You may not be heading off to your favourite music festival this summer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring the flavours of it into your home.
As Covid-19 has forced some of the UK’s biggest music festivals to cancel, summer isn’t looking quite so hot for some.
But while we may not be able to go and see the top acts performing, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the festival vibe, bringing it into our own back gardens.
For those of you who are looking to hold your own socially distanced BBQ, you can click here for more guidance, but for those wanting to add a bit more to the experience, UK recipe box Gousto has just the ticket.
So how do you go about hosting your own festival? Simple. Create delicious street-food inspired dishes for your friends and family to enjoy. And don’t forget to have plenty of eco-friendly disposable cutlery and plates, and hand sanitiser to hand, too.
Gousto’s food stylist Jenny Brown shares her top tips on how to style your food tables and how to keep guests entertained while staying safe and socially distancing.
Burger bars
Jenny says: “Forget slaving over a hot grill and create a ‘build-your-own-burger’ bar with just a few ingredients. Whatever you like on your own burger, you can’t go wrong with a burger bar, and they are seriously easy to set up right in your own garden. Grab a few bowls and fill with delicious burger toppings like cheese, onion, pickles and ketchup and let your festival guests create their own personalised burger.”
For the meat eaters, why not try out a delicious cheeseburger with bacon and rosemary fries, or if you’re looking for a vegetarian or vegan alternative, you could try the ultimate vegan stack burger with meat-free patties, vegan cheese and balsamic onions.
Spruce up your dips
Jenny says: “A 30-second way to dress up your hummus bowl and impress your party guests, is to top it with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of cayenne powder. Why not double up on your homemade hummus recipe and keep half in the fridge for a healthy snack later in the week?”
Everyone loves spooning a dollop of their favourite dips onto their plate, so be sure to have plenty of hand sanitiser and wipes for guests to use so they don’t have to touch cutlery others have already handled without knowing it is clean. Adding spices and oils is a great, and easy way to spruce up your dip offering, making them even more appealing to the eye, too.
A toppings board
Jenny says: “If you’re rustling up something like fish gyros, make your life easier by creating a toppings board. Arrange all of your toppings on a wooden chopping board and simply bring out the fish and warm naan breads when they are ready. Your festival guests can enjoy creating their own gyros, using whatever toppings they love.”
Easily adapted to fajitas, tacos, or even burger buns, having a toppings board ensures everything is ready for your guests and all they have to do is show up, add their toppings and be gone from the table in a flash. Make a toppings board per household so it is easier to accommodate everyone.
Load up on the sharing dishes
Jenny says: “For the ultimate sharing dish, serve up something like nachos directly from the baking tray rather that worry about dishing them up per person. Load up the sour cream and guacamole and you’re in for a delicious feast.”
When it comes to sharing, it is best to accommodate these sorts of dishes and separate them into household groups. One household should share from one dish, while the other should tuck into another. You can make both exactly the same so there’s no fighting over whose is whose, but it just helps reduces the risk of contamination.
Keep dessert simple
Jenny says: “You can make cocktail-inspired ice lollies well in advance so you’re not rushing around trying to serve scoops of ice cream on a hot day. If you can, leave the ice lollies to freeze overnight. Try serving the lollies in a bowl of ice so you can avoid them melting into a sticky mess as soon as you take them out of the freezer.”
Again, if they aren’t being consumed straight away, separate the ice lollies into different household bowls so people can come and go without having to worry about contamination.
