Skip to main content

Just in case it Rains: How to Host an Indoor Picnic or Barbecue

Summer’s here! That means it’s time to send out the invites and gather your friends and families for the barbecue that will come to define the season – good food, good music, and conversation with the people that you care about. Or else you’ll be jumping in your car and heading off towards your beauty spot of choice, ready to lay down the tartan blanket and enjoy some homemade sandwiches as the sun shines on your back.

Unfortunately, nobody told the Great British Weather about your plans, and rain clouds are looming on the horizon. So do you cancel your plans, send your friends home disappointed and hope that you’ll be able to do it all again some other day? Or do you let the rain work in your favour for a change, and host the best indoor barbecue or picnic that your neighbourhood has ever seen? We vote for the latter – and here’s how you can make it happen:

The Barbecue

We hope that it goes without saying, but just in case… don’t actually use your barbecue indoors! We’re serious: this is incredibly dangerous due to the release of carbon monoxide gas.  Instead, turn to the grill to cook up those burgers, sausages and kebabs that you’ve been craving throughout the long winter months.

So far so good, but how do you get that smoky barbecue flavour if you’re forced to leave the hot coals outside? One fantastic option is to use smoked bacon – especially handy if you were already planning to cook some up as part of your feast. Grill the bacon up before you start cooking any other meat, letting the fat drip down into the pan below. Then you can use the same pan to grill the rest of your meat, letting the flavours from the bacon work their way onto the rest of your food. For an even stronger taste, you can even use melted bacon fat to baste steak or chicken; it’s all down to personal taste.

Keep the atmosphere casual – the last thing you want is to turn your chilled out BBQ into something that resembles a dinner party! Use paper plates and plastic cutlery, bring out some party games and relish the fact that you don’t have insects buzzing around trying to get a bite of your food.

The Picnic

An indoor picnic might sound like a bit of an oxymoron – isn’t the whole point of a picnic that you do it outside? That really doesn’t have to be the case, and an indoor picnic can make an especially romantic date idea, although it works just as well with friends and family.

The first thing to do is to prepare some food, and although a batch of delicious sandwiches is the classic choice, it certainly doesn’t have to be the limit. You could set up a cheese board full of favourites such as brie and goats cheese, get some fancy crackers and even think of some fancy side servings such as smoked salmon or stuffed bell peppers.

Since your inside, you can also make use of the oven to enjoy some warm foods, which will go down especially well when the weather is not as bright as was hoped. Quiches and mini pizzas keep the picnic atmosphere going while offering something a little different to spice up your selection.

Once your food is ready to go, you’ll need to set up a cosy space to eat – avoid the table and throw down some blankets and cushions to make a comfortable den that mimics the look of an outdoor picnic. If you’re setting up a date then you can also bring out some candles and even a bottle of champagne, for maximum romance with minimum fuss.

Of course, none of this will be possible if your cooker is playing up; luckily you can turn to us for top quality range repairs in Devon, and since we even make evening and weekend visits you never need to be without a nice plate of warming food. Contact us at 01392 427641 to find out more about how we can help.