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Buoyant Barbecue Trade Expected

Richard Plowman, secretary of the Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association, gives a round up of barbecue trends for 2011 following the association’s Summer Outdoor Leisure Exhibition (SOLEX).

The talk of the Summer Outdoor Leisure Exhibition (SOLEX) in July, organised by the Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association (LOFA), was the great early summer weather and how stocks in the trade were selling fast. These early season sales inevitably created big interest and demand from retailers at the show who needed to replenish stocks of barbecues and outdoor furniture for 2011.

Barbecues have come a long way from the original charcoal burners, and lpg cooking is now the number one choice fuel for camping equipment and the larger multi-burner wheel around trolleys. Sixteen different exhibitors, including Landmann, Lifestyle Appliances, Outback and Mountrose, were displaying attractive lp gas barbecues and cooking stations at SOLEX and all reported good business in the run up to 2011.

The trend towards ‘staycation’ holidays in 2010 created big demand for new lpg gas fired cooking equipment, as 54 per cent of Britons questioned in spring planned to take their main holiday in the UK. Perhaps the resulting wet August dampened enthusiasm for holidaying under canvas, but not the demand for using barbecues whenever a warm day offered the opportunity for alfresco dining.

Big name chefs are now being used to drive extra endorsement to some offerings. HeavenChef, powered by Flogas, launched an exciting new range of Marco Pierre White lp gas barbecues and grills. With distinctive point of sale material featuring the somewhat scary visage of the famous cook glaring at passersby, no one could miss the link or the extra appeal that this may give to the now large range of innovative lpg gas barbecues and portable range of MarcO-Grills. The colourful easy carry MarcO-Grill is fuelled with a disposable canister of branded ‘O-Gas’ (propane) that can be directly and easily inserted into the grill to provide a truly portable package.

Cadac were showing for the first time the award-winning Braai Maxx kitchen station that won Gold at Spoga 2009 for barbecue innovation. Two high performance burners designed for a wide range of temperatures from 900 C to 3000C provide interchangeable cooking surfaces that allow consumers to grill, stir fry, bake or oven cook pizzas. These surfaces include the Cadac Skottel, wok, reversible ribbed and flat grill plate, baking stone and paella pan.

Britain’s number one barbecue brand Weber seemed to attract more customers than anyone else at the show. With 50 years’ experience and a unique appeal to professional and novice barbecuers around the world, its kettle grills are world famous.

Following a major overhaul of its charcoal line up for 2010, this year many of Weber’s lp gas and electric models are getting a revamp. New vibrant colours will be making a big splash for 2011 on the redesigned Q range. Light and versatile Weber Qs are ideal for those people who want to take their barbecue on the go.

Flare-ups and the burnt food that results from fat dropping onto burner surfaces are obviously a fresh focus to some barbecue manufacturers. All OutdoorChef’s gas barbecues now feature a factory-assembled burner protected by a patented porcelain enamelled funnel system that protects the burner from dripping fat. The kettle shape allows for direct and all round indirect cooking and the funnel system means no more flare-ups because it guides any liquids safely into the drip pan below. It does this while maintaining an authentic barbecue flavour.

The 2011 Outdoor Chef range includes ten premium lpg kettle barbecues, all of which incorporate the unique funnel-system technology. Top of the range is the Venezia with two separate ring burners and gourmet design trolley complete with granite work surface to the smaller futuristic trolley of the Delta 480.

On the Leisuregrow stand, the inventors of the GrillStream patented double grill bar system, which makes flare-ups a thing of the past, were on hand to explain their moment of fame on last year’s Dragon’s Den. Developing the invention into a unique range of traditional and lp gas fired barbecues has been the privilege of Richard Grimmer, managing director of distributor Leisuregrow, who was proud to welcome a BBC crew onto the stand so they could film the next stage in getting the invention to market.

With the patented Grillstream system fitted to traditional and lpg gas fired barbecues, anyone can cook with confidence. Videos showed how the system still allows direct grilling through the bars yet, because of their V shape, fat and drain liquids away from the burners or coals to prevent flare-ups.

Contact the Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association on 01243 839593 www.lofa.com

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