Vonhaus BBQ Showcase at Salford Hot Spot

Few things signal summer quite like the fragrance of BBQ wafting from the grill.

Last week, we brought that feeling to The Black Friar in Salford, where Vonhaus hosted an exclusive BBQ experience built around food, fire, and outdoor living. Customers, creators, chefs, buyers and outdoor cooking enthusiasts came together for a day that felt less like a product showcase and more like the start of the season.

This wasn’t just about showcasing BBQs. It was about giving people the chance to see them in action, ask questions, taste the results, and picture what better outdoor cooking could look like in their own garden.

At the centre of the day was live-fire cooking from Ben Chaplin, Executive Head Chef at The Black Friar, who brought the products to life with practical demonstrations, food tastings, and expert grilling tips.

Guests could see how different cooking styles work in real time, from getting that first sear right to understanding how heat, timing, and control affect the finished dish. It’s one thing to read a product description. It’s another to stand beside the grill, smell the smoke, and watch what it can do.

The event showcased the latest Vonhaus BBQ and outdoor cooking range, including our best-selling XL American BBQ, a favourite for anyone who likes their outdoor cooking with proper presence, generous space, and that unmistakable charcoal flavour.

There was also a demonstration of our Outdoor Pizza Oven, now available as part of a bundle with accessories. For customers looking to build a more complete outdoor cooking setup, it’s a smart addition: compact, practical, and the kind of thing that turns a garden gathering into something a little more memorable.

Drinks on the day came courtesy of Salford Distillery, with the team on hand pouring samples from their distinctively illustrated range. A fitting local touch for an event that was as much about the full outdoor experience as the cooking itself.

Outdoor living has become a bigger part of how people use their homes. Gardens are no longer just somewhere to mow, tidy, and occasionally sit with a drink. They’re extensions of the kitchen, the dining room, and the places we gather.

That shift was reflected throughout the event. Guests could:

•       Experience live BBQ demonstrations

•       Test products firsthand

•       Pick up outdoor cooking techniques

•       Explore garden dining and styling ideas

•       Meet creators, chefs, buyers and product experts

It gave guests the chance to understand not just what each product does, but where it fits into their life – weeknight grilling, weekend hosting, summer birthdays, bank holiday cooking, and those slightly optimistic evenings when the clouds clear just long enough to light the BBQ.

One of the best parts of the day was seeing how naturally the products worked together.

A BBQ might be the centrepiece, but the wider setup matters too. Pizza ovens, BBQ tools, waterproof covers, prep space, serving ideas – these are the details that turn cooking outside from a one-off effort into something you want to do more often.

The upgraded Outdoor Pizza Oven bundle is a prime example. Rather than buying the oven and then piecing together the accessories separately, customers can choose a more complete package from the start. Simple, but useful – exactly the kind of thinking that makes outdoor more of a habit.

The same applies to BBQs. Whether you prefer the smoky depth of charcoal, the control of gas, or the flexibility of a dual-fuel BBQ, the right setup gives you confidence before the food even goes on.

The best BBQs aren’t really about the grill itself; they’re about what happens around it. People gravitating outside before the food is ready, conversations starting over the smoke, plates passing around a table that somehow fits more people than it should. A summer evening that quietly becomes one worth remembering.

That atmosphere was easy to find at The Black Friar. The product demonstrations and expert tips were genuinely useful, but what the day really showed was what the Vonhaus outdoor range is designed for: helping people get more out of the space they already have, and giving them a reason to spend more time in it.

Whether you’re upgrading your current BBQ, planning your first proper garden setup, or looking for a pizza oven that brings something different to summer entertaining, the Vonhaus outdoor cooking range is built to make hosting easier.

Explore the full BBQ range, featuring BBQs, pizza ovens, BBQ accessories, and dining essentials.

Summer starts when you light grill.

We’re ready when you are.