It happens every year. The sun comes out and patios all over Britain become host to the ritual of cooking on an open fire. We are a nation of barbecue lovers, and more than half of all Britons now barbecue at home.
The season reaches its peak during July and August and presents a huge opportunity for the food service sector to offer the barbecue experience outside the home and for chefs to showcase their skills directly in front of the customer.
"The warm summer months are synonymous with barbecues and barbecue-themed dishes, so naturally it's an area that offers great versatility and profit potential for operators," says Ray Lorimer, executive chef and culinary controller at Unilever Foodsolutions. "With consumer palates and expectations becoming increasingly sophisticated, a barbecue option is no longer simply a burger in a bun but an opportunity for a much more exciting eating occasion.
"For establishments with an outdoor area, a chef cooking on a professional barbecue provides great theatre, which, combined with the sight of fresh ingredients and delicious aromas, generates real customer appeal.
Buy It! has teamed up with Unilever Foodsolutions, which is currently running a "Brands to be seen with this summer" promotion featuring its Flora, Hellmann's and Knorr brands, to offer readers the chance to win a commercial barbecue and a range of Hellmann's and Knorr products worth a total of £1,750.
How to enter
One lucky reader who can answer the question below correctly will win this amazing prize. All entries must be submitted on a postcard by 15 June. Entrants should include their name, job title, company name and address and contact telephone number. Send entries to Unilever Foodsolutions BBQ Competition, Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS.
The question
How many Britons barbecue at home?
a) None
b) More than half
c) All
The prize
The Caterer commercial barbecue has long been a popular model and has undergone 20 years of continual upgrading to maintain its position as a market leader. With an overall size of 1,715mm x 660mm x 794mm, the barbecue features twin independent grill areas of 800mm x 457mm giving a total grill area of 7,312sq cm.
The recommended gas supply is a 13kg propane bottle (not included), which provides 18 hours for single-grill use or nine hours for twin-grill use. Practical features include high-pressure burners, which are unaffected by wind, and legs that resist sinking into soft earth, then fold to protect the control valves, enabling storage upright on end.
Unilever Foodsolutions will provide our winner with a range of products to inject excitement and creativity into a barbecue menu. The products included in the prize are:
- 1 x five-litre pack of Hellmann's Real mayonnaise.
- 2 x 2.2-litre packs of Knorr Patak's Indian sauce.
- 6 x one-litre packs of Hellmann's Dressing.
The Knorr Patak's range of Indian sauces and pastes make ideal marinades for all meats and fish and impart popular flavours such as tikka masala and jalfrezi into a barbecue offering.
Salad, whether served as an accompaniment to the barbecue or as a meal in itself, can be brought to life with a tasty dressing. The Hellmann's range of ready-to-use salad dressings includes eight flavours that complement both contemporary and traditional salads, including Raspberry Flavour & Mustard, Classic Vinaigrette and Garlic & Herb.
Hellmann's range of mayonnaise includes lower-fat options and can be used for creating fillings for sandwiches, paninis, wraps and bagels, toppings for jacket potatoes and as an ingredient for creating the ever-popular potato salad.
Terms and conditions
1. This competition is not open to employees or agents of Reed Business Information, Unilever Foodsolutions or Cinders Barbecues.
2. We reserve the right to change the prize without notice, and no cash alternative will be offered.
3. The winner will be selected at random from correct entries, and the publisher's decision is final.
4. Reed Business Information will use the contact information you provide to communicate with you on behalf of the Caterer Group. We may also use the information you have provided to send direct marketing material from ourselves relating to other products and services that may be of interest to you. Your information may also be disclosed to other companies who wish to send you information about their products and services, including our sponsor, Unilever Foodsolutions. This could involve data transfer to countries outside the European Economic Area. For further information and choices please visit our data protection page at www.reedbusiness.co.uk/dataprotection or write to us at RBI, Freepost RCC2619, Haywards Heath RH16 3BR.
5. The winner's name will appear in Caterer and Hotelkeeper and on Caterersearch.com.