Great 'Summer Party' Hunt. Tips & hints on cheap booze, food & garden gear

It's all good and well to ask friends to bring their own food, but I'm Italian and that's a no-no where I come from.
When I lived in a house my BBQ were famous and having lived in a flat for last 4 years, I can't wait to move to the new place we are buying so finally I will be able to make up for all of the summers lost.
Never the less there is a lot of preparation that you could do on the day before, like potato salad, fruit flavoured tiramisu', etc.
Also I tend to stay away from veggie burgers and sausages, as they tend to be nasty on the BBQ.
Instead I cook halloumi first, lots of aubergine, courgettes and beef tomatoes, perhaps thick slices of onions, so they don't get contaminated while I cook the meat. Another pretty dish for veggie is as follows:
-cut the bottom of your peppers at about 3cm/1.5 inches, use the rest in your salads or crudites
-put on the bbq hole side down for a while for the pepper to soften up slightly
-turn around and crack an egg in it
-cook for another 5 minutes or until the egg is cooked
This doesn't work on a cheap portable bbq, not hot enough!

Pound shops, savers or wilkinson have good offers on paper plates & Co. but I hate throwing them away, so I tend to buy plastic plates and wash them afterwards. I know Sainsburys had some offers on this week.

I make my own humus, tzatziki, guacamole, easy and quick when you know how.
And if you are really short of time, pre-cook everything in the oven first and give the meat 5 minutes on a very wood chip smokey bbq.

Enjoy!

thebuff1 wrote: »

Last year when we went to a work colleagues bbq, we were all told to bring our food and drink , he provided a few bits of chicken and that was it all the rest we bought ourselves, yet when he came to ours he turned up with a case of beer and proceeded to drink most of it throughout the day and ate extremely well. A different colleague expressed surprise that we always provide our own food as she felt everyone chipping in was the norm yet this is not our experience so would be good to hear what people think.

Very few people come to a BBQ empty-handed, but it should be made clear whether it's a 'bring and share', or a fully-host provided event, at the time the invite is issued. If I'm invited to a BBQ but the basis is unclear and I get no response to 'what can I bring?', then I always bring a bottle of wine and something else like a 2liter fizzy water or a tray of home-made cupcakes.

Once it's established it's a 'bring and share', then it's difficult, this one, the person who comes empty-handed but eats for two. Try having someone in charge of the BBQ who will also serve as the food is ready, and limit the amount that person is served, saying something like 'sorry for the small portion, but there's not enough meat to go round otherwise as some people forgot to bring any, but do help yourself to salad and bread'.

If that's too awkward for you, then you must either not invite that person, or expect to provide everything yourself.

I'm always sure to let people know to bring their own choice of drinks; we rarely find they hog it all to themselves and people like to have their drink of choice - we only provide soft drinks/mixers and buckets of ice to keep them chilled.

We then ask people to bring a dish or some meat for the grill; generally all our friends make one 'signature' dish which we will either request specifically or which is their 'go to' anyway. One thing we have done a few times; especially if it's a bigger group is ask people that if they intend to contribute by way of meat then to have cooked it through first - people have never had a problem doing it and it means less waiting and rushing on the day. Also means stuff is cooked through so less risk of bugs etc

I always go ott for BBQs but generally on cheaper dishes. As a standard I prepare:
pasta tubes tossed in mint sauce
corn on the cob
rice with peas and/or pineapple (a personal fave)
salad leaves
grated carrot
cubed cheddar
beetroot
pickled onions
bread rolls
chutneys/condiments
potato salad
coleslaw
fruit kabobs
a sweet dip
a few crisps/tortilla chips

Can sound expensive but similar to Christmas I just squirrel away a extra pack of pasta one week, rice the next etc. Tinned fruit and veggies as well as frozen are a great way to boost the selection without bumping up the cost too much