Wow!
Amazing!
What a great tip! I’d never have thought of doing it like that!
Love the aubergine!
What a great dressing!
Just some of the comments from the participants on the BBQ Course here on Saturday last.
Chef John
It was a food filled day with Chef John Whelan of The Devils Menu preparing and sharing some wonderful recipes.
There was Butterfly leg of Lamb – Mediterranean Style, Argentinean Beef Skewers, Cypriot Pork Kebabs – made using Oldfarm free range Saddleback Pork – and so much more! There was chicken – whole and in pieces. There were chargrilled courgettes and aubergines. There were numerous salads, the favourite being the couscous salad.
The day started at 10 o’clock with Chef John leading the group through the various styles of bbq’s that were going to be used. He explained the purpose of marinades and rubs, demonstrated the best preparation methods for the different meats – both for flavour and of course, for safety.
Hands on...
Every so often, there would be an exclamation of “what a great way to do that – I’d never have done it that way”. By the end of the day, we had lost count of the number of handy tips that we had picked up!
Silence descended when everyone sat down to lunch. There was such an array of food no-one knew where to start. But start they did and then there was endless discussion about the Spanish Paprika used on the Aubergines, the Japanese style glaze for the chicken and so much more.
Argentinean Beef & Cypriot Pork Kebabs
Chargrilled Aubergine
Then it was time to start preparing dinner!
Everyone thought they wouldn’t be able to eat dinner! But after an afternoon of preparation, poaching and then barbecuing, all sat down to another sumptuous meal. A tired but very happy group headed home with lots of tips and recipes to try out on their own bbq – and with full tummies from a day’s tasting!
Major thank you’s to SuperValu Portumna and Zip Firelighters for the sponsorship. Everyone was mightily impressed, and especially when they went home with a bag of charcoal to get practising on!
Zip
This was our first time to do anything like this. It went well. It will definitely be continued.
What should we do next?
From reaction so far – another BBQ course seems likely. But what else would you suggest?
A Year In Redwood 
Hi Margaret & Alfie,
I am duly impressed with your barbecue event – what a terrific idea and a real coup to have John. I wish I did not live 4 hours away, otherwise I would have been there. Apart from the barbecuing, it certainly seems to have been a real world food event and I am sure the participants feel that it was a unique experience, enhanced by the company and setting. I hope you will run another course and I will earmark my diary.
Thank you, Mary for your kind comments. It was a great day! And yes, we are looking at running more courses. Will keep you posted!