B Bartlett

From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a chef. My mother is a phenomenal cook and I learnt about meat, fish and game from her. Even now she won’t let me in her kitchen! I started my catering training in Bournemouth studying 7061 and 7062 Food Skills and got my first job at Forte’s Restaurant on the seafront as a commis chef. The kitchen worked with an old-fashioned brigade system so you moved around doing everything from peeling to washing! It was great training.

A few years later friends took on the Pumphouse at Hotwells and asked me to launch a new kitchen at this busy harbourside public house. After two years, I increased sales from 200 to more than 2000 covers every week. During this time, I offered to barbecue for a friend’s wedding. I’d been used to cooking on barbecues, but when the guest list hit 100 and I had to use three grills it was a totally different situation – and I loved it! They entered me into Britain’s Best Barbecue Contest and my prize was to visit Kansas City and learn from Slaughterhouse Five, a chain of barbecue restaurants. That was in 2003 and I’ve been hooked ever since!

My top dishes that go down a treat on the barbecue include pork – pulled pork and pork ribs, chicken trio – thigh, breast and wings, king prawns and scallops, and beef brisket. You can’t beat a sirloin steak! With meat, it’s easy to overcook beef and chicken can be quite dull. Pork is great and very forgiving on the barbecue. A fish kebab works well and so do fruit or vegetable ones. Jacket potatoes work well too. Cook them, scoop out the inside and mix with cheese, peppers, onions, and chopped bacon. Re-stuff the skins and pop them back on the grill.