Birling Gap

Math began cooking. The grill does not have separate settings, you cannot raise or lower it in relation to the heat. Once his pyramid of coals were lit, he arranged the heat into thirds, with two hot patches either side of an empty middle section. Having a section of the grill that is not over any coals works on a lidded barbecue because the circulating heat will be sufficient for slow cooking.

“Don’t make the mistake of presuming that we know what we are doing,” he warned

Some chefs prefer arranging the coals in a gradually declined slope from left to right, but the portable barbecues lack the depth necessary for this arrangement. The trick is to create the variety of temperatures required to cook a variety of meats – in this case, boned chicken thighs, venison kebabs and sausages, all with a light coating of oil so that they would not stick to the grill.

The tide battled its way up the beach, making for an anxious moment in which we wondered if we would have to strike camp and break for the stairs. Another family arrived with their barbecue, took a doubtful look at the churning rising waters, but were reassured by the sight of us blithely cooking. Math went over to speak to them;

“Don’t make the mistake of presuming that we know what we are doing,” he warned. They set up as far the encroaching waves as was possible on the narrow strip of beach, and started cooking. Fortune favours the brave.

Here are my barbecue recipes

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Ingredients
200g carrots, peeled and grated
Juice of half an orange
1 tbs white wine vinegar or juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cinnamon
5 dried dates, stoned and chopped
1 tsp honey
1 tbs olive oil

Equipment
Grater (slice the carrots very finely if not available)
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Bowl
Spoons

Method
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and leave to rest for ten to twenty minutes to let the flavours mingle. Serve.

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My daughter and her little friends dare one another to eat the school coleslaw, so ingrained is the revulsion toward this traditional side salad. But a freshly made coleslaw with fennel is delicious with barbequed chicken or fish.

Ingredients
1 bulb of fennel, outer layer and stem removed and finely sliced, save any soft fronds
1 tsb flat leaf parsley (optional)
1 large carrot, cut into batons
¼ to ½ onion, white salad one if possible, finely sliced
1 pickled gherkin or 6 cornichon, chopped small
2 tsps mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Equipment
Bowl
Sharp knife
Chopping board
Mixing spoon

Method
Mix all the ingredients together at least ten minutes before needed to allow the flavours to mingle. Add the fennel fronds if you have them, chopped parsley if you don’t.

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If you can get fresh peas in their pod and a decent crumbly feta cheese, then this is great for lunch served with hearty chunks of brown bread.

Ingredients
1 x 200g packet of feta cheese
100-150g (about one bag) tasty leaves like watercress, lamb’s lettuce, rocket or a mixture
100g fresh peas, shelled (if they are quite big peas, then boil for a couple of minutes and drain)
1 courgette, cut into batons or sliced thinly using a vegetable peeler
4 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 clove of garlic, crushed with salt using a knife
A couple of sprigs worth of fresh mint leaves, sliced finely
Salt and pepper

Equipment
Chopping board
Large bowl
Sharp knife
Fork
Vegetable peeler (optional)
Pan and stove (optional)

Method
Make the dressing in the bowl with the garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk it in the bowl until it emulsifies, then season and taste. Add the leaves courgettes and mint, then toss the salad. Crumble the feta on top and the peas last as otherwise they will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

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A classic salad easily prepared outside a tent on a warm evening.

Ingredients
300g salad potatoes, Jersey Royals if you’re feeling flash
100g green beans, topped and tailed
4 eggs
1 tbsp herbs such as tarragon, chervil and/or chives, chopped
4 tbs olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 clove garlic crushed with a pinch of salt
Salt and black pepper
½ tin of anchovies, drained
2 tins or jars of good quality tuna, drained
½ red onion, finely sliced
1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
2 little gems or 1 romaine lettuce, leaves separated

Equipment
Chopping board
Sharp knife
One ring cooker
Small bowl
Fork and spoons

Method
Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, drain and set aside. Cook the green beans for a couple of minutes, drain and set aside. Put the whole eggs into a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and then count three minutes, they will be soft boiled and hopefully not cracked. Drain and leave the eggs to cool.
For the dressing, put the garlic and salt with olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and mustard into a small bowl and whisk with a fork until it emulsifies. Taste, adjust the seasoning if you need to.
Dress the leaves. Shell and quarter the eggs. Assemble your salad: put your leaves into bowls, cut the potatoes in half and add those, arrange the beans, tuna, anchovies and tuna and shelled quartered eggs. Sprinkle the herbs on top.

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