Asda expects to sell nearly half a million burgers this Bank Holiday weekend, as UK set for a scorcher

As the UK prepares for sunshine this Bank Holiday weekend, with temperatures expected to reach 21 degrees Celsius in London, Asda has shared that it expects to sell a record 449,000 units of burgers across the three day weekend, as Brits fire up the barbie.

Shoppers are already planning their dishes, with searches on Asda.com for ‘BBQ food’ up +185% WoW, alongside ‘charcoal’ (+149%) and ‘BBQ’ (+141%).

Making it easier for Brits to plan their weekend gatherings, Asda’s current 2 for £8 offer means shoppers can mix and match on BBQ favourites such as, Succulent 8 Beef Burgers, Extra Special 10 Classic Pork Sausages, Mediterranean Pork Loin Steaks and Tasty Minted Lamb Leg Steaks.

Data also shows that Brits are looking to stay safe in the sun, with sales of suncream up +86% weekend-on-weekend and sales of Factor 50 up +56% YoY. In the week to date, Asda has sold over 100,000 bottles of suncream.

For those looking to stay cool, Asda predicts to sell 1.4 million units of ice cream over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Asda’s Senior Director of Food Trends and Innovation, Jonathan Moore, shares his top tips on how to master the BBQ this weekend and boost flavour:

“Don’t be tempted to start cooking on your BBQ until the flames have died down,” says Jonathan. “You want to cook over the coals when they are grey in colour and don’t cook your food straight from the fridge to the BBQ, you want your food out of the fridge for 10-15 minutes before you start cooking.”
“Cook over direct and indirect heat depending on what you are cooking and how thick it is. And when the coals are cooling slightly, you can drop vegetables like peppers and aubergine straight on and cook directly on them. This blisters the skin and adds another layer of flavour.”
“Some meat and fish benefit from using a small brush to keep brushing on a dressing or marinade whilst cooking, to help retain flavour and moisture. If you don’t have a small brush, you can use a bunch of rosemary tied up with string, as an alternative.”
“Marinating your meat, fish or vegetables overnight helps develop more flavour in your food as well as choosing different charcoal from different woods to cook over.”
“Finally, think of the whole occasion in terms of flavour – cooling dips and citrus salads will compliment the charcoal flavour you’ll get from cooking food on the BBQ.”

For more information on the Asda summer BBQ range visit asda.com/discover-summer