The barbecue people...

They call us the barbecue people; I’ve heard them as they pass the house, the barbecue people with the white cat on a lead. They nod at each other and smile. I don’t know why people think it odd, after all eighty percent of the world cook on open fires, often in the open air, and I’m sure that at least some of them have cats on leads.

We barbecue at the front of the house. Well, that’s where we get the sun in the evening and there’s nothing nicer than sitting outdoors in the sun eating your dinner. We keep Luna on a lead when we barbecue in the evenings as we don’t like her out at night and she likes to be with us. We use a small 2 person barbecue that we bought in the sale at Tesco for a pound, we bought six actually. It’s just right to cook a couple of courses, and is very economic with the charcoal.

So, that’s the explanations out of the way; although why I feel the need for self-justification is beyond me. After all, we’re serial barbecuers, not serial killers.

Tonight will be our seventh consecutive barbecue since the sun put his hat on. What a week of glorious food. We’ve made and cooked lamb koftas in pitta breads with mint and yoghurt dip and couscous, barbecued rolled mackerel, pork piri-piri with rice, paprika chicken kebabs with a Greek salad, barbecued sweetcorn, peppered rump steak with a vegetable kebab and crushed Jersey potatoes, ginger marinated prawns with sweet chilli noodle salad, shar sui pork strips with satay noodles, we even made cheeseburgers one evening. Tonight it’s a mixed fish kebab with prawns, cod, salmon and monkfish that’s been marinating overnight in garlic, ginger, chilli and coconut milk served with lemon and coriander couscous.

Yes, we’ve been all over the globe foodwise in the last seven days. The food has been great but I have a barbecue top tip for you all that is out of this world. It’s simple and delicious and you won’t believe it until you try it.

My barbecue top tip is…(wait for it)… Barbecued Banana!

Just take a banana in its skin and put in on the barbecue. Turn it once or twice until it is black all over and just oozing moisture. Remove from the heat, slit the skin lengthways and eat the banana with a spoon. I serve with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup. Trust me, it’s bloomin’ heaven.