Food and Drink

Vegetarian Barbie Platter

I used a griddle pan for this dish, but you can use an ordinary frying pan, or even an oven tray, if you don’t have one, the only difference is that the oil drips down into the griddle grooves, so the vegetables hold less of the oil. If the weather stays fine, you could thread the chopped veg on to barbeque skewers.

1. Heat the griddle pan, and drizzle a little oil over it, olive oil, sunflower, your own preference! My favourite is Single Estate Sicilian from The Gift of Oil, which is light, and grassy.

2. Start with the veggies which take the longest to cook, so you could put quartered red onions, and whole garlic cloves on to start; I leave the skin on the garlic, then just squidge out the middles, when they go gooey, o nto the rest of the veggies; scrummy! Next asparagus, courgettes cut into rings and baby plum tomatoes… these are less watery than the usual tomatoes, so they work really well in this dish. Finally, once all the vegetables are a golden colour, you can throw in some mushrooms, button, or chestnut ones are good, as they don’t break up.

3. For a fresher, zingy flavour, you can squeeze some fresh lemon juice over, just before serving.

4. Serve on warmed plates, scattered with fresh herbs, thyme is particularly good! Great with warm, crusty bread.

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Pork with Chinese Five Spice, and Lancashire Honey

You can use your favourite cut of pork for this dish, but loin, chop, or steak are good, and stay more moist and flavoursome if cooked with the fat on. (You can remove the fat to serve, if you are weight-watching!) The delicate Five Spice adds a whole new flavour to the pork, but don’t be tempted to put too much on!

1. Barbeque the pork until golden brown on both sides, or griddle cook, if the rain’s moved in!

2. Once you remove it from the barbie, use the back of a spoon to rub some Lancashire honey over them, then sprinkle with Chinese Five Spice, available in most supermarkets.

3. Serve at once, with seasonal vegetables, and new potatoes, dripping in butter, topped with a scattering of chopped parsley, scrummy!

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Steve and Philippa’s top barbeque tips!

1. Light the barbie about 30 minutes before you want to cook, the ash should be light grey in colour, and glowing, not red, or showing any flames.

2. If you marinade your meat in equal quantities of oil and either wine, or lemon juice, this helps to keep the meat moist.

3. If you are making kebabs, it helps to soak the wooden barbeque sticks in water for at least 30 minutes; this prevents the sticks burning.

4. Try to do the cooking, before starting on the booze!

5. If the weather is really sunny, and hot, remember to, slap on the sun screen!

6. Keep a bucket of clean, cold water near to the barbecue, in case of accidents; you can plunge any burns into the bucket whilst assessing the overall situation.