SUMMER!!! I mean, I got excited last month when it arrived, but it seems to have taken a full month to actually start, so now we have the real exclamation marks.
The summer season is the perfect time to entertain close friends and family outdoors in your own backyard. It’s that different feeling you get by sharing your home rather than a restaurant or random meeting point. Imagine a clear blue sky, shorts and t-shirt weather, and your favourite playlist playing in the background as you catch up, laugh and generally have a rocking time with your loved ones (you know, when you get those moments where you’re looking around and just have an internal smile to yourself). To make this picture a reality, you really don’t need that much: a barbeque, some tables and chairs, an umbrella (or two) and some pre-planning is pretty much all that’s needed. Here are 3 tips to help make your backyard entertaining as enjoyable and hassle-free as possible.
Prepare the barbeque before guests arrive
It’s important that your barbeque is clean and prepped before your first guest arrives. Make sure you spend some time giving it a thorough cleaning with some BBQ wipes and a grill scrubber. Then give the entire surface of the barbeque a good rinsing. Head on over to a specialist online retailer like Barbeques Galore if you haven’t yet stocked up on quality cleaning and maintenance equipment. Next, prep the barbeque by lighting it up, coating it with oil, and letting it reach cooking temperature. That way your guests will actually arrive to the mouth-watering smell of the barbeque doing its thang.
Do as much food preparation as you can in the days leading up
Remember: entertaining in your own backyard is meant to be fun and relaxing. Make things easy on yourself and limit the chances of you feeling stressed on the day by doing as much food preparation as you can beforehand. This means, for example, putting the salads together, marinating the meat, spicing the chicken and pork, and baking the cakes in the days leading up to your backyard extravaganza. We all know how the unexpected always seems to show up when we least need it to. Prepare as much as you can well before the big day, and ease into entertaining your friends without so much as a frown or noticeable concern on your face.
Refrigerate beverages the night before
If you opt to use your indoor or outdoor fridge to keep the beer, wine and soft drink cold, then make sure you stock the fridge at least the night before the big day. There’s nothing worse than sipping on a warm beer whilst the mercury soars through the 30s and 40s. You can also use an esky filled with ice to keep things cool – just make sure you store it away from the sun (perhaps in the shade found under an umbrella) and keep an eye on the temperature inside. Why not also create a signature drink to commemorate the occasion? Classic lemonade always goes down a treat, as does sangria. Basically anything cold and refreshing will do!
Make the most of the sunny weather this summer and put on a good and easy backyard BBQ – or three! Do you have any other tips to make backyard entertaining even easier? Share your thoughts below and help other backyard enthusiasts have an even better time whilst entertaining at home.
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