By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent
The final stages of the French Open, the Champions League final, the Canadian Grand Prix and sweltering weather forecast throughout the weekend. Yep, summer is finally here.
And as is the custom in Britain, the start of the summer usually involves pulling out the rusted tin can on wheels that is the barbecue.
Unused and dishevelled you contemplate whether a disposable BBQ would be less hassle than sprucing up your long-serving garden companion. But to save face you use a bit of elbow grease to shine the old boy up, before lighting up and getting the first whiffs of intoxicating barbecue aromas.
It is a common annual ritual for most people in Britain, but one chap in Saffron Walden, Essex, has taken it to the next level.
Designer Oliver Boyd, 41, spent a fortnight in his shed customising the ‘ultimate barbecue’. The turbo-charged, chrome-finished, gadget-loaded BBQ comes with all the trimmings, with a selfie stick, iPad stand and speakers all part of the design.
Asda chiefs commissioned the dream machine after asking 2,000 shoppers what would make their ultimate barbecue. The research found headlights, a bottle opener and an exhaust pipe were also included on the design, which is featured in the video below.
Boyd said: “Asda asked some of their customers what added features would be on their dream BBQ. We sifted through some of the suggestions and picked out some we liked the most.
“It took me six or seven full days to do but the final results is great – you can listen to music, have somewhere safe for your beer and take a selfie at the same time if you want to.
“I loved having the opportunity to build this ‘fast and furious’ style machine, it’ll definitely make cooking barbecues a little more fun.”
The survey revealed that Dad is the best person to look after the BBQ. And despite the damp start to the summer, more than half of Brits said they would continue with their barbie plans even if it rained.
Dave Bartle, Outdoor Buying Manager at Asda said: “We know a BBQ is one of the first activities people plan when the sun comes out, so our aim was to create something that incorporates all the fun elements our customers need to kick that first outdoor gathering of the summer off with a bang.”
