BBQ season is upon us again with the hazy days of early summer too!   With hours of sunshine into the evening, we are all eager to get back to the Al Fresco dining that we enjoy so much...so lets look at the latest BBQ trends and how we can impress our family and guests with our culinary skills this year.

Apparently, the hot topic is slow cooking over hot coals and grills...Beef Short Ribs, Brisket, Pork Belly and everything in between.  Do you fancy having a go at something different?  Take a look at these recipes and see if you are inspired to give them a go!

Tom Kerridge's Sticky BBQ Short Ribs with Potato Salad Recipe | Food Network UK

Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket - Hey Grill, Hey (heygrillhey.com)

Slow-cooked barbecue pork belly recipe | delicious. magazine (deliciousmagazine.co.uk) 

Of course for many of us, the idea of waiting hours for the big reveal is just too much.  So why not stay with the ...

Yes we're still waiting for the emergence of Spring and still meandering through the highs and lows of the Winter season, so as the temperature drops outside lets plan a warm up on the inside. 

Soups and casseroles abound at this time of year, giving the ultimate comfort with very little fuss;  a great excuse to hunker down with a sumptuous bowl of fresh and tasty goodness...yet where should we start?  Well, here are a few suggestions to tempt you...

Lamb Casserole with Herby Dumplings (definitely one to try), Lamb Shank Cassoulet, Beef Stew served with creamy mashed potato and leeks, Tuscan Style Chicken Soup (as pictured) or maybe a Campfire Stew using Gammon...camping not compulsory.

Tempted?  I hope so!  You can find all meat products on our website and freshly delivered to your door at no extra cost, so why not give one of these a go before the season changes and warm and hearty are tucked away for the ...

For a relatively inexpensive but very satisfying and comforting meal, it would be hard to beat meatballs. The classic of course is a ‘Lady and the Tramp’ style bowl of Spaghetti & Meatballs, with a rich, tomatoey sauce – loved by children and adults (and animated dogs!) alike. 

Casserole, stew, braise – all terms we associate with slower cooking, but what do they actually mean? What is it that defines a dish as a casserole rather than a stew, or are they really just different names for the same thing? 

There’s a very interesting book called Cooked by Michael Pollan; in it he explores how we, as humans, have developed various methods of cooking, which have not only transformed natural ingredients into something great to eat but also played a part in altering the course of our evolution. The book takes us right back to basics and is split into four parts (or perhaps should I say elements): Fire, Water, Air, Earth. In the section entitled ‘Water’, Pollan looks at the part water plays in the process and spends some time cooking food in liquid; he says “much like a stew, a braise is a method of cooking meat and/or vegetables slowly in a liquid medium. In a stew, however, the main ingredient is typically cut into ...

Sausages in some form or another have been around for centuries, with most places around the globe having their own versions – Chorizo from Spain, Kielbasa from Poland, Merguez from North Africa, and more sausages from Germany than I have the time or inclination to list here (over a thousand!), to name but a few. Some are raw, some are cured, some are smoked, but the one thing they all have in common is that, more often than not, they are delicious, economical and hugely popular.