Barbeque and Campfire

This deliciously creamy ranch dip is the perfect accompaniment to our southern fried chicken or to spoon onto a barbecued beef steak. It's good to serve as a dip with celery sticks, carrot batons and cucumber too. It's quick and easy to make and doesn't require exact measurements if you are in a hurry.  Use any soft and creamy blue cheese for the dip with a more crumbly cheese to fold in. You can thin it with a little milk if you fancy using it to dress a salad.

This is a two part recipe. Firstly the dry herb and spice mix that can be made ahead and kept in a jar ready for use. Then there's the 'fresh' element of garlic, lime and coriander that is added when you have your meat ready to marinade. This recipe will be enough for 2 whole pieces of flank, each one serving 3 or 4 people if used in fajitas.

Flank steak is often seen on a menu described as a bavette steak. This is not the cut to use if you don't 'do' rare. The flank has long muscle fibres and can be tough if overcooked, it's also very lean and best sliced thinly across the grain for optimum tenderness. Cook it on a very high heat for 2 or 3 minutes a side and then cover with foil and rest for 10 mins. I generally put mine in the oven after it has been turned off, so no heat, just warm surroundings.  .

Halloumi cheese cooks very well on the barbecue as it doesn't melt into a puddle as soon as it hits the heat. Cut quite large cubes of cheese so it doesn't fall between the grid on the barbecue into the fire. Try marinading in lemon, garlic and oregano. Skewers work too, although halloumi is prone to break when you thread the skewer and try to turn them over. Grill to form a lovely brown crust.

Succulent chicken breast pieces marinated in Indian spices and yoghurt making, a very quick and delicious summer meal. Chicken thigh meat is great to use too, and possibly more tasty and succulent than breast meat. Use less chilli powder or cayenne pepper if you prefer less kick, although the amount in this recipe won't have you gasping for water! If you do not have all the spices in your store cupboard, don't worry, just substitute all of the spices with curry powder.

Leg of lamb is perfect for these dainty little skewers. Use small woody stems of rosemary and thread with the marinated lamb and onion. Make sure that the rosemary sprigs are not too fleshy or the meat will not thread. Grill over hot coals. This recipe makes 8 mini skewers, enough for 4 people as a starter or 2 people for a main course. Delicious served in pitta bread with some tzatziki.

A quick and easy marinade to use on barbecued/grilled cheese, meat or fish. Delicious to perk up halloumi cheese, salmon or lamb.

Red Poll is a native breed of Suffolk producing excellent beef. Your local butcher will be able to provide a whole oxtail and cut it into sections for you. Use well sourced meat that has been hung for at least 28 days. The stew must be slow cooked until the meat falls from the bones. Try and use shin if possible as although it takes longer to cook it makes a gorgeous more gelatinous, sticky and lip smacking gravy. It's a cheaper cut too.
This recipe is great for slow cooking on a camp fire fire and I always make it in my South African Potjie over smouldering logs. It works just as well made in a casserole or saucepan and cooked in the oven.

Spice blends, commonly called dry rubs are rubbed into meat before cooking. Some say that salt should not be included in a rub as meat should be dry brined by rubbing in salt a day in advance, in order for the salt to penetrate the meat. The spices in a rub do not tend to penetrate the meat but will help form the delicious spicy crust (or bark, as they call it down South). However as we are all so short of time in our busy lives, I make an all in one rub, mixing the salt into the rub and leaving it on the meat overnight in the fridge. Sugar is a matter of taste and needed to help caramelise the crust. I use just a little on beef. Experiment with your own spice blends and store in an airtight jar. Use a whole piece of rib eye or sirloin, or if you prefer individual steaks.

This is a Middle Eastern inspired dish with Sumac adding lemon citrus flavours and tartness to the fish. Sumac is a coarsely ground powder made from the berries of the Sumac bush, which is native to the Middle East and particularly notable in Iran. It is easy to find in Waitrose and other good supermarkets. Try this recipe with any other firm fleshed fish but make sure that if you plan to cook it on the barbecue that you keep the skin on as it helps prevent the fish from sticking to the grid.