Spring is a temperamental season.
One minute it’s warm enough to eat a deli pasta salad in the park; the next you’re craving hot soup to get your extremities back to normal temperatures.
It’s all worth it in the end though, because summer is on the other side of those spring showers. And for foodies, the season may as well be rechristened grill season.
All across the country, BBQs are being awoken from their garden shed-hibernation and trundled back into the garden spotlight, ready for when temperatures climb so they can do their thing.
Sausages, burgers, skewers, wings, ribs; are there any morsels that can’t be improved with a BBQ’s smoky, chargrilled flavour?
While modern BBQing is hardly a carnivores-only game - there are plenty of ideas for veggies and vegans out there - this list is intended to guide those who want to fill their freezers with red and white meat, ready for a cookout when the weather allows.
Shopping for quality cuts needn’t mean a visit to a distant town to find the nearest local supplier: many independent butchers have gone online, allowing you to get your hands on delicious meats with just a few clicks of a button. These suppliers specialise in high-quality fare from well-raised animals, giving you peace of mind by knowing exactly what’s on your plate.
From suppliers of London’s smartest hotels to independent artisans, here are the top choices of BBQ meat packs to stock up for ahead of barbecuing season.
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Pipers Farm The Family Favourites Box
When each member of the household has a different grill favourite, doing a supermarket shop can be a bit of a nightmare. Skip the aisles and head straight to Pipers Farm instead where you can add this box of family favourites to basket. The whole squad is here, from a kilo of breakfast sausages and 200g of bacon to free range chicken thighs and fillets ready to marinade after defrosting. Before you check out, add some sustainable BBQ fuel in with your order for a kinder way to light your fire.
Buy now £65.00, Pipers Farm
Tom Hixson of Smithfield The BBQ Meat Box
An established East End butcher that you can now find online, Tom Hixson of Smithfield is on every top chef’s speed dial. The family firm specialises in premium fillets, sirloin, ribeye and other cuts of beef, and they offer halal meat too.
Weighing a stonking 9.2kg, the BBQ Meat Box has it all, from 5kg of beef brisket to jumbo short ribs and USDA St Louis Ribs too. Crack out the smoker and the BBQ sauce to do things Southern style.
Buy now £145.00, Tom Hixson of Smithfield
Abel & Cole Marvellous Meat Box
Around since 1988, Abel & Cole is best known for supplying organic fruit and veg - but it offers meat to order too.
The brand is on a mission to fill the country’s fridges and bellies with better, fresher food. The company offers a selection of choice cuts with seafood, game, red meat, poultry and plant-based meat alternatives all for the taking.
The Marvellous Meat Box is filled with three types of organic meat that come from farms with high welfare standards, such as Daylesford. You’ll have three days to cook if you want to grill fresh cuts, but everything is freezable too for use at a later date - which means as little waste as possible.
Buy now £19.50, Abel & Cole
S. Collins & Son Large Bbq Box
Invest now in a BBQ feast and you’ll be laughing come summer. S. Collins & Son has garden parties and get-togethers catered for with its large BBQ box, featuring everything a carnivore and their friends would want to devour off the grill.
Crowd-pleasers like bangers and burgers are in the mix, nestled alongside Teriyaki, Piri Piri and Thai skewers. With such huge variety at an excellent price and marinades covered to boot, it’s a convenient and economical option for BBQ aficionados.
Buy now £60.00, S. Collins & Son
Fine Food Specialist Ultimate Burger Box
If you want your BBQ to stand head and shoulders above everyone else’s, you’re going to need to put something really impressive on the flame.
From Grade 1 Wagyu fillet and USDA Prime New York Strip, to rock lobster caught in Oman, Fine Food Specialist always delivers on jaw-dropping, restaurant-worthy ingredients that’ll leave your friends and family in awe.
For an elevated burger experience, get the Ultimate Burger Box (£59.95), which comes packed with Iberico pork burgers, veal patties, beautifully marbled Wagyu burgers, gently spicy lamb and chilli burgers, and dry-aged beef burgers.
It’ll leave all other grill gatherings in the dust.
Buy now £59.95, Fine Food Specialist
Farmison & Co handmade hot dogs
This is a one-stop shop for all the BBQ favourites as well as pre-marinated and pre-rubbed meats: think Korean cut gochujang beef short ribs, pork belly steak glazed by cherry molasses, Turkish coffee rubbed hanger steak, and Lebanese-style chicken shish kebabs. If you think you’re tough (and hungry) enough, there’s even a Tomahawk steak to bag for £46. If this lot doesn’t get you salivating, nothing will.
For crowd-pleasing dogs, F&Co’s handmade varities are delightful. Each all-beef frank is made without additives and preservatives yet retains that ‘snap’ that somehow makes eating a hot dog all the better.
Your fresh, organic meat will be delivered by DPD, a courier chosen for their commitment to carbon neutral delivery. Orders under £40 are charged £5.95 for delivery.
Buy now £8.95, Farmison & Co
HG Walter Chop Box
This family-run outfit is one of the country’s most respected butchers, and counts London’s elite hotels as its clients. The bricks-and-mortar store is in Baron’s Court, but if you’re not able to make the pilgrimage, head online to pick up select cuts and grass-fed beef, plus plenty more besides.
For those who love a good chop, there’s only one box worth splurging on: the chop box. You’re looking at the finest cuts of beef, pork and lamb, ready to marinade or crust as you see fit. In total there are 11 pieces to stick on the grill, enough to make a mouthwatering feast that you and your loved ones will savour.
Buy now £50.00, HG Walter
Swaledale Korean-style BBQ Beef Short Ribs 4 x 150g
We can’t get enough of Far East flavours here in the UK, and BBQ season only gives us more opportunities to try different things. Swaledale Butchers is answering the demand of more inquisitive palates with these Korean-style BBQ Beef Short Ribs which will arrive freshly butchered and vacuum-sealed for ultimate freshness.
These ribs are cut in a slim style that’s popular in Argentina called banderita, taken from beef breast for fuller flavour. Because they’re so thinly cut, they’ll cook in minutes over high heat on the barbie. Suitable for freezing.
Buy now £12.00, Swaledale
