Winter 2020
Issue 2
Welcome to the second issue of BBQ. We have been delighted with the response to our new magazine, with fantastic feedback from so many people – professional chefs and pit masters, enthusiasts and novices, family and friends. Thank you so much for your support.
Being so immersed in the live fire community, I knew just how much passion there was in the UK and around the world for outdoor cooking. The response to the magazine only reinforces my experiences – cooking over live fire is massively on the rise worldwide and this country is doing as much as anyone to promote and enhance it.
As we head into the winter months, for goodness sake don’t stop cooking outside, whether it’s a family meal as darkness descends, or to challenge yourself with a new recipe, technique, or piece of equipment.
I cook outside no matter the weather, and indeed the chill of winter, the lash of rain, the fall of snow, adds its own magic and mystery. Just wrap up warm, create a bit of shelter as necessary and draw in closer to the flames.
The early weeks of this issue are all about the countdown to Christmas – and the likelihood, due to the impact of Covid-19, of a very different Christmas for so many.
The magazine is stuffed full of seasonal recipes and festive fun, including a full-on Christmas lunch created by TV cookery show producer and food and drink writer Andy Clarke and a bit of Nordic ice and fire from Swedish superstar Niklas Ekstedt.
In fact, we have Michelin Stars everywhere. South African chef Jean Delport rustles up his dream braai on a rare break from his Sussex restaurant, while Michel Roux Jr loves nothing more than to fire up the barbecue when away from the pressures of the commercial kitchen.
We mix stardust with plenty of tips and advice for those just learning the ropes and eager to know more, while top golfer Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston shares his love of outdoor cooking in an exclusive interview.
Jackie Weight is a world champion, now honing the barbecue skills of others at her Kent school, while Roger Jones – another Michelin Star here – gets stuck into the cider for his drinks column.
Meanwhile BBQ has exciting news of its own. We are delighted that the magazine is to sponsor ‘Live Fire’ at the Black Deer Festival at Eridge Park in Kent in June and I am so looking forward to being one of the Live Fire cooks, with a great line up of barbecue talent on show.
And the magazine has also teamed up with Exclusive Collection, whose 5-star hotels include Pennyhill Park in Surrey, South Lodge in Sussex and Lainston House in Hampshire, to become partner of Exclusive’s Season Cookery School, with a great range of outdoor courses planned in 2021.
We are living in such challenging times and BBQ magazine is doing its best to spread the live fire love. Let’s hope 2021 sees the world in a better place.
Please get in touch about future editions if you’d like to contribute, distribute, advertise or partner with us, as we look to produce the definitive publication for the food and fire community – at home and around the world.
Take care, stay safe and have a very happy Christmas.
Team BBQ Magazine