BBQ FEATURE


THE BARBECUE SEASON 2021: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?


If there’s one thing that the 2020 barbecue season taught us, it’s that you’ve got to be ready at a moments notice. An unexpectedly sunny Spring, combined with lockdown restrictions, led to a 391% increase in barbecue occasions in April last year. And it didn’t stop there. According to a report by AHDB* between April-August there were 100 million barbecue occasions, up 44% year on year and 18% higher than the scorching summer of 2018.


The importance of the barbecue season is that it gives butchers another chance to show customers, especially the newer ones, just why it’s worth sticking with them post COVID. Butchers can be more responsive to their customers than the big retailers. When the weather heats up, they can have an array of high-quality barbecue items on their counters in a jiffy.


What did the 2020 barbecue look like? Last year barbecues generally were smaller, family affairs owing to the restrictions on travel and gatherings in place for part of the year. Whilst weekends accounted for almost half the barbecue occasions, mid-week barbecuing grew in popularity too. More homeworking made this possible, but the underlying driver for week-day barbecues was mainly the desire for a change or to have a treat in difficult times.


Traditional barbecue favourites like burgers and sausages both performed well last year, but steak featured at more barbecues than any other year, further demonstrating consumers desire for a ‘reward’.


So, what does this mean for 2021? How might this summer be different?


Unfortunately, we can’t predict the weather, but learning from last year we can make some ‘predictions’ for this summer’s barbecues


Barbecues will be bigger!


Last year, according to AHDB, barbecues with 5 or more people fell by 62%. If the government ‘roadmap’ goes to plan the rule of 6 will


end on 17 May, after which gatherings of up to 30 people may be allowed outdoors. Barbecues are social occasions and may be considered one of the safest ways to socialise. Following a year of social deprivation, it’s likely that barbecues for groups of family and friends will be a popular feature of the summer.


Barbecues will be more of an occasion


Although we all hope hospitality will have fully resumed this summer, nobody seems to be expecting a mass exodus to the pub. Even during ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ apparently only 35% of consumers ate out in participating venues.


What we do know is that Brits have spent a LOT of money on their outdoor space in the last year. According to a Homebase study this amounted to £5.4b last year. Summer 2021 is time to recoup that investment and show off rejuvenated gardens to friends and family – a barbecue provides the perfect opportunity.


Barbecue food will be more adventurous


Burgers, sausages, and chicken kebabs will always be barbecue staples. But as people seek to replicate the restaurant experience at home this summer we could see cuts not traditionally known as barbecue cuts making an appearance. Think shoulder or brisket joints, cooked low and slow and flavoured with herbs and spices. And for those that love a steak, big meaty cuts like the Tomahawk (both beef and pork) could be more in demand. As David Gigli points out in his Butchers Blog, there’s a new breed of barbecue enthusiast on the block, and they are serious about their barbecuing.


Plant based will be back


Before butchers rejoice that British households bought almost 6% fewer plant-derived burgers, sausages and other meat alternatives last year – this is expected to reverse in 2021. The reason lies partly in the smaller gatherings that were a particular feature of last years barbecues. The majority of the meat-free products are bought almost ‘unconsciously’, or for guests for social occasions, according to Rebecca Gladman at AHDB. Reduced numbers of social eating occasions and fewer trips to supermarkets last year meant less catering for guests or impulse purchases in the meat-free aisle. With group gatherings and supermarket shopping back on the agenda this year, meat-free will be back on the menu for some at least.


* 2020 - A BBQ Summer like no other - AHDB Report Nov 2020 16 | CRAFT BUTCHER MAY/JUNE 2021


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