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Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, returns to the English calendar on November 5th. This annual celebration is more than an evening of lighting bonfires and fireworks amidst the crisp autumn air. Coals are burned, and the BBQs are fired up one last time before winter sets in. After all, how could the Brits forget the mouthwatering grilled and baked dishes to honour such a historic event?
We want to make it memorable for your family and guests, so we’ve compiled these bonfire BBQ night ideas for hosting in your garden.
What the Commemoration Is All About?
The British people celebrated King James I’s survival after Guy Fawkes’s plot failed on November 5, 1605. History began when a group of English Catholics, including Guy Fawkes, planned to assassinate King James I of England.
The conspirators stored 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar beneath the House of Lords. Fawkes was caught guarding the explosives before he could set off the explosion. All those involved, including Fawkes, were arrested and sentenced to death.
To celebrate the king’s survival, people lit bonfires around London. Months later, the Observance of the 5th November Act mandates an annual public holiday of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure. The fireworks serve as a reminder of the gunpowder, while bonfires have effigies of Guy Fawkes made from old clothes stuffed with newspaper to be burned.
And the BBQ ties into the festive, communal atmosphere of the night!
Fireworks Party Food and Bonfire BBQ Ideas
Commemorate the 5th of November with a hearty, warming bonfire dinner to keep the family going into the night while enjoying the fireworks. Below are our favourite dishes to cook over the open fire of a fire pit or BBQ grill:
Sticky cider onion hot dogs
Onions and cider make a fantastic combination for hot dogs. This dish is a classic ‘dinner on the go’ for outdoor cookouts and BBQ parties. It makes sense for it to make an appearance on Guy Fawkes Night, don’t you think?
For the hot dogs, you can use pork, beef, or vegetarian sausages. Slice or dice your onions and add them to a pan with melted butter or oil over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and cider, then cook until the onions are caramelised.
Assemble the sausages in a bun and top with the sticky cider onions and extra toppings you like. Serve hot and enjoy!
Tip: Set up your garden furniture, such as tables and chairs, to create a dining area because we’re just getting started with the menus.
Butternut squash mac and cheese
Butternut squash fits the autumn scene as it’s often harvested during this season. Paired with the creamy, cheesy mac and cheese goodness, you’ll have a “squash-tacular” dish that no one will want to miss at your bonfire BBQ night! And if you have a pizza oven, it’s the perfect time to put it to good use for this celebration.
To cook, wrap your peeled and diced butternut squash in foil with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast it in the BBQ pizza oven for about 20-30 minutes until tender.
Boil the pasta in a large pot over the fire pit until al dente. In a cast-iron skillet, melt the butter, then stir in the flour to create a roux until lightly golden. Whisk in the milk until it thickens, then add the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Mix the roasted butternut squash and cooked pasta into the cheese sauce. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until bubbly and golden. Voila—enjoy your delicious butternut squash mac and cheese around the fire.
Cheesy stuffed baked potatoes
Baked potatoes are delish, but they become scrumptious when added with a cheesy fondue topping. Cheesy stuffed baked potatoes, as they call it, are a delightful twist on the classic baked potatoes. And here’s the fun part: scooping out the insides and mixing them with cheese, butter, bacon, and cream. This cheesy mixture is then stuffed back into the potato skins and baked again.
Wrap those potatoes in foil and pop them on top of an open fire pit with a mesh cover, like this BillyOh Phoenix 3 in 1 Square Metal Fire Pit, BBQ Grill, and Ice Pit. The direct heat will create crispy skin while keeping the inside soft and cheesy, perfect for celebrating a night that won’t go up in smoke!
Roasted butternut squash soup
Take advantage of the pumpkin season and add another dish that will squash the cold and warm up everyone. We’re making roasted butternut squash soup, and the grilling part will add a smokey flavour to this comforting bowl.
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Give it a good brush of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any spices you like. Pop it flesh-side down on the gas BBQ, medium heat, for about 20-30 minutes. Once it’s roasted, remove the soft insides and blend with some broth, sauteed onions, garlic, and whatever seasonings you fancy. Want it creamier? Stir in a bit of cream or coconut milk.
You can prepare this in advance, put the soup in a pot, and then reheat it over the bonfire to serve hot. Before you know it, everyone will be slurping their bowl louder than the fireworks!
Catherine wheel sausage with honey and mustard
This dish is perfect for a bonfire BBQ night or fireworks party, and it’s not just the name! The blend of sticky sweetness, savoury flavours, and a kick from the mustard is exactly what you want on a chilly autumn night.
Achieve the wheel shape by slicing the sausages lengthwise but not all the way through. Roll into a spiral, do so carefully, and pinch the ends together to hold it in place. Skewers or toothpicks are great to secure them if needed.
Mix equal parts honey and mustard into a bowl, with a bit of olive oil for a smoother consistency. Grill the Catherine wheel sausages and brush them with the glaze you just made as they cook. Turn occasionally until they’re golden brown and cooked through.
Tip: Swap out the usual beef patties for these glazed sausages, and both kids and adults will love it!
Toffee apples
No bonfire night is complete without toffee apples! These sweet apples are dipped in a bright red toffee coating and left to cool and harden. Think of them as tanghulu, but instead of little pieces of fruits on skewers, you have a flat, peak-shaped apple on a stick. One apple per stick!
Start with the coating: combine 110ml of water and 225g of sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add 25g of butter, ½tsp of vinegar, 2tbsp of golden syrup, and 1tsp of food colouring. You can do this over a fire pit or grill; just make sure to control the heat.
Raise the heat to medium and bring the syrup to a boil until it reaches 138°C. Skewer the apples with sticks and dip them in the hot syrup, coating as much of the apples as possible. Leave the toffee apples to cool and harden. Serve them as a standing treat while everyone watches the fireworks!
Corner garden bar for drinks
Although this isn’t an actual dish, we can’t skip drink ideas for your firework and bonfire BBQ night. Also, it’s only fair to have a bar set up in one corner if you have a grill in the other, right?
Save yourself the hassle of building a bar countertop by investing in this BillyOh Nightjar Garden Bar. Its L-shaped design maximises over 1m² of counter space while fitting into a 1.2×1.2m corner. You can set up 3 to 4 bar stools around this mini-bar, which stands at 1.0m tall.
Add an extra outdoor bar table as your prep area for hot apple pie punch, brandy sour, classic mulled wine, and slow-cooker hot chocolate.
And that completes our short list of bonfire BBQ night dish ideas for you to try. They are sure to gather your loved ones around the fire while enjoying a night with colourful displays lit up in the sky!
Please don’t forget safety when playing with fire, be it a firepit, BBQ, or fireworks. Always keep a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water nearby, stay attentive, and never leave flames unattended.
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