Last updated 09:15, Saturday, 17 May 2008

THIS sizzling good weather surely can’t last, so make sure you make the most of that barbecue now before it’s too late.IF YOU’RE fed up with charred sausages and burnt burgers why not think about an alternative that’s as tasty as it is healthy.

There’s already been a shopping stampede for barbecues, with one chains of stores reporting sales up 103 per cent compared to last year.

National BBQ Week which starts on Monday, May 26, but why wait an extra week to tool up with your tongs or upgrade your equipment?

Sainsbury’s Homebase has some good deals on barbies at the moment and here are a few ideas on how to kit yourself out for outdoor cooking and choosing the right cooker:

Charcoal barbecues, according to the purists, are the only option.

They claim that charcoal is the only way to achieve a genuine smoky flavour in the barbecued food and believe the act of stoking and tending a fire to be basic to the age-old experience of outdoor grilling. Operating a charcoal barbecue, though, requires more skill than electric or gas versions.

: Gas barbecues are easier to control and can be made ready for use almost immediately.

The lava rocks or flavouring plates that cook the food are heated by propane or natural gas.

They are an excellent choice for a barbecue that is going to be used frequently.

Electric barbecues are available in small portable forms or as large trolley barbecues.

They provide a good constant heat source but cannot reach the high temperatures of charcoal.

They must be used close to a power source or with a long extension cord.

At the cheaper end of the price range for barbecues is the easy-to-use BBQ bucket in hot pink from Woolworths at a sizzling £7.99.

Call 01706 862 789/www.woolworths.co.uk

More expensive is the black Drum BBQ, £39.99 from Homebase, and a kebab grill, £8.99.

Call 0845 077 8888/www.homebase.co.uk

If you’re a real barbie fiend and really want to splash out on top-of-the-range kit, you can turn a patio into a gourmet chef’s kitchen with B&Q’s Houston 7 Burner gas barbecue at an eye-watering £749.98. It has all the bells and whistles to please barbie addicts.

Call 0845 850 0175 www.diy.com

Scorched tables and grass can become a thing of the past with STORE’s stylish disposable BBQ stand for £11. Simply pop a disposable BBQ into the chromed stand, throw on your steaks, burgers and bangers and away you go! Great for use on a table top, the new disposable BBQ stand is also clean, safe and chic. Call 0870 224 2660/www.APlaceForEverything.co.uk

Nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton says: “Grilling vegetables on the barbecue is a great way to create seasonal treats that make a change from the usual BBQ choices, which are often high in saturated fat and calories.”

Visit www.iminseason.com – a one-stop site to find out what fruit and vegetables are in season this summer. Why not make colourful vegetable kebabs, maybe using red peppers, full of Vitamin C, and low-calorie courgettes?

A new book by celebrated barbecue chef Paul Kirk will help stop you from being a ‘barbie bore’ by serving up endless rounds of burgers and sausages.

He has travelled the world training restaurant chefs in the art of the grill and conducting barbecue seminars, and has written four books on the subject.

Paul says: “There really is a barbecue for every occasion and it’s hard to beat a tasty, flavour-packed meal served in the open.

“Although strictly speaking, barbecuing refers to cooking over an indirect heat under a cover, allowing heat to be conducted around the food as in an oven nowadays, people also grill food.

“Whichever method you choose it’s just as easy to rustle up a simple fuss-free meal or a feast for family and friends.”

His compendium of recipes, 500 Barbecue Sizzlers (Apple Press, priced £9.99), includes meat feasts like beer-marinated peppered t-bones and hot jamaican jerk chicken, as well as veggie choices like Creole-style stuffed mushrooms and sweet treats such as peaches with blue cheese and honey.