BBQ English Style at the Gerrard's

Our friends Juliet and Steve Gerrard invited us over for a BBQ this Saturday afternoon. We had been at an antique fair up near Bourne all morning so we looking forward to kicking back. Steve and Juliet are some of the greatest hosts and always go all out for events at their house. You can tell Juliet is a teacher in training as she had loads of little things for the kids like a candy hunt, water bombs, and water squirters along with all the toys and games in the house. Harrison and Addie had fun finding their sweeties before dinner.

English BBQ always have quite the spread and one main theme I have picked up on is MEAT, MEAT, and more MEAT. Where as I think at most American BBQs you may make one or two different types of meat and then have loads of potato salads, cole slaw, macaroni salads, warm side dishes...the English make sausages, burgers, chicken, lamb kabobs, ribs, and hot dogs all at one go and most people will take 2-3 pieces.

Inside there was a big old pot of chili made up and next to it, yes, a bigger pot of rice. One thing quarky thing Kevin and I learned several months ago was that chili is treated like a curry here and is served with rice..on a PLATE of all things. I love it though and it actually tastes really good that way. Other goodies were couscous salads, lettuce salads, and pasta salad. Also since it was summer time and were at the Gerrard's there were plenty of good summer drinks to be had like a pitcher of Pimm's accented with apple, orange, and lime chunks and bits of fresh mint and topped off with Schwepp's lemonade.

Now the next best thing about BBQs here are all the puddings that come out afterwards. In good form and being the curious American I had to fill a plate filled with samples of each one of these goodies to make sure they were good. There was a strawberry and chocolate cream torte, lemon cake bread, chocolate and caramel brownies, Victoria sponge cake with "fat free" whipped double cream, strawberry shortcake, chocolate fudge cake, chocolate crispy treats and a fruity flan.

What a great time had by all and I got to know a few people a little more and finally place names with faces, especially Juliet's sister - Nicholette and her mum, June who I've run into several times now.