St Albans: Ye Olde Fighting Cocks BBQ School
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is reputed to be the oldest inhabited pub in England and we are really lucky that it is right on our doorstep! As part of St Albans Food and Drink Festival held at the beginning of October each year, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (YOFC) combined their BBQ School with wine tasting courtesy of Flagship Wines, another St Albans business and between them we had an amazing afternoon.
Christo Tofalli, pub owner and landlord welcomed us with a glass of Prosecco and introduced us to Julia Jenkins Managing Director of Flagship Wines.
Julia took us through a selection of red and white wines that she thought would partner well with the BBQ food we were about to experience. She told us that even though there are guidelines there are no right and no wrong combinations as long as you like it!
Then out to the covered BBQ area outside when Christo took us through the often contentious topic of building your initial fire. Mr R and I often end up in fisticuffs over the correct procedure and I am really happy to report I was correct!!! Pile the lump wood charcoal high (don’t use briquettes) and place something that can act as a funnel to draw the air through on the top.
Christo cooked mackerel and sea bream,
prawns …
and chicken with tarragon ….
However for me the two stars of the show were the grilled butternut squash, initially steamed over the coals then placed directly on the grill. When cooked they were drizzled with honey and sprinkled with sea salt and chilli flakes.
and the fluffy potatoes cooked in their skins.
For his finale Christo put a sirloin (approx 2kg) on the grill, coated only in sea salt and pepper. Cooking the meat over a high flame then letting it rest made it the tenderest and tasty steak ever!
Although the weather was a bit cold and damp the time flew by and we left several hours later with a new knowledge of the process of bar-b-queing and very full tummies!! If you want to know when Ye Old Fighting Cocks will be doing their next BBQ school you can contact them on 01727 869152
I was a guest of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub however was not obliged to write a positive review. All opinions and photographs are my own. No photographs may be reproduced in any form without my written permission.
Oooh, the fish and butternut squash look amazing! What a little lovely way to spend the day.
The butternut squash was really really lovely. I will be making this again.
Looks like a nice pub.. and I am drooling looking at the gorgeous stuff on the barbeque .. When I lived for a year in England we had an opportunity of visiting such old pubs.. that was way back in 80s
We love cooking on the BBQ. We have a gas one and an Indian Kadai.
That sounds like really fun. I believe in enjoying the wine I like best and really wouldn’t have the foggiest idea which wine would go well with what. Love how the butternut squash is sliced into thick slices to bbq… brilliant idea.