The fire pavilion
David Gower enjoyed a cricket lunch like no other, courtesy of Whistler Grills. He didn’t have to bat; just eat. RUPERT BATES joined the former England captain at Lainston House
The invitation was billed as a ‘Masterclass with David Gower.’ A bit late in the day for me. In cricketing parlance, bad light – and a bad back – had already stopped play. But tips on sumptuous cover drives could conceivably prompt a batting comeback for my village team.
However, despite The Ashes, one of world sport’s greatest rivalries, looming, with England taking on Australia across five summer Tests – this was not about batting advice from the former England captain and one of our greatest-ever cricketers.
In this instance, Gower was the apprentice not the master. Perhaps apprentice is a bit harsh, for the stylish left-hander, who scored more than 8,000 runs for England including 18 centuries in 117 Test matches, assumes the role of ‘hero dad’ around the domestic barbecue. According to his wife, Thorunn, he doesn’t always boss the grill, with the odd burger metaphorically edged to first slip, but Gower likes nothing more than wielding the tongs and washing the fire food down with a glass of a suitably paired wine.
Steve Lewis, General Manager, Lainston House & David Gower
The barbecue now in place at his Hampshire home is the Bibury 5 burner gas grill – flagship of the Whistler portfolio – and before taking delivery of this stainless-steel heavyweight, Gower was given a tutorial from Whistler chef Andy Kennedy in the beautiful walled garden of Lainston House near Winchester. This was a nostalgic return to the five-star country house hotel for the Gowers, who held their wedding reception there over 30 years ago, having been married at Winchester Cathedral. Apparently, Sir Ian Botham organised the stag night, but recollections are hazy.
Made from one of the highest grades of steel, the Bibury grill comes with a rotisserie, cooking plate, smoker box, side tables and cover, with a LED control panel as well as halogen cooking surface lights.
“It was great fun and a terrific learning experience. It is easy to assume you know what you’re doing while flipping a few sausages at home. But what Andy created took BBQ to a whole new level, and Thorunn and I thoroughly enjoyed a sumptuous feast,” said Gower.
“There were lots of tips and tricks from Andy to raise my BBQ game and the Whistler is a fantastic grill which I’m really enjoying cooking on.”
The Bibury is described by the Good Housekeeping Institute as ‘an excellent crowd feeder – a 5 burner BBQ with multiple cooking zones and uniform heat distribution.’
It was a multiple and uniformly delicious menu too from Kennedy, starting with corn on the cob basted with a lime zest and chilli infused butter, satay chicken skewers and bacon-wrapped grilled asparagus.
“David was the model student, and he particularly enjoyed making the Hawaiian smash burgers, which we had with grilled pineapple and spicy cheese,” said Kennedy, whose late cousin, Phil Carrick, played country cricket for Yorkshire for over 20 years and knew Gower well.
Next on the Bibury stage were grilled prawns, marinated in ginger and garlic and mixed with coconut oil, along with Tandoori spiced cauliflower florets. Meanwhile, the chicken was roasting nicely on the rotisserie with roast potatoes to accompany.
The roasted Mediterranean vegetables were a mix of aubergines, peppers, cherry tomatoes, courgettes and red onion and there was just enough room to round off lunch with grilled rhubarb, served with crème fraiche and honey, and topped with a ginger crunch.
Whistler Grills, dating back to 1993, has been operating in the UK for four years, growing its share in both the grill and outdoor kitchen markets.
“The Whistler Grills factory has its roots in the stainless-steel manufacturing industry. Focusing efforts on high-end quality barbecues, Whistler has invested a huge amount into machinery to produce their top of the range products such as the Bibury and Burford,” said Steve Rowley, managing director of Whistler Grills.
“Deciding to focus efforts on high-end quality barbecues, Whistler has invested a huge amount of money into machinery to produce top-of-the-range-products such as the Bibury and the Burford.”
Whistler runs its own warehousing and distribution operations in Cricklade, Wiltshire, working with over 50 retailers across the UK.
“We are also front-runners in the outdoor kitchen market, led by our popular Cirencester modular kitchen, continuously producing new and innovative products to transform outdoor living experiences, focusing heavily on being high on quality and competitive on price,” said Rowley, with Whistler soon to launch the Fairford modular kitchen, made of 304-grade stainless steel.
“I believe this will take Whistler right to the top of the outdoor kitchen ladder, offering both commercial and retail models.”
The Whistler feast deserved drinks to match, with BBQ beers from the Powder Monkey Brewing Co in Hampshire and BBQ magazine’s Pitmaster Rye IPA and Sizzler NZ Pale Ale. There was sparkling wine from across the county border into Sussex with the Rathfinny and Wiston estates providing the fizz. In tribute to The Ashes, the white wines were a battle between another Sussex wine from Albourne and its Estate Selection – a blend of Chardonnay, Ortega and Bacchus – and Silent Noise from McLaren Vale in South Australia.
The meal was rounded off with a brace of reds, pitting a Pinot Noir from the Bolney Estate in Sussex against a Plantagenet Three Lions Pinot Noir from Western Australia.
Andy Kennedy, Steve Rowley & Megan Rowley of Whistler and David and Thorunn Gower
Three Lions sounds decidedly English and the vineyard was in fact founded by an Englishman, Tony Smith. Maybe that’s an Ashes omen. Then again, Australia’s star batsman Steve Smith warmed up with a few matches for Sussex.
The plan was to discuss the iconic series Gower won as England captain in 1985, but the sun was setting over the walled garden. So we drew stumps and headed home, reflecting on the power of fire to create the most magical of meals and memories.