Nothing says British summer like standing around a disposable barbecue wondering if the sausages are cooked in the middle, as ominous grey clouds hover overhead. Or at least it used to. It turns out the traditional summer ritual is having somewhat of a glow-up, with John Lewis calling 2023 the summer of the “boujee BBQ”.
Gone are the flimsy aluminium instants, in their place “aesthetically pleasing outdoor dining setups.” The high street giant is reporting strong sales of a £499 hybrid gas and charcoal barbecue, while for those with a balcony rather than garden, searches for electric barbecues have reportedly risen 267%. Even cult streetwear company Supreme had hypebeasts queuing around the block not for oversized hoodies or sneakers, but for a table-top charcoal grill created in partnership with the North American outdoor brand Coleman.
Outdoor kitchens – a feature once reserved for A-listers’ sprawling estates – have become one of TikTok’s most searched-for terms, with hundreds of thousands of videos featuring tours of integrated charcoal grills and tips on building your own.
However, this barbecue hype isn’t limited to just the actual physical unit. John Lewis say customers are also “investing in added extras that will add style to their al fresco dining.” Everything from smart denim aprons (gone are the days of “License to Grill” jokes) to hot sauces in Instagrammable glass jars are trending.
Armida Ascano, head futurist at the forecasting agency Trend Hunter, says this penchant for aesthetically pleasing barbecues is an extension of the pretty picnic trend that kickstarted during the pandemic.
“During lockdown it required much more creativity if you wanted something that felt as special as a fancy dining experience,” says Ascano. “It was a perfect storm for outdoor DIY dining. It was one of many things people started doing out of necessity during the pandemic that we’re now doing for fun.”
Just like the picnic trend led to cult wicker baskets and gingham blankets, the “boujee BBQ” trend is inciting consumers’ obsession with certain brands. With TikTokers documenting everything from their trip to the farmer’s market to “tablescaping” (AKA laying the table) brands are realising that how a barbecue looks is becoming just as important as how quickly the charcoal heats up.
As a result, Weber’s slick minimalist Go Anywhere barbecue and Heston Blumenthal’s bright orange portable number are proving popular on social media. Elsewhere, for many millennials it’s The Big Green Egg – a ceramic barbecue that both smokes and grills – that has become a wishlist item. Favoured by Michelin star chefs and Meghan Markle (she was pictured cooking sea bass and courgettes on hers), in further proof of its popularity it has recently been duped by Aldi. The German retail chain’s version costs £399 compared to £1,375 and, unsurprisingly, sells out in hours whenever it is restocked.
Similar to how gorpcore, the trend of wearing outdoorsy gear in an urban environment, has become the norm, functional cooking and food prep gear commonly found around a rural campfire are quickly beginning to crop up on city balconies and in your local park.
The 200-year old British brand Falcon has witnessed something of a recent renaissance, with Gen Z snapping up its blue rimmed enamelware plates, while Toast – a fashion brand best known for its soft fabrics and roomy dresses – has teamed up knife company Katto to create a “hand-forged” barbecue tool set.
Yeti, a brand that specialises in ice chests for outdoor explorers, says its biggest seller in the UK is its £200 Roadie cool box. Available in a range of pastel shades including millennial pink, reviews rave about its ability to keep bottles of rosé icy.
With soaring temperatures predicted for most of the UK this weekend, the “boujee BBQ” trend is only just heating up. You have been warned.
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