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Our guide to no-bother barbecuing is essential reading as the weather warms up!

You’ve marinated the meat, whipped up some sensational side dishes and checked the weather forecast repeatedly for the merest suggestion of rain. On the face of it, you’re all set to grill your way to a blaze of barbecue glory. Until, that is, the time comes to light the darn thing.

If you’ve found yourself fumbling with firelighters, our guide to becoming a charcoal-lighting champion is essential reading for a summer of fuss-free al fresco feasting. Just follow our step-by-step guide.

For obvious safety reasons, always check your barbecue is standing sturdily on a flat surface and has no wobbly legs, before you fire it up.

The best type of fuel to use on your barbecue will depend on what you're cooking and how long you want to cook for.

'Charcoal briquettes are uniform in size and burn at an even temperature for longer periods so they’re perfect if you’re cooking for large crowds or roasting a whole joint of meat,' explained an expert from Weber. 'Lumpwood charcoal, on the other hand, lights quicker, burns hotter and and delivers a subtle smoky flavour. You'll get up to one hour of cooking time from lumpwood charcoal so it's suited to grilling smaller cuts of meat or vegetables that take no longer than 15-20 minutes to cook.'

Allow plenty of time before you plan to start cooking to get your barbecue to the correct temperature. If there are still flames licking the charcoal, you risk burning the outside of your food while the inside remains dangerously undercooked. You'll know when the barbecue is ready to cook on because the flames will have died down and the charcoal will be glowing red with an ashy grey coating.

Don't forget to allow 10-15 minutes to pre-heat the grill before you start cooking on it.

You can do things the traditional way, by placing scrunched up newspaper balls in the bottom of the barbecue, then topping this with dry twigs or kindling, then piling your charcoal on top.

However, using a chimney barbecue starter to light and burn your charcoal can help get things going faster.

'The cylindrical shape of the starter means the charcoal lights quickly and evenly as the flames funnel up due to the chimney effect,' our Weber expert told us. 'Once the flames start licking through the top - usually in around 20 minutes - they’re ready to pour into your barbecue.'

Using a chimney starter can also help measure out the correct amount of charcoal for what you're cooking. Weber recommends filling 1/3 of a chimney starter with charcoal for a low heat of 90-160°C, filling half a chimney starter for an ideal roasting temperature of 180°C-230°C, or using a full chimney starter for a high heat of 230°C-290°C if you want to sear steaks.

If your barbecue doesn't have a lid and you want an even temperature across the cooking surface of the barbecue grill, spread out your coals. If you want a hotter area in the middle for searing, but a cooler temperature around the edges for slower cooking right through your food, leave the charcoal piled up in the centre of the barbecue.

If your barbecue has a lid, this will help regulate the temperature inside anyway, so where your charcoal ends up is less of an issue.

Over 80% of the charcoal we use in the UK is imported, with a significant amount coming from countries with tropical or subtropical forests and high rates of deforestation, according to WWF. So is it possible to make a more sustainable choice when we buy charcoal?

We spoke to WWF and Friends of the Earth to find out. Both organisations recommend looking for charcoal which carries the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) accreditation logo. While this doesn't prohibit charcoal producers from using tropical and subtropical hardwood, it does ensure that the forests the wood comes from are well-managed.

'Of the many certification schemes out there, WWF considers FSC to be the most robust system currently available,' WWF's Sam Davies told us. 'By choosing FSC, people can ensure the charcoal they buy is produced in a way that effectively manages forest resources while also being environmentally responsible and socially beneficial.'

Friends of the Earth added that an alternative to buying imported charcoal is to buy charcoal produced from wood grown in the UK. If you're concerned that the charcoal fuelling your barbecue could be contributing to deforestation in other areas of the world, look for the Grown in Britain logo. This tells you that the wood used to produce the charcoal has been sourced entirely from well-managed UK woodlands that comply with the UK's forestry standards.

All the charcoal in the Herts Wood Fuel Stag British Charcoal range is Grown in Britain accredited.

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