MORE PLEASE - BBQ BABES

Grilled Aubergines with Tarragon, Dill and Crème Fraiche, my ultimate, easy Chicken Skewers and Barbecued Potatoes, Peas and Lemon

Hey everyone!! It finally, finally feels like we are going to get some consistently bearable weather here in the UK(apart from today), and it’s high time we made the most of it and cracked out the old barbie.

In my cookbook (out in less than a month!!), I have a whole Dinner Party built on the BBQ, that is stress free, elegant and also means you are not chained to the grill while your friends stay cool and drink beers.

I think this is often the issue with BBQing as a host, you end up missing most of the party because you can’t abandon your sausages. So, I always gravitate to recipes that involve minimal grilling time and also I like to light and cook on the BBQ well in advance of people arriving, so you aren’t suddenly faced with a whole menu of things to cook in one go.

Today I am sharing 3 excellent BBQ staples that I always come back to, especially when I don’t have loads of time on my hands. First up it’s a classic and valuable BBQ player - the Chicken Skewer. These don’t have to be super fancy, they just need to be packed with flavour, tender and moist. I marinade my chicken in vinegar and spices like cumin and cardamom for a super fragrant, juicy result that never ever sticks.

Then we have one of my FAVOURITE ways to cook new potatoes - on the grill! Ok so truthfully you do need to par-boil them first, but then you stick them in a foil tray with lots of butter and let them sizzle and get smokey and burnished on the barbecue. Add in peas, chopped lemon and lots of chives and you have a truly divine veggie side that tastes of pure summer.

Finally, it is probably my favourite of this trio. A simply stunning aubergine dish, where our star is sliced into fat discs, salted and then charred on a piping hot grill. Tossed in a sharp, herbal dressing and piled on top of crème fraiche, this ticks so many boxes for me and is glorious scooped into bread, as well being great alongside the two dishes above.

Coming up NEXT WEEK is our August Seasonal Supper and we are highlighting salty, crunchy Samphire. So, it’s a Pork Milanese with butter fried Samphire, Egg and Tomato and Anchovy dressing. Heaven.