Waitrose has launched two counter-cut BBQ boxes in time for the summer season.
Waitrose said the Butchers’ BBQ Box (rsp: £20) and Fish BBQ Box (rsp: £23) were designed “to elevate any barbecue this summer”.
The Butchers’ BBQ Box contains two beef burgers, four Old Spot sausages, two Kashmiri chilli lamb kebabs, and a rosemary brush.
Meanwhile, the Fish BBQ Box comes with two whole sea bass, two salmon fillets, two prawn skewers, lemon slices, parsley and lemon and dill butter, as well as garlic and parsley butter.
As part of the BBQ range, Waitrose has also launched a Piri Piri Spatchcock Chicken into Newbury and Haslemere stores, featuring a whole spatchcocked chicken with piri piri rub, parsley, lemon quarters and red chilli.
“It’s no longer just about standard burgers and sausages; hosts want to create a memorable, restaurant-quality experience rooted in trusted quality and sourcing,” said Waitrose buyer Sophie Simmons. “Interestingly, we’re seeing the renowned ‘fish fear’ dissolve, with searches for barbecue fish recipes on Waitrose.com soaring by 210% over the past year.”
It comes as Google searches for ‘BBQ’ have eclipsed last year’s peak, hitting their highest point in late May, reaching four times the annual average. Searches for ‘dinner party setting’ have also increased by 20% year-on-year.
Waitrose said searches on its website over the last month have reflected the rising BBQ trend, with those for ‘BBQ meat’ up 172%, ‘BBQ fish’ up 273% and ‘meat counter offers’ up 75%.
“Customers are also embracing maximalist flavours, with searches for elevated additions like skewers up 400% and flavoured butters up 200% in the last year,” she added. “We’ve created the new Butchers’ BBQ Box and Fish BBQ Box to meet this maximalist demand, bringing together counter-cut quality, great value, and everything food lovers need to make summer hosting feel elevated yet effortless.”
Waitrose has also announced a series of new Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council certified seafood species on its fish counters.
These include No.1 MSC Canadian Roeless Scallops (rsp: £70/1kg), No.1 MSC Sablefish Fillet Portions (rsp: £8) and No.1 ASC Raw Whole Shell-on Madagascan Tiger Prawns (£17/1kg), which are also available frozen, and MSC Herring Butterfly Fillets (£16/1kg) which have been touted as an alternative to mackerel.
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