Extravaganza Barbecue Day!

When someone mentions the words 'heat wave' and 'July' on the radio, one's natural reaction is, of course, to rush out and purchase a new barbecue. One is determined to spend as much time as possible cooking and eating outside because the weather has been rubbish for two years now and one has develop an opportunistic nature because of this. And one shall now stop talking like her Maj the Queen.

Anyway, we have bought a new barbecue. The old barbecue is, well, old. It hasn't been well-looked after. It is suffering rust. And as Heather said the other day when we were examining the rust bucket in the light of the back garden revamp, 'I'm not going to eat anything that's been cooked on THAT!'

Quite right too. New barbecue time it was.

We bought a gas one. No faffing about with charcoal or firelighters. Instant heat is what we wanted. Instant and efficient heat. Andy is relieved at the no more firelighter bit, mostly because I quite like the smell of them and can oversniff at barbecue time and come over a bit lightheaded.

And a gas barbecue requires a gas bottle and of course the gas bottle we have for the camping cooker is completely wrong for the new gas barbecue so we had to buy another gas bottle, and all in all this new barbecue business has become rather expensive. But it is okay because we are going to offset the cost by cooking outside every day between now and the middle of next February, regardless of wind, rain, sleet and hail and whether a 5kg goose will fit on it at Christmastime.

We also bought some fake charcoal rock things. I forget what they are called but they are supposed to retain heat emitted by the gas burners thereby enhancing barbecue efficiency AND give off an authentic charcoal smell. I am not bothered by authentic barbecue smells. I am going to be chucking rosemary on them so I get an authentic rosemary smell. 

The barbecue has a substantial cooking area plus (and I am especially excited by this) - a gas ring on the side! Which means tomorrow morning I am going to boiling the traditional egg and soldiers Saturday morning breakfast OUTSIDE on the barbecue! We are also going to attempt barbecue toast. I see no reason why this would not work - apply bread to flame et voila! Toast! In my mind, it is a plan that cannot fail.

And after barbecue breakfast, the relatives are descending for barbecue lunch! Sausages and burgers, both veggie (yum) and dead animal (bleuch!) and various pasta and couscous salads and things on sticks (although no candy floss which will be marginally sad) and Andy is making a rosemary focaccia, and I am making Eton Mess and there will be loads of fizzy orange and ice cubes and it will be like proper summer! 

And then we shall spend the afternoon drinking tea and eating homemade biscuits, and playing ukeleles and telling amusing stories about geese and badminton...

('Is she all right?' says Daisy.

'I'm not sure,' says Primrose. 'I think she might be suffering some sort of nostalgia complex.'

'Shall I give her a good peck?' says Daisy. 'Jolt her out of her reverie before she puts her hair in pigtails and gets out the skipping rope?'

'That would be just hideous,' says Primrose.

'Quite,' says Daisy.)

...and windmills and bubbles and lashings of ginger beer!

Well, you get the picture!

So, dear MMM guests, if you happen to be passing by, do drop in and join us for a sunny barbecue extravaganza day!