Summer housewarming gifts for the garden and the barbecue

Buy a house with a terrace in June and hold the housewarming three weeks later, and this is the set-up: two camping chairs, a plastic table and a disposable barbecue from the supermarket. Everyone brings wine. A new garden is only as good as what is in it, and what gets used is a decent grill, some light and somewhere to sit that did not come from the garage.

Grill gear worth asking for

A meat thermometer is the first thing. A Thermapen or a cheaper probe takes the guessing out of chicken and stops anyone serving pink pork to the in-laws. Long tongs and a fish slice keep hands out of the heat, and a grill basket stops the courgettes and the prawns falling through the bars.

For a gas grill, a smoker box with wood chips gives the smoke that gas never does; on charcoal, a bag of chips on the coals does the same. A cover keeps the whole thing alive through winter, and a side cart adds the prep space that a grill never has. Add heat-proof gloves and a proper wire brush, because the brush is the thing nobody buys and everybody needs after the first evening.

Plates and glasses that survive a terrace

Melamine plates look like ceramic and bounce when they hit the tiles. A bamboo serving board and an acacia salad bowl look good on the table and better after a summer of use.

For drinks, double-walled glasses keep a beer cold for an hour in the sun, and insulated wine tumblers survive a fall onto stone that would end a wine glass. A cool box on wheels moves the drinks to wherever the party has drifted, and a metal tub full of ice turns into a bar people help themselves from without asking.

Light that keeps people outside after nine

Festoon lights are still the answer. Warm white LED ones cost little to run and last for years. Solar path lights along the border charge during the day and stop guests walking into the flower bed at night.

Lanterns are useful because they move. Battery ones avoid the extension cord across the lawn, and candle lanterns give the flicker for less money. A fire bowl on the terrace is the single item that keeps people outside until midnight in June. If there are already outdoor fittings, colour-changing smart bulbs rated for the weather are a good upgrade for a small budget.

Seats people actually want to sit in

Cushions that do not fade or soak up rain make old furniture look new, and a few outdoor cushions add colour for the price of a takeaway. A hammock, or a hanging egg chair, becomes the seat everyone tries first and one person never leaves.

Folding chairs with a cup holder are cheap extra seating that stores flat in the shed. A storage bench doubles as a seat and a place for the blankets and the boules. Shade matters as much as seating: a big parasol, a sail or an awning is the difference between a terrace that is usable at two in the afternoon and one that is not.

The small things that make hosting easier

A trolley stocked with napkins, cutlery, a bottle opener and citronella candles keeps everything in one place and rolls to wherever the table ended up. An outdoor rug marks out the sitting area and can be hosed down on Sunday.

Furniture covers, a parasol base that will not tip and a weatherproof storage box keep everything dry through the July thunderstorm. An outdoor tap with a small sink, or a portable hand-washing station, makes the clean-up after a barbecue for twenty far less grim for whoever is hosting.

If the garden is yours, or you are helping a friend set one up, create a wishlist with the exact grill, the exact lights and the exact chairs, so any guest who wants to bring something can pick one of those instead of a seventh bottle of rosé.