Called to the bars....

Last night we had the first barbecue of the year. After a hard days digging it was just what I needed. Drinking chilled wine while huddled around a fire....



Last year we barbecued so much that I got a bit sausage and burgered out and this year I'm going to try and vary what I put on the bars.

Barbecued Chinese Fish.....(serves 4)

4 fish steaks of your choice

2 tsp chinese five spice paste

1 tbsp chinese rice wine

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp oil

Pop all the ingredients in a bowl and leave to marinate. (I left it for about an hour). Get your barbecued out and cook the fish for a couple of minutes on each side (depending on the type and thickness of the fish).

For pudding I made a jam sponge. This took 35 minutes in total to make and went down a storm once the sun had gone down and the fire had run out of wood.

Jam Sponge.....(Serves 10)

1 large jar strawberry jam

3 eggs

7oz plain flour

7oz caster sugar

7oz soya spread (only because of my dairy allergy...butter is better!)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp baking powder

Put all the ingredients except the jam in a bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Spread the jam in the bottom of a baking tray. Spread the sponge mix over the top and cook for 30 mins in a 180'c oven.