Great British BBQ -

Or Braii

BBQ was the hero of the Great British Menu, cooked by Jean Delport, with Tom Kerridge praising some of the best food he’s ever tasted. RUPERT BATES talks to two great chefs sharing the love of fired their love for fire cooking.

I’d love to think it was a close-run thing – it wasn’t; I’d like to imagine the judges were divided – they weren’t. Readers, I was controversially – not really – voted third best chef on the Zoom call.

I’m not going to choose between Tom Kerridge and Jean Delport, but their mutual respect shone through the video screen. I’d foolishly picked a day to head to Interlude when Delport’s Michelin Star restaurant in West Sussex was closed. So, no Trenchmore beef, no snail fricassee with parsley and garlic, no smoked scallops over birch, no middle white pork and lobster, or estate deer from the 240 acres of Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens where Interlude sits.

The last time Kerridge and Delport had seen each other was the BBC’s Great British Menu banquet at Blenheim Palace. Delport cooked both the fish course and the main course at the banquet, and in both dishes, barbecue was the hero – BBQ dover sole, followed by roasted rack of goat and spiced goat curry.

Head judge Kerridge was suitably impressed, calling Delport’s food some of the best he’d ever tasted.

“Jean’s dishes are so interesting, and we’d not seen food like that before on Great British Menu. They were so clever and well executed, with great flavour profiles, by a phenomenal chef with terrific skills and technique,” says Kerridge.

“His food connected to the brief and clearly carried deep meaning. The moment I tasted Jean’s food I knew, despite all the outstanding dishes, he would be very hard to beat.”

It is no surprise that a South African, with Delport from the Western Cape, loves a BBQ, sorry Braai. But Englishman Kerridge also says a barbecue is his favourite way to cook and his latest book is simply titled The BBQ Book, aimed at quicker, more accessible dishes, “rather than 16-hour briskets for BBQ geeks, spraying apple juice on the meat at 3am”.

“Why do I love barbecue cooking? First and foremost, it’s got to be the flavour profile. All those smoky, coal-fired charred flavours and delicious caramelisation – there’s nothing else like it,” says Kerridge, with BBQ becoming not just a way of cooking, but a way of life.

“In nearly every country in the world, people cook over coals and flames, and you can explore some incredible global influences on the grill, tasting a bit of almost every cuisine you can think of without ever leaving your back garden.”

Kerridge loves how BBQ cooking has also evolved into professional kitchens and restaurants, elevating food over smoke and fire, be it marinated meats, or smoky charred vegetables.

He says BBQ is also a ‘leveller’ citing his good friend, radio presenter Chris Stark (who has featured in BBQ magazine), who believes he can cook as well on a barbecue as any professional chef.

“And I agree with Chris. BBQ can make good cooks into great ones, but it is also about the social interaction and connections, spending time with friends and family outside around the fire.”

For Delport a Braai is second, make that first, nature. “I grew up on Braai, just about every other day, back in South Africa. It is still often seen in the UK as a bit of an occasion, but BBQ in this country is being embraced by so many people and it is great to see.”

Kerridge highlights the huge improvement in the quality and versatility of BBQ grills and accessories, not just elevating the food, but also making cooking outside more user-friendly and less of a challenge in bad weather.

Delport says cooking over wood, raw and elemental, is still the way in South Africa, and costs of modern barbecues can be prohibitive, but he is seeing more start-up companies in South Africa developing grills, as well as the popularity of indoor braais, built into the house.

This magazine suggests a new competition – BBQ v Braai, especially given the big South African diaspora in the UK. Call it BBQ in front of them is a red rag to a Springbok. Doubtless, laughs Kerridge, South Africa would be as confident of winning that competition as the next Rugby World Cup.

Delport, who loves his sport, is naturally competitive, but loved forging great relationships with the other chefs on Great British Menu, wanting to win, but always willing to help each other.

“I grew up watching Great British Menu in South Africa, with our food scene a long way behind, and watching the legend that is Tom cooking. I thought ‘wow’ how amazing if I could get there one day. To be in that kitchen and cooking for a hero was incredibly nerve-wracking, but a fantastic experience I’ll never forget.”

Kerridge will never forget Delport’s food and when it came to the wrap party after the last day of filming, the leftover goat curry proved very popular in the judging chamber. There are 80 recipes in Kerridge’s BBQ book, including the likes of Thai beef and lemongrass skewers, charred green vegetables with feta, and monkfish with a tamarind glaze. So, what would he cook for his last barbecue on earth?

“I wouldn’t cook anything. I’d get Jean to cook it!”

And, with that, Kerridge was off to Pub in the Park in Marlow with a ‘keep pushing hard buddy and embrace everything that comes your way’ farewell to Delport.

What is coming Delport’s way will be fascinating to watch and, rest assured, they’ll be plenty of fire, whether you call it BBQ or Braai. It was time to walk the Grade I listed gardens, lakes and woodlands of Leonardslee where Jean harvests and forages ingredients for his remarkably inventive Interlude menu, as fine dining meets local produce – the ultimate field to plate journey, or rather walk, and with the wines from the Leonardslee Family Vineyards to pair with the food.

Delport has plans for the terrace of Interlude with an outdoor kitchen and a moveable feast of grills, which can then be taken to the woods and the lakes to create stunning backdrops for live-fire events and activations to illuminate the landscape.

As we strolled the acres, visitors to the gardens were smelling the roses. It was

easy to imagine the smell of wood smoke. As ‘backyards’ go, it doesn’t get more beautiful, or natural. As for the ultimate Great British BBQ, or Braai, I think we know who’ll be leading the cooking – and Kerridge will be first on the guest list.

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