With more daylight and warmth coming, April brings a great opportunity to fire up some early BBQs.
Whether you’re just practising for later in the year or ready to celebrate some events, this article will highlight some good reasons and ideas to start barbecuing in April.
What’s Happening In April?
April brings several events, including Easter and Saint George’s Day if you’re feeling particularly patriotic and fancy seeing if you can cook up a few English dishes on a BBQ grill.
There’s also World Earth Day, if you feel like trying out some more sustainable meals. You could even play a little April Fools day prank during your BBQ.
Let’s delve into some April BBQ ideas…
Saint George’s Day – Ideas for a Really English BBQ
Saint George’s Day is celebrated on April 23rd. It is known as a feast day, and although typically associated with England (you’ll be seeing a lot of English flags) is celebrated in other parts of the world such as Greece, Portugal, Rio de Janeiro, and may more.
Unfortunately, we don’t get a bank holiday for this patriotic day. But it’s a good excuse to host an evening BBQ, with English inspired dishes.
Here’s a few ideas for English meals:
- English Breakfast on the BBQ: grill sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes, you’ll end up with a hearty breakfast with a smoky twist on the classic dish.
- Bangers and Mash: again, you’ll find yourself grilling some sausages, you could even put a twist on it and put the sausages (aka bangers) and the creamy mash into a burger bun! Why not try grilling a sausage patty instead to fit into the bun better? Don’t forget the gravy!
- Lamb Chops: March and April is peak lamb season in the UK, perfect for both Easter and St.George’s Day. Season with rosemary and garlic.
- Fish and Chips on the BBQ: It doesn’t get more English than fish and chips, and with a BBQ accessory such as a grill basket, you can carefully grill fish without it crumbling to pieces.
Going Sustainable for Earth Day
World Earth Day takes place on April 22nd, so if you’re environmentally conscious, here’s some ideas for some sustainable BBQ dishes.
- Plant based BBQ meals: You can grill lots of vegetables on the BBQ, such as bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and corn. Turn them into skewers for a combo of colourful flavours.
- Eco-Friendly Fuel: Depending on which type of BBQ you have, you can look for sustainably sourced charcoal (some is recycled). Alternatively, you can use a propane or electric grill to reduce emissions. Reusable plates, cups and utensils rather than paper plates and plastic cups are also a more sustainable option if possible.
- Shop Locally and Organic: Source locally grown produce and meat for your BBQ. Doing so will both support local farmers and butchers and reduce the carbon emissions that are usually required to transport food from further away. You’ll also be left with fresher and tastier ingredients to cook with.
An Easter Egg-stravagant BBQ
You could grill some lamb here, as it’s the traditional easter meal. You could also go for an egg theme in your cooking. Whilst you cook, you could hide eggs round your garden or home for guests to go hunting for.
- Deviled Eggs, BBQ style: There are many egg dishes you could cook, stuffed omelettes, fried eggs, etc. but how about this: add crispy bacon bits, smoked paprika and even some BBQ sauce to deviled eggs. The perfect savoury delight.
- Hot Cross Bun Burgers: Not for everyone, but how about replacing your regular burger buns with hot cross buns. Some shops even sell cheese flavoured hot cross buns for those who don’t want to stray too far from a normal burger. Perhaps a regular burger bun with an added cross in the form of mayonnaise might suffice?
- Easter Bunny Burgers: Don’t worry, this doesn’t involve cooking rabbit. Mold minced meat into a bunny shape, combine with veg such as cherry tomatoes and carrots to make a nose and whiskers. Could be a hit with the kids, and a way to get them eating both meat, fruit and vegetables.
April Fools Ideas
If you’re feeling mischievous, why not throw in some pranks alongside the regular food. Try disguising food as other food, such as watermelon disguised to look like steak.
You could also play a game of spice roulette to see who ends up with the spiciest sauced burger or chicken wing.
Just make sure your guests are actually up for a prank first…
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, April’s a great time to get the BBQ out. So, whatever the event, give your grill a clean and get ready to cook some traditional and interesting creations.