When I launched this month’s Barbecue and Barbecue Side’s event back on the 1st July I have to admit it was with a considerable degree of trepidation. Especially with regard to the folks in the UK, thinking I might just be jinxing yet another Summer! But 35 entries later and for the most part a gloriously hot and sunny month I’m pretty relieved to say the least. Phew. Thanks so much to everyone who joined in, as you’ll see from my round-up we have a wonderful array of barbecue and side dish delights to tickle everyone’s taste buds, from meaty mains to salady sides to post-barb cakey naughties.

And to judge this month’s event I’m most delighted and excited to announce we have the gorgeous and enormously talented Bethany Kehdy no less!. For those of you unaware of Bethany’s many talents (too many for someone so young if you ask me!), she’s the founder and organiser of Food Blogger Connect (and I’m sure everyone attending this year will sing her highest praises), owner and tour guide of Taste Lebanan and a food blogger at Dirty Kitchen Secrets.  And as if this isn’t enough she’s now the author of The Jewelled Kitchen, launched at FBC this year along with a veritable feast of Middle Eastern delights from her book.  And I so happen to be a proud owner of a signed copy of her beautiful and enchanting cookbook which I shall be delving into in the Autumn once I’m re-united with it again, sadly it had to be left in London for the time being.

So on to the round-up.  As most of you know I’m more than a tad busy these days with my move to the UK timed (im)perfectly to co-incide with the big summer school holidays, so I’m going to keep things brief.  And to be brief I’m steeling an idea I took from the lovely Vanesther of Bangers & Mash (who incidentally I was delighted to finally meet at FBC too, and would you believe she was even more lovely than I built her up to be!) to summerise each post in just a few simple words. I’m aiming at five but this could be tricky for a wordy woman like myself, but here goes….

In no particular order (as the entries got a little jumbled in my ad hoc pictorial representation!) we have:

Foodie Quine: BBQ Time – Pimm’s Salad, Blue Cheese Mushrooms, Turkey, Banana & Apricot Burgers

Fruitilicious Burgers!. Pimms Salad!. Fabulous.

Techie….Cookie……Freaky…… BBQ Chicken (Indian Style)

Super-hit Mouth-watering Indian Kebabs

Javelin Warrior’s Cookin w/Luv – Homemade Barbecue Beans with Bacon

Beans To Impress Your Boyfriend!

Fromage Homage – The Big Cheesy Barbecue: Shropshire Blue Burgers, Halloumi Rosemary Skewers and Aubergine Tricolore Parcels

The Ultimate Cheese Fest Barbie

Lavender and Lovage – Egg & Tomato Salad with Marigold & Chive Flowers

Exquisitely Lovely Floral Summery Side

Fab Food 4 All – Strawberry & Vanilla Ice Milk

Low-Fat Yumminess to Devour

Chip Butties and Noodle Soup – Samphire and Tomato Salad

Seafood Side of Salty Deliciousness

Recipe Junkie – BBQ Ribs for the best weekend ever

Sizzling Smoky Ribs for Gourmet Camping

Chip Butties and Noodle Soup – Rose Harissa Chilli Sauce

Rose Harissa to Ignite & Delight

Chip Butties and Noodle Soup – Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Lemon & Berbere Houmous

Heavenly Hummus I Shall Definitely Try!

How To Eat Properly – Courgette, Chickpea & Roast Tomato Salad

Fabulous Flavourings from Storecupboard Staples

Caroline Makes – Shortbread Squares with Chocolate Fudge and Marshmallow Topping

Post-Barbie Naughtiness in Cakey-Form!

Caroline Makes – Grilled or Barbecued Halloumi with Chilli

Barbie Crowd-Pleaser Chillied-up Halloumi

Chip Butties & Noodle Soup – Chilli, Garlic & Ginger Jam

Tantalising Kicking Loveliness in a Jar

Chip Butties & Noodle Soup – The Big Summer Salad

Summery Salady Herby Zingy Goodliness

Tinned Tomatoes – Potato and Bean Salad with Zingy Herby Dressing

Storecupboard Zingily Dressed Legumy Loveliness

Chez Foti – Chicken Satay Sticks

Chicken Lollipops to Delight Young & Old

Recipes from a Pantry – Homemade Guacaomole

Yoghurtamoley Creamy Dippy Healthful Yumminess

Recipes from a Pantry – Plantain Chips

Crunchy African Bites of Snackilicious Yum

Delicieux – Beetroot & Apple Salad with Gorgonzola & Walnuts

Dreamy Nutty Gorgonzolary Sweet Beets

Delicieux – Foil Wrapped Tartiflette Parcels

Oozy Cheesy Parcels of Creamy Deliciousness

Food to Glow – Grilled Lettuce – on it’s own and in a salad with Potatoes, Cornichon & Peppered Mackerel

French Stylie Salad with Punch

Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary – Barbecued Pineapple

Canadian Carmelised Sweet Chewy Perfection!

The Garden Deli – Feta & Yoghurt Dip

Versatile Creamy Zesty Dippy Side

Fab Food 4 All – Mixed Tomato Chutney

Chillied-Up Nigel’s Tommie Glut Chutney

Lavender and Lovage – Lemon & Sweet Pepper Chicken Kebabs

Delectable Singing Sizzling Spicy Rub

How to be a Gourmand – Salmon Tikka Chapati with Mint & Coriander Raita

Punchily Zingy Cooling Refreshing Raita

Chez Foti – Halloumi & Roasted Veggie Kebabs

Herby Sweet Cheesy Veggies on Sticks

Thyme for Cooking – Carrot Salad

Not just any Carrot Salad!

Thyme for Cooking – Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Shallot Sage Marinade

Flavourful Barbecued Fillet of Yum

Caroline Makes – Watermelon & Feta Cheese Salad

Fabulous Combo of Refreshing Goodliness

Chip Butties & Noodle Soup – Raw Beetroot, Caraway, Lemon Balm & Mint Salad

Crunchy Fragrant Zingy Earthy Pinkness

A Bavarian Sojourn – Japanese Style Steak Salad

Sumptuous Wasabied Steak Salad Perfection

A Working Mum’s Cookbook – Greek Pasta Salad

Colourfully Summery Pasta & Greek Salad

The Boy Can Cook – Smokey BBQ Ribs

Ribs To Dye For. Heaven.

And so there has to be a winner.  And thankfully to make that tough choice we have Bethany and not myself!. Drum Roll……and the winner is…..another drum roll……Foodie Quine’s Pimm’s Salad!  And this is what Bethany had to say about it:

I love to cook with booze and goodness knows how many alcoholic products I’ve experimented with in cooking. When I read the “Pimm’s salad” headline I was very intrigued.  It’s very much inspired me to give this salad a go this weekend. Great effort everyone and thanks to the lovely ladies (Lou and Anneli) for asking me to Judge. Let’s hope this weekend is another Barbie worthy weekend 🙂 

The winning prize this month is the Pitt Cue Cookbook. A copy will be winging it’s way over to you Claire. A very well deserved win, a fab choice Bethany!.

Thanks again to everyone for all  your wonderful and inspiring entries.  August is all about Summer Puddings and it’s once again over to Anneli at Delicieux to host.

Here’s hoping for some more summer sun!

Louisa x