‘Where have you been?” the kids ask as we arrive through the door laden down with Weber bags. “We’ve been on a barbecue course,” Mr Greedy explained. “But I thought you knew how to cook burgers and sausages?” my youngest responded, which was the very reason I had enrolled us on the course in the first place.

Because having bought a Weber BBQ for Mr Greedy’s 40th I thought we’d better learn how to use it. “It’s a bit like being given a Ferrari and not knowing how to get the most out of it,” I explained tactically as he stared at his Christmas Weber Academy Thrill Of The Grill Part 1 voucher. “Not that I’ll ever find out that ...” he added forlornly.

And yet as we neared the academy in Marsh Baldon he admitted he was actually rather looking forward to it, without having any idea what to expect. Although, on being greeted by the lovely Clare, it dawned on him that it was going to be hard work and he’d need to roll his sleeves up and get his hands dirty. “By now you’ll begin to realise this isn’t actually a gift,” Clare pointed out unnecessarily.

As we were the only locals there, we could hardly complain, the only UK Weber academy right here in our backyard. Everyone else in our group had flown in from all over the country – our team member Dave was from Dundee, with others hailing from Northumberland, Lancashire and Norfolk. I was also the token girl, BBQing seeming to remain a male preserve. But (bless them) there aren’t many left so I kept schtum, even when someone asked: ‘Will you be staying?’ “Yes,” I said firmly, putting on my apron.

For those of you who still don’t know what all the fuss is about, Weber is the Rolls-Royce of the barbecue world and so is its academy. The menu for the all-day course was therefore extensive, ambitious and in many cases downright unlikely. Salmon smoked with hickory with a roasted red pepper top and pancetta, roast beef, filo pastries with spinach, feta and pine nuts, chocolate fondants, skewered Thai chicken, roasted butternut squash with red onions and rosemary, all done on the barbie. Everything in fact but burgers and sausages. We had a lot to get through.

The weather conditions couldn’t have been more untropical however, as vague snowflakes drifted down outside. The Aussies would have a field day had they wandered past and found us huddled around our outdoor BBQs in hats and gloves, shivering to death. But we’re English and that’s what we do, so we got stuck in without a murmur of complaint.

The preparation was carried out under the expert instruction of Clare Edwards and Jamie Foy in the academy kitchens where we grouped into threes and each had a station, while the actual cooking was conducted on the variety of Weber barbecues outside, ranging from charcoal to gas.

And it was fun, challenging and rewarding to master all the different techniques which turned out to be easier than they sounded on paper. We stopped for lunch, eating what we’d proudly cooked already, accompanied by several glasses of wine and time passed in a flash.

By the end of the day, when ushered out with goodie bag in hand, we were determined to do better and impress all our friends.

Put it this way, if it ever stops raining, al fresco dining is going to have a whole new meaning in our house thanks to Weber and more importantly, Mr Greedy will be cooking. Pimms anyone?

 

Price: £120 per person
Availability: Courses book up fast – still availability for Part I on May 11 and a few dates in June and July when we went to press.
Parking: Yes.
Key personnel: Clare Edwards, left, and Jamie Foy
Make sure you try the... Thrill Of The Grill Part 2, the Smoking Methods course and a Christmas Barbecue Day.
In ten words:
This will utterly transform your summer in one fell swoop