OUTDOOR living has never been so stylish.

That's the verdict from Lakeland at Buchanan Galleries as the sun comes out and the focus turns to summer trends.

New this year and popular for outdoor spaces of all shapes and sizes is tabletop entertaining.

Gone are the days when the chef has to stand alone in a corner of the garden flipping burgers. A range of table top barbecues make the job much more sociable.

"Table top barbecues are a customer favourite," says store manager Marian Morrison. "They are well protected and have heat shields to prevent the table from scorching.

"We have several, starting with a little Asado Barbecue Holder which you can sit a disposable barbecue on, right up to the Social Grill white caters for six people.

"We have one of the Social Grills in the store and it looks fabulous. It's a long grill that sits on the table and everyone can cook their own food.

"So if you like your steak done rare that's fine because you're in charge of cooking your own. All your guests can cater to their own individual tastes and everyone can sit and chat."

The Barbecook range includes a table top barbecue with heatproof silicone feet and double-walled ceramic bowl, as well as a bamboo rotating table with ceramic serving bowls for dips and sauces.

A selection of on-trend Kilner glassware features an eight-litre drinks dispenser, which is perfect for parties.

Marian suggests using it to serve chilled wine at an outdoors get-together, and matching it with Kilner jars with lids for drinking cocktails. Alternatively fill it with fresh fruit and keep it indoors as a storage jar.

"We have a lovely range of Riviera tableware, everything from dinner plates and side plates to bowls, mugs and platters, in bright Mediterranean colours," says Marian.

"Because they are melamine, they are unbreakable and hard wearing.

"We have glass effect goblets which looks like Spanish green glass but if you drop them they won't break. They are perfect for outdoor entertaining."

When it comes to cooking, people have never been more aware of what goes into their food and love cooking, according to Marian.

"Cooking from scratch at home has become increasingly popular over recent years - helped by the growing popularity of television cookery shows which inspire customers with new and exciting ideas and a desire to know exactly what is going into your meal," she explains.

"As the summer approaches we are seeing products such as our Meat Grinder and Quarter Pounder Burger Press are proving incredibly popular with sales of the burger press increasing by nearly one third."

Use the Stuffed Burger Press to add a filling of your choice, maybe cheese or a tangy sauce.

"We have also had great success with the Vegetable Spiralizer, which makes spaghetti vegetables. It's all about healthy eating just now," adds Marian.

Another nifty new gadget is the Smoking Gun, a hand-held cold smoker to preserve the original texture of food and create gourmet dishes from cheese and ham to cocktails and even chocolate.

Finally, table decorations and garden ornaments are popular for parties with Paper Pompoms and Pin Wheels as well as Paper Chinese Lanterns to hang from trees and low branches.

Brighten up the table with coloured tealight holders or glass lanterns and all you need is the sun ...

Lakeland, Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow. Visit www.lakeland.co.uk