A few years ago, a decent BBQ meant slightly overcooked - or undercooked - sausages, a crusty bowl of potato salad that had been sitting in the sun for longer than anyone would like to admit, and somebody proudly announcing they'd wrapped a banana in foil with a few squares of chocolate before throwing it on the coals. It was all perfectly pleasant, but if we're being honest, dessert was usually an afterthought. Everyone put so much effort into marinades, burgers and side dishes that by the time the main event was over, somebody would wander into the kitchen, return clutching a tub of supermarket vanilla ice cream, and call it a day.
Thankfully, things have changed. Outdoor entertaining has become much more creative, and dessert has finally started getting the attention it deserves. Whether you're hosting a family barbecue, inviting friends over for a garden party or simply making the most of a rare spell of British sunshine, finishing the meal with something memorable is often what people remember most. Better still, the best BBQ desserts don't require complicated recipes or hours spent in a hot kitchen. They simply need to feel a little bit special.
With S'mores Day landing this week, it seemed like the perfect excuse to round up a few of our favourite barbecue desserts, starting with the classic campfire treat before venturing into a few ideas that are just as delicious and considerably less expected.
If you've ever made proper s'mores around a fire, you'll understand why they've become such a summer tradition. There's something wonderfully nostalgic about toasting marshmallows until they're golden, sandwiching them between biscuits with melting chocolate and trying, usually unsuccessfully, not to wear half the dessert down your front.
The beauty of a DIY s'mores station is that everyone gets involved. Instead of handing guests a finished dessert, lay everything out buffet-style and let people build their own combinations. Traditional biscuits work brilliantly, but so do chocolate digestives, shortbread fingers, cookies and even chunks of brownie. Add bowls of fresh raspberries, strawberries, peanut butter, caramel sauce and crushed nuts, and suddenly you've turned a simple dessert into part of the entertainment.
If lighting a fire isn't practical, don't worry. A barbecue that's cooling down still provides plenty of residual heat for toasting marshmallows, and a kitchen grill will happily do the job too.
And for the easiest possible option, our Super S'mores brownie box combines all the best elements of s'mores in a ready made chocolate brownie.
Fruit often gets overlooked when planning barbecue desserts, but grilling peaches transforms them completely. As peaches warm through, their natural sugars begin to caramelise, creating a richer flavour and a wonderfully soft texture that pairs beautifully with cold vanilla ice cream. A drizzle of honey, a handful of toasted pistachios or a few fresh mint leaves are all that's needed to turn a piece of fruit into something that feels restaurant-worthy, yet takes only a few minutes to prepare.
It's also one of those desserts that looks far more impressive than the effort involved, which is always a welcome bonus when you're hosting. And it is SO much more interesting than bananas.
We'd be doing ourselves a disservice if brownies didn't make an appearance somewhere on this list, although not for the reasons you might expect.
During hot weather we're constantly thinking about how to keep chocolate cool, whether that's in our bakery, during delivery or in our own kitchens at home. One discovery we've happily made over the years is that brownies become something entirely different when they're chilled or even frozen. Their texture becomes denser, fudgier and almost truffle-like, making them the perfect base for a summer sundae. Add a scoop of good vanilla ice cream, fresh berries, a drizzle of salted caramel or chocolate sauce and perhaps a scattering of toasted hazelnuts or crushed biscuits, and you've created a dessert that feels indulgent without requiring you to bake a thing.
It's one of our favourite ways to enjoy brownies during a heatwave, and if you've never tried it before, this might be the summer to change that.
And if you prefer the idea of melting hot brownies contrasting with cold ice cream, pop some brownies in a dish over the barbecue for a few minutes until they start melting and becoming unimaginably soft and delicious. Then top with ice cream, sauce and nuts of biscuits for the sundae of your dreams.
Few desserts say British summer quite like Eton Mess. Crisp meringue, softly whipped sugared cream and ripe strawberries (or any berry you can get your hands on) are already a winning combination, but serving individual portions in small glasses or jars makes them ideal for outdoor entertaining. Guests can pick one up without balancing bowls on their knees, and everything feels just a little more elegant.
For anyone feeling adventurous, a few crumbled brownie pieces folded through the mixture add an extra layer of chocolatey richness without overpowering the classic flavours, or just add whole chunks of brownie bites - our fruity flavours like White Chocolate and Raspberry or Cherry Beauty work best.
If grazing boards have taught us anything over the last few years, it's that people love choosing their own combinations. So why not do the same for dessert?
Arrange slices of brownie, chunks of flapjack, fresh strawberries, cherries, raspberries, marshmallows, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, mini meringues and bowls of crushed pistachios on a large wooden board, then simply let everyone help themselves. It's relaxed, colourful and endlessly adaptable depending on what's in season, and it encourages the sort of conversation that always seems to happen when everyone is deciding what to pile onto their plate next.
Best of all, there's no pressure to present a perfect dessert. The board evolves throughout the evening as people return for "just one more piece", which somehow always turns into several.
Great barbecue food deserves a great ending, but that doesn't mean you need to spend hours preparing elaborate puddings or mastering complicated patisserie techniques. More often than not, the desserts people remember are the ones that invite everyone to join in, spark a little conversation and deliver an unexpected twist on familiar favourites. Whether that's toasting marshmallows, grilling fruit, assembling an outrageously good sundae or discovering that frozen brownies might just be the dessert hack of the summer, the aim is exactly the same: to end the evening with something that leaves people smiling.
So if you're planning a barbecue over the next few weeks, perhaps give the foil-wrapped bananas a well-earned year off. They've had a good innings, but there are plenty of other desserts waiting for their moment in the sunshine.
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