Annabel Karmel's top barbecue safety tips

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We all love a barbecue, but there's nothing worse than having friends over and spending the afternoon worrying about whether or not the meat's cooked properly.

Stick to these simple barbecue safety tips from Annabel Karmel and you can relax, knowing you and your guests are safe from food poisoning!

1 Remove any old ash from the barbecue and use a clean grate. The grate can be heated over the barbecue and brushed with a wire brush to remove any burnt-on residue. It can be useful to lightly oil the grate before cooking any food.

2 Light the coals in plenty of time. It's best to wait for the coals to turn grey before starting to cook, which takes about 30 minutes.

3 If you're cooking a large amount of food, you'll need a good depth of coals in your barbecue to keep the heat going for long enough.

4 Take care when cooking over the barbecue. Use long-handled implements to turn food. A set of oven gloves may be useful.

5 Make sure clean plates are available for the cooked food. Don't put cooked food onto a plate that's been used to carry out raw food (unless the plate is washed first!).

By Beth Ivory