Defrost frozen meats and poultry fully before cooking, unless the cooking instructions state otherwise.

Light the barbecue well in advance, make sure you use enough charcoal and wait until it is glowing red (with a powdery grey surface) before starting to cook.

Prepare as much food as possible, in the kitchen, a short time before the barbecue. Salads and garnishes should be thoroughly washed and be kept away from raw foods. It is best to store these in lidded containers. Once prepared, keep all ready-to-eat foods in the fridge as long as possible . Once outdoors, perishable foods should be kept cold in a cool bag with ice packs until they are ready to cook/eat.

Take extra care to make sure that foods are thoroughly cooked. This can be done by checking that juices run clear, and a check to make sure there is no pink meat in the centre of the food. A better method would be to use a probe thermometer to check that the core temperature is above 75°C. It is safer for some foods, such as chicken portions, to be pre-cooked in the kitchen, then browned on the barbecue.

During cooking, if food starts to burn on the outside, raise the grill height or reduce the heat of the charcoal.

Be sure to wash your hands before touching any food and particularly after handling raw foods. To wash hands use warm water, soap (preferably bactericidal) and dry hands thoroughly. It is good practice, and safer, if one person handles raw foods and another handles the cooked and ready to eat foods.

When in the garden keep foods covered to prevent flies and insects landing on them. Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods.

Serve all cooked foods immediately.

Use separate tongs or utensils for serving different foods. This will prevent any risk of cross-contamination. Do not use the same utensils for raw and cooked foods.

Don’t forget to clear away all food waste and packaging, as this will attract unwanted pests.