As we approach the end of summer, there’s still time to fit in some last-minute BBQs before the weather truly changes. Barbequing is always a bit of a production with all the time spent preparing the food, cooking and serving everything. Not to mention the to-ing and fro-ing from the kitchen to the grill. But all that effort is worth it. When a BBQ goes well, it’s almost magical and time seems to slow down. As you stand outside close to the burning heat of the grill with a cold drink in your hand, you can imagine that you are on holiday somewhere sunny and relaxing. There’s no hurry as you cook and soak up the smoky fumes as your mind wanders. This is what life is about…If only you lived somewhere where you could do this all the time. Why don’t we barbeque more often?
Of course, even if the weather cooperates, it doesn’t always go according to plan. There’s nothing more frustrating than when you run out of fuel or the coals fail to stay hot enough to finish cooking everything without getting food poisoning. As you abandon a pathetically lukewarm grill you are suddenly awoken from your once blissful relaxed state to find yourself in the default position of parental provider of grub. Having to continue ‘barbequing’ in an oven while being hounded by hungry children and family members who want to know when it’s going to be ready is hardly magical. By the time you’ve cooked everything to perfection and triumphantly sit down to eat, they have already ploughed their way through the all of BBQ sides and crisps and are no longer hungry. Yet they still have room for s’mores, if you’re asking…
