The ultimate summer barbecue menu – stylish, seasonal, and the perfect way to celebrate summer gatherings
From our home-made rub and our best-ever grilled lamb to our smoky lapsang souchong ice cream and whisky cocktail, we can help you get your summer barbecue party started

With summer, or at least the promise of it, come barbecues and lighter food, and these are our favorite barbecue recipes. But we haven't just created a menu of grilled meats – there are delicious vegetarian dishes, sides, and even a smoky dessert and cocktail.
The trick to cooking on the grill is to make sure your coals are uniformly white hot, without a trace of flame, before you add the food. And get all your barbecue essentials sorted in advance, of course.
By all means watch the food carefully to ensure it doesn’t scorch, but resist the temptation to turn it too often; fish, especially, will stick to the grill if fussed over. Bon appetit!
Home-smoked seasoning
This home-smoked seasoning recipe is perfect for most meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. Ideal for grill-outs, it can be used to give depth of flavor even when it's too chilly outdoors to crack open the BBQ.
Vegetarian mezze with baba ganoush and salsa
This vegetarian meze is packed with flavor thanks to the baba ganoush and salsa, their ingredients prepped on the grill. Serve with our garlic and herb flatbreads and raw crudités.
Best-ever grilled lamb
Our best-ever grilled lamb recipe is a cracker. Marinated overnight for best results, it's wonderful served up with our bulgar wheat salad, below.
Bulgur wheat salad
Quick, easy and packed with goodness, this bulgur wheat salad is flavored with fresh herbs. Pair it with our grilled lamb recipe (above).
Smoky chicken with chipotle
Smoky, spicy and a little sweet, this chipotle chicken recipe will bring a Mexican flavor to your barbecue recipe list. Serve it with rice, salad, in burritos, tacos... the choice is endless!
Stuffed peppers with harissa yoghurt
Looking for grill recipes for vegetarians? Or just a filling, fabulous side for a hungry crowd? This stuffed pepper with harissa yogurt is our favorite.
Griddled zucchini and halloumi salad
This zucchini with halloumi is griddled for extra flavor. Serve it up hot, warm or at room temperature – it works every way! It's the perfect side for barbecue recipes, or a tasty main for veggies.
Lapsang souchong ice cream
Smoky, sweet and oh, so refreshing, this lapsang souchong and green mint ice cream is a dessert with a difference. Serve it up at a barbecue to keep those flavors coming!
Maltito cocktail
Love a Mojito? You'll adore our Maltito cocktail recipe. Smokier, grown up, and very elegant, it's the perfect drink to serve to complement a barbecue menu.
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Clare Ferguson, is a leading food stylist and culinary advisor, food columnist and consultant, broadcaster, commentator, and guest chef. Clare has worked as a stylist for numerous advertising campaigns and TV shows. Clare has also written and styled over 20 cookbooks, and serves as an advisor to leading international supermarket brands.
- Alice HartFood Writer
- Emily EzekielFood writer
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