Was the summer of 2018 Britain's hottest? Yes… and no. The average summer temperature of 15.8°C was indeed the highest ever recorded, but because the margin between this and the previous hottest years (1976, 2003 and 2006) was less than 0.3°C, the Met Office stopped short of declaring it a new record. Instead, it was Britain's 'joint hottest' summer. 

But Britain set a new barbecuing record, right? Again, kind of. Kantar logged 130.5 million barbecue occasions last year, a rise of 45.1% on 2017 and by far the greatest number on its records. Thing is, those records can only be compared over the past five years. 

Whether it was an all-time record (which seems likely) or not, it's clear the barbecue is a growing opportunity. "The unusually long summer and the World Cup provided the perfect excuse for Brits to get together with friends and family more often, enjoying the heat and indulging in some tasty food," comments Kantar analyst Emma George. 

The combination of hot weather and barbecued food puts people in a celebratory mood, it seems. Kantar identifies enjoyment and taste as the main motivations for choice of barbecue food (both grew last year, while health as a motivation declined) and 'together time', celebrations and planned get-togethers as key reasons for lighting up the barbie.