Tom Kerridge, Yotam Ottolenghi, Rachel Roddy and others reveal how they get the barbie started (with not a charred burger in sight)
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epending on your temperament, having a Michelin-starred chef drop by with something to throw on your back-garden barbecue might be a dream come true, or a bit of a nightmare. Will they judge us for buying ready-made coleslaw? Will they notice how excessively charred the drumsticks are? But chefs are people too – and they like being invited over for a burger and a beer just as much as the rest of us. It’s just that their burgers might be made from dry-aged steak, minced by hand that morning, paired with a carefully chosen low-intervention wine.
Chefs also like thinking beyond burgers, sausages and all the other traditional barbecue favourites, which is why, when we asked 18 of the UK’s best chefs what they would take to a barbecue, they recommended everything from chilli-spiked watermelon salad and intensely flavoured Korean marinades to dry non-alcoholic aperitifs and beautiful tins of spiced salt. (And not a tub of coleslaw in sight.)
I always bring a large head of cabbage – hispi if I can find it, but napa or white work well, too. I cut it into thick wedges (keeping the core intact so they don’t fall apart), brush them with olive oil, season generously, and char directly over the flames until the outer leaves are blackened and blistered and the inside goes sweet and tender. Then I make a dressing: either whisk together tahini, a bit of yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic and water to make a creamy sauce, or simply use some creme fraiche with lemon juice and garlic stirred though. I spoon this over the cabbage and finish it off with whatever chilli oil or chilli sauce happens to be around, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs (only if I have them).
