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We are now into the last month of winter and the signs of Spring are upon us. However there are still some days in the Southern states where the temperature is hitting single figures for the day and therefore is not really the time for participating in outdoor events. The BBQ though is still one of Australia’s favourite pastimes and I am sure those in the Northern states participate in these events all year round.

If you are missing your snag on a barbie, I thought I would jot down some ideas on how to have a successful winter BBQ.

1. Must not rain – but always have a back up plan ready if it does.

2. Must keep warm with blankets, jackets, beanies, scarves, jumpers, doonas – anything to make staying outside an okay experience.

3. If need to keep warm is still required, need to stand close to BBQ (not too close due to fire hazards) and not in direction of the way the wind is blowing unless you want to smell of BBQ in your clothes for the rest of the day. Oh, and don’t believe the ‘Only men can cook the BBQ’ myth.

4. Ensure all food is prepared and easy to serve as time required outside may be limited due to rain or gale force winds. This is where the BBQ Bonanza Box (caters for 4-6 people) or the more cosy Instant BBQ Box (4 people) comes in handy. These boxes include sausages, burgers, rolls, sauce, salad and serviettes.

5. Accompany the BBQ with a drink that will help keep the guests warm. Any of the following drinks could help guests warm up – ‘Hot toddy’ is a name given to a mixed drink served warm. Pour a shot of whisky into a cup or mug, add boiling water to it. Add a spoon of honey or sugar, a slice of lemon, 2 cloves and a cinnamon stick – leave to brew for 3-5 minutes. You can take the cinnamon and cloves out before drinking if you prefer. If you prefer something non alcoholic you could try a hot chocolate (marshmallows are a must) or a chai tea.

6. Purchase a patio heater and/or enlist your friends to bring their heaters along.

7. Don’t forget to bring along some marshmallows to toast on the BBQ – perfect winter food. There are some great ones you can order online that have 4 different flavours…mmmm. Or better yet, purchase a kids party pack (we did!) that is full of lollies, chocolate, chips and drinks and you will not even notice that you are cold as you are filling yourself with some tasty sweets. Maybe this is the reason why kids never seem to feel the cold!

8. Put on a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen and play some cricket. If you act like it is summer, perhaps you’ll start to feel like it is summer.

9. Drive or fly to somewhere warmer just to have a BBQ. It will feel like a holiday road trip even if you only stay for lunch.

10. If all else fails, hold BBQ indoors!

As you know the team here at online like to get together away from the computers to have a chat occasionally and we have endeavoured to celebrate winter with a BBQ.

One tip that could be added to the above is if you are having a BBQ outdoors in winter, endeavour to have it in a sunny place. It doesn’t help when the BBQ you are cooking on is based on the south side of a 5 story building as sun does not tend to shine at this point.