Throw another shrimp on the barbie

Cooking shrimp on the barbie may be a cliche, but it's one of many foods that Australians love to throw on their BBQ grills!

As we bolt our doors and huddle around the fire this winter, it can be very heart-warming to look ahead to the summer and think about all of the things that we want to do once the nights get lighter and the temperatures start to pick up once more.

One of the classic summer activities is the garden barbecue party. If you are looking for inspiration, you may need to look all the way on the other side of the world, but it will be worth it as the Aussies have made the BBQ part of their culture. While the fact that our antipodean cousins have made the most of their beautiful climate while we are searching for another jumper to wear in the winter may not be surprising, what the Australians have managed to do with barbecue cuisine is.

Get an Aussie-standard BBQ

First of all, if you want to cook like an Australian on Bondi beach then you need to have the right kit. To the Aussies, a good barbie is just as important as having a high-quality oven or a drawer full of kitchen utensils.

If you’re after a multipurpose and versatile BBQ then you want something such as the Weber Summit. The exact model you get will depend on the size of your garden and your budget, but you can find a great range of options on this barbecue site.

A top-of-the-range Weber Summit is a BBQ an Aussie would be proud to be seen with and once you have your grill on the go you’ll not be disappointed with your investment.

Put another shrimp on the barbie

It may be a simple and stereotypical cliche, but putting another shrimp on the barbie only tells half of the story when it comes to grilled meat dishes down under. Yes, the Australians are more likely to be willing to move away from a simple burger and cook different meats and seafoods on their BBQ – when you use the barbie as much as them it’s important to keep a balanced diet after all – but they approach it with a different philosophy.

It is no longer just simply a BBQ, it is another way of cooking and they incorporate all the preparation and flavour-building recipes you would if you were going to use your stove to cook a Sunday roast.

Imagine what the great concoction of chilli, ginger, spices and onion would be like in addition to some traditional chargrilling. The same ideology is applied to the use of vegetables – don’t just stick them in the salad as an afterthought, look for robust veggies that can take the heat and flavour of the grill and make them an important part of the meal.

Chargrilled desserts

Where Aussies really put other nations to shame is their use of the barbecue for cooking a delicious dessert. Molten chocolate puddings are great to be baked on a BBQ and if you’re using gas you can control the heat to the precise temperature that you need. Other favourites include grilled fruit and syrup, with apples, pineapples and peaches all working well on a barbie.