BARBECUE FOODS TAKE A HIT AMID WASHOUT SUMMER

A sunny moment in our otherwise gloomy summer will see barbecues fired up across the country today as a warm spell coincides with the Euros final.

But while the weather could barely be described as roasting this year, the food certainly has, according to retail figures.

Ingredients found in hearty winter meals have flown off supermarket shelves over the past two weeks following the cool, wet start to July.

Some areas of the country have already been deluged by a month’s worth of rain as well as colder-than-average temperatures.

Whole roast chicken sales have risen by as much as 42 per cent compared with the same week last year, according to Ocado Retail.

Beef joints have also seen a spike in popularity while traditional barbecue foods such as burgers have taken a hit.

Even searches for roast dinner trimmings have exploded – with the level of interest in Yorkshire puddings and pigs and blankets – a staple usually reserved for the Christmas Day table – rising by 200 per cent in the first week of July.

Sales of gravy were up 41 per cent compared with the same period last year, while stuffing was up by 40 per cent.

Soup sales are also more than a third higher than this time last year as consumers opt for hot meals in the cool weather.

Lucy Laister, beef buyer at Ocado Retail, said: ‘At this time of year we expect sales of summer barbecue staples, but the dreary weather has seen an explosion of interest in wintery selections such as roasting joints of meat and soup too.

‘Sales of soup at this time of year are typically around 50 per cent of autumn months, but we have seen that grow to 65 per cent.’

Burgers ordinarily enjoy strong sales during the summer and are expected to pick up again this weekend with warmer weather over the Euro 2024 final.

Sainsbury’s estimated beer sales will have risen by an estimated 200 per cent – while wine, snacks and pizzas will be snapped up ahead of the game.

With a patchy outlook for the coming weeks, sales of hearty foods could stay abnormally high.

The miserable start to July followed a colder-than-average June – dubbed ‘June-uary’ – and heatwaves in May. As well as scuppering barbecue plans, the rain has hit farms – leaving some fields underwater, destroying crops.

But summer could soon improve, with the Met Office saying temperatures could rise by the start of August. Today, much of England and Wales is set to enjoy sunnier weather, while in the North East and Scotland yesterday’s heavy rain will ease off, leaving the occasional patchy shower in places.

2024-07-14T00:35:34Z dg43tfdfdgfd