Beyond Burgers: The Plant-Based Sides That Steal the BBQ
Every barbecue has the same plot. Someone stands proudly over the coals, someone else asks whether the chicken is definitely done, and the burgers get all the attention. But ask anyone what they actually remember eating at the best barbecue of their summer and the answer is rarely the burger. It is the salad someone brought that everyone asked about, the slaw that vanished before the sausages were even off the grill, the dip that got scraped clean with the last broken cracker. The sides are the quiet heroes of outdoor eating — and with the August bank holiday marking the last great barbecue weekend of the season, this is the moment to give them top billing.
There is a practical argument too. Sides made from grains, beans and seeds can be prepared entirely in advance, happily sit at room temperature while the coals do their thing, and stretch to feed however many neighbours wander over. They cover the vegetarians and vegans without a special separate plate, and they turn a pile of char into an actual meal. Here is our guide to building a supporting cast so good it upstages the grill, using store-cupboard staples and recipes from the Healthy Supplies kitchen.
Every barbecue table needs one generous, substantial bowl that anchors the meal, and grains do this better than lettuce ever will. A leaf salad wilts within minutes of meeting an August afternoon; a grain salad only gets better as it sits and the dressing soaks in. Our Barley Salad is a perfect example — chewy, nutty Sussex Wholefoods pearl barley with plenty of fresh vegetables, made hours ahead and utterly unbothered by the wait. For a gluten-free bowl, the Roasted Veg and Bean Millet Salad does the same job with millet, roasted vegetables and beans pulling double duty. Cook the grains the evening before, dress them while still warm so they drink up the flavour, and refrigerate overnight: assembly on the day takes five minutes.
If grains are the anchor, beans are the protein that means nobody leaves hungry, whatever they do or don’t eat from the grill. Our Gut Friendly Black Bean Salad is bright, zesty and specifically designed to be good to your insides — a talking point in itself once someone asks what’s in it. The Roasted Tofu Bean Salad goes a step further and becomes a main event in its own right, which is worth having on the table for any guest facing a grill full of things they don’t eat. Dried pulses cooked from scratch have better texture and cost pennies per portion, but tinned beans rinsed well are a completely honourable shortcut when the forecast changes and the barbecue is suddenly today.
The slaw that actually gets eaten
Shop-bought coleslaw — that sad tub of cabbage drowned in sweet mayonnaise — has put generations off the whole idea. Made fresh, slaw is a different dish entirely: crunchy, sharp and exactly what rich, smoky grilled food is crying out for. Our Asian Slaw with Rice Noodles swaps the mayo for a punchy dressing and adds rice noodles for slurp appeal, and it holds its crunch far longer than anything leaf-based. Shred the vegetables in the morning, keep the dressing separate, and combine just before serving — the whole thing takes minutes and disappears in fewer.
Dips, spreads and things to scoop
The dip station is where guests gather while the grill does its slow work, so it deserves more than one lonely pot of hummus from the meal-deal shelf. Homemade versions take ten minutes in a food processor and taste vastly better. Our Pumpkin Cannellini Hummus is silky and gently sweet; the Spicy Harissa and Sesame Hummus brings the heat for those who want it; and Nigella’s Peanut Butter Hummus — made with a spoonful of peanut butter in place of tahini — is the one people will not be able to place until you tell them. Surround the bowls with crackers, rice cakes and vegetable sticks, and half the catering takes care of itself.
The secret weapon: a jar of seed pesto
Here is the move that separates a good barbecue from a great one: a jar of homemade pesto on the table. A spoonful lifts everything it touches — swirled through the grain salad, dolloped onto grilled vegetables or halloumi, spread inside a burger bun, thinned with a little oil into an instant dressing. Our Pumpkin Seed Pesto is built on toasted pumpkin seeds, which makes it nut-free and safe for the whole party, while the Red Pepper Cashew Pesto is sweeter, smokier and barbecue-flavoured almost by design. For a dairy-free green, the Spinach Pesto keeps its vivid colour and costs far less than the little supermarket jars.
The grill gets all the savoury glory, but the barbecue that people remember is the one where pudding appeared just as the evening turned golden. It does not need to be elaborate — in fact, on a hot day it absolutely should not be. A tray of Date Bark pulled from the freezer snaps into shareable shards of squashed dates, peanut butter and dark chocolate, and can be made days ahead. For the children — and, let’s be honest, most of the adults — our Strawberry & Cherry Ice Lollies are nothing but fruit and coconut water frozen onto a stick, which makes them the rare pudding you can hand out without counting. And if you want a proper finale, the Strawberry Cashew Ice Cream needs no ice-cream maker, no dairy and no attention beyond an occasional stir as it freezes — make it the night before and take a bow.
Feeding the crowd without the fuss
A word on logistics, because the difference between a relaxed host and a frazzled one is entirely in the prep. Almost everything above can be made the day before: grains cooked and dressed, beans mixed, dips whizzed, pesto jarred. On the day itself you shred the slaw, set the table and light the coals. Buying the building blocks — quinoa, pearl barley, couscous, lentils, seeds — in bulk bags means one delivery covers the bank holiday and leaves the cupboard stocked for the packed-lunch season that follows. And if rain stops play, as it traditionally does, every single one of these dishes is just as happy indoors next to something from the oven.
The August bank holiday barbecue has a particular sweetness to it — the long evening, the last of the school holidays, the sense of a season being seen off properly. It deserves a table where the sides get their moment: a big bowl of barley, a bright bean salad, a slaw with actual crunch, dips worth queueing for and a jar of pesto quietly improving everything. The burgers can keep the headline. Everyone will be talking about the supporting cast. For more inspiration, our full recipe collection has plenty more salads, dips and sides to round out the spread.
This article is provided for general information and recipe inspiration only. It is not nutritional, dietary or medical advice. If you have allergies, intolerances or specific dietary requirements, please check individual product labels and consult a qualified professional where appropriate.