than 50 per cent of British barbecues, but overwhelmingly in the form of burgers. Cooking small steaks or other whole cuts will add a premium feel - and price - to a pub's offer. Lamb is also great on barbecues but features in only 13 per cent of barbecue occasions. It will feel 'special' compared to home barbecues.

Added-value products such as kebabs, ribs or Chinese pork, marinaded in spices, can also create that 'better-than-home' feel. Tony Goodger, trade sector manager (foodservice) with the Meat & Livestock Commission, believes that pork producers in particular are waking up to "the dominance of the pub sector in foodservice", and catering butchers are starting to offer more innovative and added-value dishes to the market.

He adds: "A range of pork products designed specifically for the barbecue occasion would be welcomed by the pub sector."

But remember also that some people, particularly children, prefer their barbecue food simple, so offer the basics as well.

The other great way to make a pub barbecue more special than one at home is to lay on entertainment. Morris dancing is a matter of lifestyle choice and not something The Publican either condones or condemns, but there are plenty of other options. Invite a local jazz band to set up shop at the bottom of the garden, hire a bouncy castle or even organise games for the children.

Added-value products such as kebabs and marinaded pork can create that 'better-than-home' feel

Ben's barbecue tips

Ben Bartlett, catering development manager for Marston's Pub Company and a member of the Best of British barbecue team, has the following tips to help turn a standard barbecue into a gastronomic adventure:

- Season the grill with olive oil and rosemary before starting

- Bring meat to room temperature before cooking: this will help it to cook through more quickly

- Spice it up by adding a powdered spice or marinade to the meat

- Coals should turn grey before you start to cook

- Find a sheltered spot to eliminate wind

- Always have a bucket of water on standby

- If you are grilling in the evening, make sure there's plenty of lighting

- A clean grill is less likely to burn the food and won't leave a bad taste on it

- When using wooden skewers always soak them well in water

- Marinade meat overnight, but remember to baste it during the last five to 10 minutes of grilling.

For some of Ben Bartlett's favourite barbecue recipes, log on to www.thepublican.com/food ​