How to throw a summer barbeque

Obviously the main thing you will need to throw your party is a decent barbecue. You have lots of things to consider when deciding which grill is right for you for example an electric grill is good for the environment and probably cheaper to run as you don't have to pay for gas or coal. Yet you forfeit the distinctive taste that you get from buying a charcoal or gas grill! Also size may be an issue as if your planning on throwing a party for more than 20 people you are going to need quite a big unit. On a side note always make sure you have enough gas for all your cooking needs before the guests arrived as having people ready to eat and meat ready to be cooked only to realise you don't have enough fuel to cook it really does not go down well amongst your guests.

Now to ensure you don't forget to buy something and leave yourself stuck then it's a good idea to create a check-list of everything you need to buy before the party!

Paper plates and plastic cups - These are a great idea as it will stop the danger of glass smashing and somebody getting cut it also means your washing up load will be cut down greatly as you can simply throw all the rubbish away when you're done.

Plastic cutlery - Used for the same reason as above nothing gets broken and you can throw it all away when your done!

Napkins - Give these to your guests to cleam themselves up as meat of the barbeque is notoriously messy!

Serving and BBQ utensils - These will make your job of serving to lots of guests a whole lot easier as you don't have to fiddle with smaller cutlery made for serving 1 or 2 people.

Tablecloths - Even with your very best efforts people will spill things and food will be dropped on your table so instead of risking messing up a nice piece of furniture by covering it table cloths your fancy wood work will be kept safe and sound.

Ice bucket - Instead of having people walk in and out of your house to beverages from the kitchen a good alternative is to buy an ice bucket and keep all the drinks and hopefully the mess outside!

FOOD

The main event of any good barbeque party is and always will be the food. Before the day comes get an idea of how many people will be coming then buy enough food and drink for all of them.You don't want to suffer the embarrassment of having people fight over the scarce food here is so make sure there is enough for everyone ( remember vegetarians go to barbecues too. ). If you're feeling particularly adventurous then try hosting a potluck barbeque this will save you lots of money as people bring their own food then you cook it on the barbecue and its divided amongst everyone!

• Colesaw - A perfect plate filler and also relatively cheap! This is a crowd favourite and always goes down well.
• Salad - The original and the best this is quite cheap and easy to prepare. You can add variety to your simple salds by adding a pasta or potato base. Don't forget to add a simple dressing such as Caesar or lemon and garlic to make it a little more interesting!
• Veggie sticks and dip.
• Potato chips.

• Burgers beef or steak
• Chicken breast or wings or thighs- whichever you prefer or all of them.
• Hot dogs
• For the vegetarian contingent of your party don't forget to bring someveggie burgers or if they prefer - fish such as cod or salmon which can be easily grilled when wrapped up in tin foil with a wedge of lemon.

You will need a lot of finger food so your guests can walk around with their food as they good examples would be chips and crackers,

You will need lots of condiments for people to use to decorate their burgers etc. Think mustard, ketchup , relish, pickles, relish , slices of cheese and some peppers. And of course some good quality barbecue sauce!

For dessert - Ice cream is always a good steady option as people can help themselves and its quite cheap. If your feeling a bit more adventurous make up a large apple pie which you can slice up and combine with ice cream or if you haven't had already asked for meat get your guests to bring along dessert with them im sure they will be happy to help you out!

For drinks - Make sure you have enough drinks both alcoholic and non alco. stored in an ice bucket to keep everyone happy, always have a pitcher full of ice and water on hand as people like to drink that with their meals.

You need to set up your patio or backyard so that its conjugative to social interaction,

• Get a round table for yard, if you don't own a round table get a loan of a friend or family member! This face to face set up will encourage a fun social atmosphere!
• Set up your food and drinks in buffet style - This means everyone can help themselves and you wont have to spend lots of time serving everyone one by one! It also brings a nice party feel to your event.
• Have inside ready for people too - Unless your absolutely sure of blistering sunshine then it is a good idea to have the inside of your house prepared for a few of your guests incase of rain. All that you have to do to ready your home is move breakables to a safe place and have somewhere ready for everyone to sit.
• Fairy lights - Are an inexpensive way to bring a great atmosphere to your backyard. Just hang them of trees or high points in your yard and you'll bring a great carnival feel to your yard.
• Music - This is a must for any good party. Download a music app such as spotify and make a playlist including different genres of music with something for everyone but nothing to extreme. Then set up some speakers outside connect your laptop or ipod and your good to go!

So guys that wraps up my guide on how to throw the best possible summer bbq.

I hope if you do follow this guide you have a really great time and let me know how it went in the comments also if you have any suggestions for me about what I could add to the guide I would love to hear them also. Although food and music are really important for a good party I think the best ingredient for your party is to spend it with good company.

Enjoy guys!