Fire up the grill this Bank Holiday - 4 BBQ dishes to impress guests this weekend

With the warm days of summer well and truly upon us, there’s no better time to fire up the grill and take your entertaining alfresco. Whether you’re a charcoal purist or prefer the convenience of gas or electric, barbecuing adds smokiness, intensifies flavours, and imparts extra layers of deliciousness — transforming simple ingredients into special meals with very little effort.

If you’re new to outdoor cooking, our guide on how to BBQ is a great place to start. For those ready to upgrade their set-up, the Weber Master-Touch Charcoal BBQ offers classic results with smoky depth, while the Ninja woodfire BBQ grill delivers modern versatility with ease.

Inspired by the flavours of the Mediterranean, and my own Australian roots, this easy barbecue menu makes the most of your grill skills, with simple sharing dishes that look and taste spectacular, while being secretly easy to pull together

All the elements can be cooked outside on the grill, so you can mingle with guests while dinner cooks - plus, everything can be prepped well in advance, making it the perfect solution for effortless entertaining.

1. Charred prawns with lemon and dill butter

Doused in a garlicky herb butter, our super juicy prawns take on a delicious char from the barbecue. They’re served on quick homemade flatbread to mop up all that smoky, buttery goodness, and the whole dish comes together in less than 30 minutes for an easy sharing starter to serve with a cold glass of wine.

The butter can be made a couple of days ahead and kept in the fridge. The flatbread dough can be mixed several hours ahead too. Leave to rest, covered at room temperature, then roll it out just before cooking.

"We used M&S Collection organic Madagascan frozen raw prawns," says Woman&Home Food Director Jen Bedloe. "They come partially peeled for great flavour and presentation without the messiness of whole shell-on prawns. If you can’t get these, regular whole prawns are great too, just serve them with plenty of napkins.

• Serves 6
• Prep 20 mins | Cook 15 mins
• Per serving: 357 cals, 23g fat, 14g sat fat, 22g carbs

Ingredients

• 24 large whole prawns, peeled, heads and tails attached
• Large pinch pul biber or chilli flakes, to serve
• Lemon wedges to serve
• For the flatbreads:
• 1tsp cumin seeds, toasted, lightly crushed
• 150g self raising flour
• 100g plain natural yoghurt
• 1tbps olive oil
• For the butter:
• 150g unsalted butter
• 2tbsp each; finely chopped dill and parsley, plus extra to garnish
• 2 preserved lemons, skin only, chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2 large garlic clove, crushed

Method

• 1 Mix all the ingredients for the flatbreads in a bowl with a pinch of salt to make a soft dough. Knead a few times until smooth, then cover and set aside to rest for 30 mins.
• 2 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the rest of the butter ingredients and a pinch of salt, then set aside.
• 3 Heat/light the barbecue. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a rough circle, about 5mm thick. Grill over medium/indirect heat for 5mins each side, until charred and a little puffed. Transfer to a serving board/plate and brush with some of the butter.
• 5 Grill the prawns over high/direct heat for 2-3 mins each side, brushing with the butter several times, until pink and charred. Pile them onto the flatbread, drizzle with more of the butter and top with extra herbs, preserved lemon and a pinch of pul biber. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

2. Spiced lamb cutlets with charred pepper salsa

A simple spiced glaze and smoky salsa, inspired by the Turkish condiment ezme ramp up the flavour of this chargrilled meaty main. Cutlets make it a little more fancy for entertaining, but classic chops, or even lamb skewers would work well too.

"The salsa benefits from being made ahead, allowing all the flavours to mingle and mellow," says Jen. "You can char all the veggies under the grill if you don’t want to fire up the barbecue especially, and it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you’re short on time, a jar of Ajvar or romesco sauce would both make a good substitute.

• Serves 6
• Prep 30 mins | Cook 20 mins, plus marinating
• Per serving: 525 cals, 28g fat, 11g sat fat, 9g carbs

Ingredients

• 15-18 lamb cutlets (about 1.8 kg)
• 2tbsp za’atar, plus extra to serve
• 2tsp baharat
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp pomegranate molasses, plus extra to serve
• Handful salad leaves/soft herbs, to garnish
• For the salsa:
• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 3 red peppers
• 1 large banana shallots, halved lengthwise (skin on)
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 long red chillies
• 2-3tsp sherry vinegar

Method

• 1 Put the lamb, za’atar, baharat, oil, pomegranate molasses, and a large pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix well, then cover and chill for at least 2 hrs, or overnight.
• 2 Heat/light the barbecue. Wrap the garlic in foil and put on the grill, along with the rest of the veggies for the salsa. Grill over medium/indirect heat, turning occasionally, until very soft and well charred (about 15 mins for the tomatoes/chillies, longer for the rest). Put the veg in a bowl and cover. Set aside to cool, then peel and discard the burnt skins and seeds (don’t worry if some of the charred bits get in). Finely chop the veg and squeeze the garlic from its skin. Mix in a bowl and season with the sherry vinegar and salt.
• 4 Cook the lamb over direct/high heat for 3-4 mins each side for medium, or until cooked to your liking. Serve with the salsa, an extra drizzle of molasses, more za’atar, and some picked soft herbs or baby leaves, if liked.

3. Grilled courgette and goat’s cheese salad

This vibrant salad layers summer veg, with creamy whipped goat’s cheese for a refreshing side dish that is as pretty as it is tasty. We love it with the lamb, but it also works well with simply cooked salmon or even a roast chicken.

If using frozen broad beans, blanch and refresh them under cold water, then double-pod to remove the tough outer layer, or swap for garden peas instead.

• Serves 6
• Prep 30 mins | Cook 15 mins
• Per serving: 655 cals, 40g fat, 13g sat fat, 37g carbs

Ingredients

• 140g giant cous cous
• Oil, for drizzling
• 1.2kg fresh broadbeans (in pods), or use frozen instead (see tip)
• 2 large courgettes, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 lemon halved
• 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 100g pitted green olives
• 250g thick Greek yogurt
• 2 x 125g log soft goats cheese
• Bunch mint, picked and chopped (reserve a few leaves to garnish)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2tbsp capers
• 50g pinenuts, toasted

Method

• 1 Heat/light the barbecue. Cook the cous cous according to pack instructions. Drain and toss with a drizzle of oil.
• 2 Grill the broad beans in their pods, and the halved lemons, cut side down, over indirect/medium heat, for 10-15 mins until charred. Set aside to cool, then pod the beans and toss with the cous cous, along with the fennel and olives.
• 3 Brush the courgette slices with a little oil and grill for 2-3 mins each side until charred and tender.
• 4 Mix the yogurt and 125g of goat’s cheese with the chopped herbs, garlic, capers and some seasoning. Spread over a platter, then top with the cous cous mixture and courgettes. Squeeze over the charred lemon, and drizzle with oil.
• 5 Blob over the rest of the goat’s cheese and finish with the pine nuts and reserved mint leaves.

4. Yoghurt panna cotta with spiced pineapple

"Creamy panna cotta and sweetly spiced pineapple make a perfect pairing in this easy tropical pud," says Jen. "Gently poached on the grill, the pineapple creates its own sticky sauce, and both elements can be made well ahead, for a simple yet impressive end to any summer meal."

Make the panna cottas and prepare the pineapple 1-2 days ahead and keep in the fridge. Then simply cook the pineapple and unmould the panna cottas when you’re ready to serve. If you prefer, cook the pineapple in the oven, at 180C Fan for about 40 mins until tender, removing the foil halfway through the cooking time.

• Serves 6
• Prep 20 mins, plus chilling | Cook 50 mins
• Per serving: 331 cals, 16g fat, 8g sat fat, 41g carbs

Ingredients

• For the panna cotta:
• 3 platinum grade gelatin leaves
• 300ml single cream
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped (reserve pod for the pineapple)
• 90g runny honey (acacia or blossom)
• 500g Greek yogurt
• For the pineapple:
• Small pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into wedges
• 100g light brown sugar
• 30g piece ginger, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 20g unsalted butter
• 1 orange, thickly sliced
• 50g pistachios, roughly chopped
• You will need: 6 x 200ml dariole moulds, lightly greased

Method

• 1 Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 mins to soften. Meanwhile, heat the cream, vanilla seeds and honey in a small saucepan over low heat until steaming. Remove from the heat, squeeze the soaked gelatin leaves to remove excess water, then stir into the warm cream mixture until fully melted.
• 2 Stir the yogurt into the cream mixture, then divide between the greased moulds. Put them on a tray and chill for at least 4 hrs, until set.
• 3 Light/heat the barbecue. Toss all the ingredients for the pineapple in a barbecue-safe oven tray. Cover with foil and cook over indirect heat for 30 mins, until the pineapple is tender. Remove the foil and cook for a further 20 mins until the sauce is thickened and syrupy. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Discard the ginger, vanilla pod, orange and spices.
• 4 To serve, briefly dip the panna cotta moulds in hot water to loosen. Turn out onto serving plates and serve with the pineapple, topped with some chopped pistachios, and some of the syrup.

Credits: Recipes and food styling by Jess Meyer, Assisted by Catrina Gell