Summer entertaining, made easy!

2021-12-07

Ahh summer…. long hot days and balmy evenings. Picnics at the beach, or the lake. Backyard BBQs and G&Ts by the pool.

There’s nothing like relaxing in summertime and getting together with friends and family.

Think of us at Barker’s as your wingman for easy summer entertaining, to help you spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the festivities.

So, to kick off summer the right way, we’ve prepared a few tips to help you for your next summer BBQ.

Drinks anyone?

Prepare a jug of something refreshing to have ready as soon as your guests arrive, like our Premium Mixer Soda Syrups in a pitcher (try the Pink Grapefruit & Lemon or NZ Apple & Elderflower), topped with soda and garnished with plenty of slices of lemon and fresh mint.

For the grown-ups, add our Pink Grapefuit & Lemon Premium Mixer Soda Syrup to your Aperol or Prosecco for the perfect summer spritz.

Have plenty of ice on hand to keep drinks cool and a large spoon that can be used as an ice scoop. Remember you always need more ice than you think!

Up your platter game

Keep hunger at bay with a platter pre-prepared with a range of treats to suit everyone’s palates. Homemade crackers always go down well, and our Gluten Free Seeded Cracker recipe is a crowd-pleaser.

Our Fruit for Cheese or Pear & Fig Relish are perfect on a platter as they pair with a range of cheeses. Try a variety of harder cheeses such as cheddar or gouda or a soft and creamy camembert or brie.

A mix of fresh fruit and vegetables and dried fruit always go down well with both little kids and big kids – strawberries, blueberries and melon, slices of pear and apple, or cherry tomatoes. Then, add dried apricots, dates or figs.

Don’t forget cheese knives and small spoons to make it easy for your guests!

Sensational Salads

We’re all about simple and colourful salads paired with a zingy dressing, like this Heirloom Tomato and Bocconcini Salad with our Herb & Caper Vinaigrette.

Or this Charred Nectarine, Baby Cos & Feta Salad with Hazelnuts served with our Greek Style Dressing.

To keep everyone happy, make sure there’s a big bowl of mixed greens with our Raspberry Vinaigrette on the side.

BBQ Besties

For a family BBQ favourite, marinate pork ribs overnight in a coffee rub, then lather in our Tomato BBQ Rib Sauce before baking in the oven, then finishing on the BBQ.

But our BBQ Rib sauce is not just for ribs – try basting on vegetables such as capsicum, eggplant, zucchini and red onion and toss on the barbie.

And a must-have accompaniment for every BBQ is our Barker’s Better Tomato Sauce, which is made using New Zealand-grown tomatoes (with much less sugar and salt than most other tomato sauces).

Sweet Treats

Who doesn’t love a little something delicious and decadent to finish off a great meal? Our No-bake Chocolate Cheesecake recipe is sure to impress, with Barker’s Choc Lovers Chocolate Sauce in the filling and drizzled on top and served with our Rhubarb, Strawberry & Raspberry Compote. Perfect for making ahead of time and pulling out of the fridge just before you’re ready to serve.

In fact, our Fruit Compotes make great easy desserts, just dollop on top of yoghurt or ice-cream.

Another favourite dessert amongst the Barker’s crew is store-bought meringues, broken up and layered with our Barker’s NZ Squeezed Lemon Curd, mascarpone and cream. This is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!