Scorching Barbeque Tips from Love Food Hate Waste - The Source

Barbequing at home, along with eating and entertaining, is the UK's number one summer home leisure activity.

Two in three households own a barbecue grill and in 2010 the UK was once again Europe?s leading barbeque nation hosting over 120 million of them*.

Having friends or family round for a barbeque in the garden is an ideal way to spend an afternoon.

Something cold to drink, crunchy salads and food cooked over hot coals - barbecue bliss!

But knowing how much food to cook for a crowd, and making the most of any leftovers, can be tricky.

Around 6% of all the good food and drink we waste from our homes is meat and fish - costing us a whopping ?1.6 million a year.

These handy ideas from Love Food Hate Waste can help us make the most of our food and ensure our barbecues are done to perfection.

Brilliant BBQ's

• Keep the fridge between one and five degrees to help food stay fresher for longer. Raw meat should be kept covered on the bottom shelf away from other foods.
• Use up any ginger, garlic and lemongrass lingering in the fridge by making a simple marinade for king prawns, lamb, beef or chicken skewers.
• Squeeze spare lemons and combine with a sprinkling of sugar and sparkling water to make a thirst quenching lemonade.
• Sliced lemons can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for a refreshing addition to cold drinks. Why not freeze grapes and use as tasty ice cubes.
• If you're inviting lots of guests and aren?t sure how much to cook, try Love Food Hate Waste's online perfect portion calculator.
• Use a cool box or cool bag to help keep food fresh and tasty.

The average number of barbeques per family during the summer has risen sharply from around two ten years ago to more than nine barbeques now. Despite the tough economic climate many of us will now spend around ?35 on food and drink for a barbeque, up from ?19 just five years ago*.

Making your food go further on a budget can be a great help and Love Food Hate Waste has some more great tips?

• Store cupboard essentials like dried noodles make delicious cold oriental salads when mixed with chopped spare veg like baby corn and sugar snap peas.
• Any fish that needs using up can be wrapped in foil and barbequed.
• If you?ve got veg which is past its best - such as courgettes, aubergines and peppers - brush them with olive oil and chargrill until soft. Or why not try a Roast Vegetable Lunch.
• Chop up spare veg from your salad drawer into little crudit?s for dunking into hummus or your favourite dip.
• If salad is looking tired and wilted put it in a bowl of water with a couple of ice-cubes to get it nice and crisp again.
• A dollop or two of coleslaw and hummus make delicious additions to salads. Why not make your own coleslaw to use up your veg by combining grated carrot with shredded cabbage (red or white) and some mayonnaise.
• If raspberries, strawberries and blueberries look past their prime, cook gently in a saucepan until soft and then serve with cr?me fraiche or ice-cream for an easy pud.
• Keep the children entertained by giving them refreshing lollies made with left over fruit juice, smoothies and yoghurts frozen into ice-lolly moulds.

When the sun goes down?

• If you've got leftover cooked meat, wrap it well and keep it in the fridge - it will be good to use for up to two days or pop it in the freezer for another time.
• Add a dollop of leftover dip to a cold burger for lunch the next day. Try our tasty topped barbeque burger recipe.
• Add any leftover sausages to an omelette or Spanish tortilla. Or try Quick Pizza Tortilla Chips .
• Cold sausages make tasty lunch box treats or can be frozen to eat later. If you do freeze leftover cooked sausages from your barbeque, use them in your next picnic. Take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge the night before and take them in your cool bag.
• Bread rolls that have gone a bit stale can be made into breadcrumbs and frozen in a freezer bag to use later for making stuffings, bread sauce or mix with grated cheese for a gratin topping.
• Leftover potatoes make a tasty potato salad when tossed with sliced red or spring onions and mayonnaise.

Visit lovefoodhatewaste.com for tips, recipes and inspiration!

Key safety messages:

• Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before preparing food and after touching raw food.
• Foods with a 'use by' date or 'keep refrigerated' on the label should be kept cold to stop harmful germs growing.
• Keep food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible.
• If you're eating outside use a cool bag to keep food cool.
• If you?re putting food out for a party, try not to leave it out for more than two hours.
• When you're cooking on the barbecue remember to keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate to stop harmful germs spreading.
• Use separate utensils and plates for raw and cooked meet.
• Don't add marinade to cooked food if it?s already been used with raw meat.
• Wait until the charcoal is glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you start cooking.
• Make sure there isn?t any pink meat left and that any juices are clear.

*With thanks to the National BBQ Association and Mintel for these facts

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