Come rain or shine we Brits must have our barbecue. Done properly, without the stink of paraffin and the terror of chicken drumsticks, a meal cooked over hot coals can be a feast in the real sense of the word. Especially when our fingers get sticky and we can lick them, tossing the bones into the shrubbery. Food always tastes better outdoors, but with a seasoning of woodsmoke and thyme a lamb cutlet or a slice of aubergine moves to another level.
First choice for either barbecue or indoor grill this month must be the sardine, that shimmering torpedo that has the strong taste to stand up to outdoor eating and is better than any other fish on the barbecue. The smoke, oil and deep fishy flavour combine to make a truly sensational mouthful. You need two or three big ones per person. They will need cleaning first, so split their bellies open with a small knife and remove the guts then give them a really good rinse. They must be spanking fresh so buy them the day you need them. Make the most of these tasty fishes for the next couple of months because their season is short and then we'll be back to the tinned ones and toast.
If you can't track down a supply of fresh sardines but are still intent on cooking your lunch over charcoal then give a thought to squid. You can get it ready beforehand, slashing at the pearly flesh in lattice fashion with a sharp knife to tenderise it, then marinating the clean white flesh in olive oil and a garlic for an hour or two. Nothing grills quicker and, unlike sardines, it doesn't stick on the bars. Either fish needs a bushy salad - try peppery rocket and chopped fresh chilli - on the side and halves of sweet lemons to squeeze over.
Red meat doesn't appeal quite so much when the sun is high in the sky but committed carnivores may like to try rabbit as an alternative. A mild and herby casserole, the rabbit joints first sealed in hot fat then cooked with onion, tarragon, white wine, stock and bacon and finished with cream and more chopped tarragon, is something different to bring to the table for Sunday lunch out of doors. It's pretty good on the grill too, if you cut the bones out of the legs and thighs first and marinate them in olive oil, lemon and bay.
Make the most of the few peas that are left. Any pod that is much larger than your little finger probably isn't worth popping. Broad beans are still around and in pretty fine condition and again, ignore anything but the smallest. I made a quietly delicious salad last night of Cos lettuce, skinned, boiled broad beans, dressed with vinegar, oil and lots of grated Parmesan. It would have been even better with a little crumbled grilled pancetta over it.
The runner bean season is in full swing. Long, slender pods and their scarlet flowers mark the slow turn from summer to early autumn. I wouldn't really do much with those early runners other than throw a handful of the pods, sliced diagonally into boiling water. When you have had enough of such old-fashioned simplicity try the beans cooked as normal then tossed with chopped flat leaf parsley, melted butter and pan-fried breadcrumbs. I have haricots vert climbing high in my garden, and haven't yet managed to get one of them to the pot. Like wild strawberries and the blackberries that are ripening nicely, they tend to get eaten in situ without so much as a rinse as I walk round the garden in search of slugs to murder. I have seen golden ones in the market too, a soft canary yellow called Sungold. Not that they taste much different but they look cute on the plate.
Locally grown tomatoes will probably be on everyone's shopping list - I still prefer mine with a flush of green to them - but there is much else in the salad line too. There is plenty of soft, silk-leaved butterhead and some Little Gem too for that purist version of green salad. On some occasions nothing can beat the simplicity of a bowl of carefully chosen green leaves, dressed in the classic way.
The first of the summer squashes came my way last week. A Ronde de Nice barely bigger than a gobstopper. Green and sweet, they can be cut into wedges and baked in foil with black pepper, a little olive oil, some shredded basil leaves and a few slices of tomato. You may see a few early pumpkins but it is surely too early yet. The strawberries have given over to raspberries for a while. Good they are too, and far too precious to get clever with. Look out for Glen Ample and Leo, both with a fine flavour. If you chance on any wild ones, grab them before someone else does. They have a clear flavour and, mercifully, are not over-sweet. Almost better is the loganberry. A fat, long, black berry the size of a chocolate truffle. Eat them warm from the bush if you can, failing that, a bowl full with just a little thick yoghurt or double cream comes a close second best. This is not a berry for keeping, so gobble them up soon after you buy. Farm shops may turn up a few unusual berries from time to time. All are worth a look, especially rarities such as the worcesterberry - a cross between a black currant and gooseberry; tayberries, with a flavour somewhere between a blackberry and a raspberry; boysenberries, sunberries and jostaberries are all worth a look.
Check out the farmer's markets too for young and juicy garlic, cool cucumbers and young carrots, Primo cabbage, white radishes, black and pale yellow cherries. Plus the first home-grown plums such as the almost black Czar and the luscious yellow and purple Opal.
