Wine vinegar, lemon juice and wine are all acid ingredients that are used as tenderizers; add flavourings such as chopped shallot, garlic, onion rings, lemon rind, herbs, peppercorns, allspice and juniper berries.

Your own favourite oil and vinegar dressing will do very well for steaks, chops and kebabs.

No need to submerge foods in a marinade: use a shallow dish and turn items at regular intervals.

Meat pieces that have been soaked in a wine marinade are best dried with absorbent kitchen paper before being browned in butter for using in a casserole. Remember wet foods don’t brown.

Marinating times usually range from 2 hours to overnight. Sometimes it’s a good idea to thaw frozen meat in a marinade it needs the thawing time so you might as well get the flavour.

All-purpose marinade: Use for chicken, steaks, pork chops or escalopes that are to he grilled, fried or barbecued. Place meat in a shallow dish. Add a crushed clove of garlic or a few crushed parsley stalks, a bay leaf and seasoning of freshly milled pepper. Pour over 1 teaspoon French mustard blended with 4 tablespoons oil.

Marinade for fish: Use for kebabs, cod cutlets, salmon or halibut steaks. Place fish in a shallow dish. Sprinkle over a little finely chopped onion or shallot. Add a crushed clove of garlic, a bay leaf and a seasoning of freshly milled pepper. Pour over the grated rind and juice of 1 lemon mixed with 4 tablespoons oil.

Marinade for kebabs: Use for beef, pork or lamb kebabs. Place cut-up meat in a shallow dish (best to skewer afterwards). Mix together 3 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, 1 teaspoon soft light brown sugar and a seasoning of freshly milled pepper. Pour this over meat and add 1 bay leaf. Use as a baste while cooking as well.

Wine marinade for meat: Use for cut-up braising steak or game that is to he casseroled or braised. The strained marinade can be added with the recipe liquid for cooking. Place cut-up meat or game in a deep bowl. Add 2-3 onion rings, 1 hay leaf or sprig of thyme, and 4-6 crushed black peppercorns, allspice or juniper berries (for venison). Pour over 1/4 pint (150m1) red wine blended with 2 tablespoons oil.

Frozen steaks, chops, chicken joints, hamburgers and any other meats must be allowed to thaw completely before grilling.

A baste is a sauce that is brushed on to the food while it is cooking to add flavour and keep foods moist. Most are quite strong in flavour and usually have honey or sugar added. Use a haste towards the end of cooking time to help prevent meats from scorching.

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Score fat on chops and steaks to keep meat from curling up, but do not trim completely. Fat helps to keep meat moist and any drips on hot coals help give food its lovely charcoal flavour.

A good baste for chicken is to mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce with 1 level tablespoon clear honey. Brush over chicken joints and let stand for 1 hour. Baste again during cooking. For sausages and hamburgers, mix equal quantities of tomato ketchup and oil.

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Light the fire at least 1 hour before cooking and avoid disturbing it. Keep a reserve supply of charcoals round the edge of the fire so that they warm up. Then move them to the centre of the fire to build it up, if necessary. Adding cold fuel reduces temperature and slows down the fire.

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While fire is getting hot, let guests help themselves to crunchy relishes. Fill a bowl with crushed ice, poke in spring onions, carrot sticks and celery stalks porcupine style. Provide radishes with salt for dipping, olives and a platter of thinly sliced salami and garlic sausage for guests to nibble with drinks.

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Do not grill over too fierce a heat; if fire is too hot meat dries and juices are lost. When fire is ready coals will look ash-grey by day and have a red glow after dark. Test for correct temperature before you start: hold your hand over the grill at the height you intend to cook the food. If you have to take your hand away before you count past one, then the fire is too hot; you should be able to count to three with your hand held comfortably above the fire.

Spear some fat trimmings or a chunk of bacon fat on a long-handled fork and rub over the hot grill to grease it, then foods will not stick. Don’t brush foods with too much oil it causes the fire to smoke.

Control the intensity of heat by adjusting the distance between the food and the fire. Most barbecue grids can be raised or lowered. A distance of 2 inches (5cm) above the hot coals is about right for most foods.

Seal steaks on both sides, then cook for 8-10 minutes depending on how you like them cooked. Wait until you turn steaks before seasoning with salt and pepper. Season the other side after you take them from the fire.

Lay out items for cooking on a large plate or board ready for action it looks good. Have equipment required near at hand. You will need oven gloves, long-handled tongs, a fish slice, a long-handled fork and a brush for basting. Water for dousing flames may also be useful.

Lamb is delicious cooked over charcoal. The easiest chops to eat are best-end cutlets with a long rib bone as they can be held and eaten in the fingers. Cook lamb cutlets or chops for 10-15 minutes until lamb is well browned on the outside and pink in the centre.

It’s a good idea to have two tables: one for food to be cooked along with the haste, oil, butter, seasoning and serving plates required by you, the chef; the other table with cutlery, salads, bread and desserts for the guests. Remember the condiments: include sea salt and a pepper mill, a choice

Pork must be well cooked. Do not have pork chops thicker than 1 inch (2.5cm). Cook for a total of 15-20 minutes, and turn them frequently so they are well cooked and brown on both sides. Baste with marinade or barbecue sauce towards end of cooking time.

It takes time to cook food over a charcoal grill even for a small number of people. It’s a good idea to go for foods that are not bulky chicken drumsticks and leg portions cut in half are excellent. You can crowd these on to a barbecue grill. Allow 15-20 minutes, turning fairly often. Brush with marinade or melted butter.

Larger chicken joints or small chickens cut in half should he placed on thegrill bone side down the bone acts as a heat conductor and speeds up cooking. Allow 20-25 minutes, turning often, but allow chicken to cook slightly longer on the bone side. Salt chicken joints before grilling to make a crisp skin. Baste with marinade or melted butter and barbecue sauce towards end of cooking time.

Lamb liver cut in thick slices like steak is very tasty. Brush with melted butter and cook quickly, turning pieces frequently. Allow 10-12 minutes cooking time until well browned on outside and pink in the centre. Serve with herb butter melting on top or bêarnaise sauce 118).

Hamburgers are popular. Make your own hamburgers using lean minced beef, seasoning and minced onion. Pat into a fairly thick round shape as hamburgers shrink on cooking. Brush with melted butter or oil and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning once. A hinged double-sided wire grill is good for cooking hamburgers you can turn them all at once. Serve in soft rolls which have been split and toasted cut side down on the grill. For a special treat place a thin slice of mild cheese on hamburgers after each one is turned.

Pork or beef sausages grill well. No need to prick them nor do they require basting. Allow 15-20 minutes cooking time, turning fairly often. Chipolatas only need 10-12 minutes but watch that they do not slip through the grill bars. Cumberland sausage is coarse and spicy and comes in one long line. Cut in pieces for serving. A hinged double-sided wire grill is very useful for sausages, too.

For kebabs choose skewers that are long and flat; food will slip on round skewers when turned over. For uniform cooking string each type of food on separate skewers, then you can start to grill foods that need longest cooking first and add other skewers of food later.

Good kebab meats are beef steak cut in cubes, pork fillet trimmed and cut in pieces or shoulder or leg of lamb cut in pieces. Make smaller chipolata sausages by holding the ends, and twisting in opposite directions, then snipping to cut them in half. Bacon rolls made from trimmed rashers are nice wrapped around pineapple chunks or chicken livers.

To make beef kebabs for cooking rare, push meat close together on skewer; for medium or well done leave a little space between them.

Skewer meat kebabs with vegetables. Use onion cut in quarters and separated into layers, small tomatoes, button mushrooms (placed on skewer ends as they break if pushed too far up skewer) and green peppers deseeded and cut in chunky pieces. Try threading apricot halves on to lamb kebabs and tinned chunks of pineapple on to pork kebabs.

Fish cooked over a barbecue grill must be turned fairly frequently and a hinged double-sided wire grill is excellent for small whole fish like trout and mackerel. Have fish cleaned and slash the sides of mackerel to prevent curling up. Brush with melted butter or oil and allow 10-15 minutes for mackerel and 8-10 minutes for trout. Baste frequently. Serve fish with lemon quarters.

Trout or fish steaks are good cooked in individual loose foil parcels. Brush the inside of the parcel with oil or melted butter and season the fish with salt and pepper. Or dot the fish with herb butter 117) such as parsley and tarragon. Allow 15-20 minutes cooking time.

For extra flavour arrange items for cooking close together to trap smoke taste from fire. Or you can burn something aromatic in the coals. Try a few split cloves of garlic, thin spirals of orange peel thrown on fire towards the end of cooking time or some thyme, rosemary or hay leaves added during the last few minutes.

Toasted sandwiches are very tasty when grilled on the barbecue. Use ordinary white bread slices and make ham or cheese sandwiches. Spread the outside of bread slices with soft butter then place on hot grill. Use a long-handled fish slice for turning. Or arrange sandwiches inside hinged double-sided wire grill. Turn when brown on underside and serve as soon as cooked when they will be hot, crisp and delicious.

Don’t attempt to cook everything over the barbecue fire. Stick to the main course only and combine with other foods prepared in the kitchen. Baked potatoes to serve with herb butter and rice can be oven cooked. Salads are a must. Refrigerate salad greens so they are cool and crunchy and add tomato and cucumber just before serving. Potato salads are always favourites.

Cheese is a natural for outdoor eating. Arrange a sumptuous cheese board and present with fresh fruits. Wedges of well chilled watermelon are lovely, so are grapes on ice.

Barbecue foods are often spicy and thirst making. Provide plenty of refreshments in the way of chilled beer, lager and soft drinks. Or make up a cooling wine cup like sangria.

Use the last of the glowing embers to bake bananas in their skins. They take about 20-30 minutes and the skins will turn black. Peel open and serve with brown sugar and lemon for a wonderful and easy dessert.

When the barbecue is over, rake out coals and cool for use again. Place barbecue grill in water while still warm and give a quick scrub with wire wool to banish all pieces of burnt food. Then your grill will be ready for use next time.

Trim and cut the belly of pork in pieces. Trim and cut pig liver in pieces. Pass liver and pork through a mincer into a mixing bowl or chop ingredients in a food processor. Peel and finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes to soften but not brown. Add the onion and butter to the bowl or food processor along with the eggs, mixed herbs, sherry and salt. Season with plenty of pepper and mix together well.

Trim the bacon rashers and flatten and stretch them by running a knife hack and forth over the bacon. Reserve 2 rashers and use those remaining to line the base and sides of a 2 pint (1.1 litre) terrine. Spoon the meat mixture into the terrine and spread level. Top with the reserved bacon rashers and hay leaves. Cover with a lid or buttered kitchen foil and place terrine in a roasting tin. Fill tin to a depth of 1 inch (2.5cm) with water. Cook in an oven heated to 325°F (160°C) or Gas no. 3 for 21/2 hours. Leave to cool overnight pressed with a heavy weight. Serve from the dish cut in slices.

Soak the tongue overnight in a saucepan of cold water. Bring slowly to the boil, draw off the heat and drain. (This helps to get rid of the excess salt.) Pour over fresh cold water to cover. Peel the onion and push the cloves into the onion. Peel and slice the carrots. Add onion and carrots to the pan along with the bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover with a pan lid, and simmer gently for 3-4 hours. Skim occasionally and top up with extra boiling water, if necessary. Pierce a skewer or sharp knife into the tip of the tongue; if it feels tender, then tongue is cooked.

Plunge the tongue at once into a large bowl of cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin with your fingers, and remove ducts, gristle and any bones from the back of the tongue.

Fit tightly into a deep 6 inch (15cm) round cake tin for best results tongue should he squeezed into the tin. Cover with a plate and press down with a heavy weight. Leave overnight until completely cool, then chill. Loosen the sides with a palette knife and turn out on to a serving plate. There will be sufficient natural jelly on the tongue to glaze it. Serve cut in slices with mustard pickles or Cumberland sauce. This ox tongue is much nicer than the ones you can buy and very economical. It makes an excellent addition to a cold-table along with other cold sliced meats.

Trim the steak and bacon and cut in pieces. Peel the onion and cut in quarters. Pass the steak, bacon and onion through a mincer two or three times and put into a mixing bowl. Or chop ingredients in a food processor. Scald the tomatoes and peel away the skins. Cut the tomatoes in half and press through a sieve to make a purée. Add to the meat mixture along with the breadcrumbs, eggs, salt and a seasoning of pepper. Mix together well.

Spoon into a greased 2 pint (1.1 litres) pudding basin. Cover with a double thickness of greased greaseproof paper and tie tightly with string. Steam gently for 4 hours in a steamer, or place the pudding basin on an upturned saucer in a saucepan one-third filled with boiling water. Either way keep the pan topped up with extra boiling water during the cooking time so that it does not boil dry. Remove damp paper coverings and cover with a circle of fresh greaseproof paper and a weighted plate. Leave overnight until completely cool. Turn out on to a serving plate and serve the mould cut in slices.

Serve with new potatoes and tender young beans or a green salad. Any leftover makes a delicious sandwich filling. This is one of the nicest cold meat loaves you could wish for. Steaming rather than baking keeps the mixture deliciously moist.

Cut the marrow in half lengthways. Scoop out the centre seeds, season the hollow with salt and pepper and add a few flakes of butter. Place both halves cut side up in a roasting tin and spoon in just enough water to cover the base of the tin. Cover the marrow with kitchen foil and cook in an oven heated to 350°F (180°C) or Gas no. 4 for 30 minutes until tender. Test by piercing the thickest part with a knife.

Peel and finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over low heat, add the onion and fry gently for S minutes to soften but not brown. Soak the bread in the milk for a few minutes and squeeze out the liquid. Combine the lean minced beef and egg in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the bread to the meat along with the tomato purée and mix together. Add the meat mixture to the onions and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

When marrow halves are ready remove from the oven and tip out the liquid that will have collected in each half. Spoon the stuffing mixture into the cooked marrow halves, heaping it down the centre. Sprinkle with grated cheese and return to the oven, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes. Serve cut in slices. Any leftover is delicious cold the marrow tastes so moist and juicy.

Leave aubergines unpeeled and slice them thinly, then dust with seasoned flour. Heat 3-4 tablespoons oil in a frying pan, add a few aubergines and fry for 2-3 minutes. Drain aubergine slices on absorbent kitchen paper. Add more oil to the pan as necessary to fry all the aubergines. Peel and slice the onions. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan, add the onions and fry gently for 5 minutes to soften but not brown. Add the minced meat and cook gently, stirring, until meat loses its red colour. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped parsley, tomato purée and red wine or stock. Cook gently for 20 minutes to make a thick sauce.

Arrange layers of aubergine and meat mixture in a shallow ovenproof dish, starting and finishing with layers of aubergine. In a mixing howl, blend the eggs, flour and yoghurt for the topping. Pour the topping over the aubergines. Place in the centre of an oven heated to 375°F (190°C) or Gas no. 5 and cook for 45 minutes until top is golden brown and set. Serve hot with a crisp green salad.

Peel and finely chop the onion and put into a mixing bowl, add the minced beef and mix together with a fork. Set aside to allow the flavours to combine. Trim the bread crust. Crumble the bread into a small mixing howl and add the milk. Leave to soak for a few minutes until the bread has absorbed the milk, then mash with a fork. Add the bread, egg, salt and nutmeg, if using it, to the minced beef and onion and season with pepper.

Thoroughly mix together the ingredients with a fork. Texture at this stage is important: if the meat loaf is going to be juicy and succulent the mixture must be moist, but not soft or difficult to handle. Using wetted fingers, shape the meat mixture into a fat oval, patting the mixture to make a compact, smooth shape.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over low heat. When hot and foaming, add the meat loaf and fry gently to brown. Give the pan an occasional shake so that the loaf rolls over to brown all over. Carefully transfer the meat loaf to a roasting tin. Add the water to the hot fat in the frying pan and stir and swirl the mixture over the heat to pick up the coagulated pan juices. Pour the liquid over the meat loaf and cover with a roasting tin lid or kitchen foil. Cook in an oven heated to 350°F (180°C) or Gas no. 4 for 45 minutes the meat loaf should be pink in the middle and keep its shape.

Serve cut in slices with gravy made from the pan juices. To serve cold, leave several hours or overnight and serve with hot new potatoes or sweet pickled fruit.

Cook the lasagne in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain well and spread out on a clean cloth. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes to soften but not brown. Add the garlic and minced beef and stir until beef loses its red colour. Add the tomatoes with juices, tomato purée, stock and salt and season with pepper. Cover with a pan lid and cook gently for 1 hour. Check seasoning.

Melt the butter for the sauce in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook gently for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk. Bring to the boil, stirring well all the time to make a smooth sauce. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken and season with salt and pepper. Draw off the heat and stir in the cheese and mustard.

To assemble lasagne, spread a little meat sauce over the base of a greased 3 pint (1.7 litre) oblong ovenproof dish, then cover with a layer of lasagne and spoon over half the remaining meat sauce. Cover with lasagne and spread with half the cheese sauce, then top with another layer of lasagne. Spoon over the remaining meat sauce, cover with lasagne and finish with a layer of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Heat through in an oven heated to 350°F (180°C) or Gas no. 4 for 30-40 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes so layers settle, then cut in six portions with a knife and lift out with a fish slice.

Peel and finely chop the onion. Trim and cut the steak in bite-sized pieces. Snip out the core, remove the thin membrane and cut kidney in bite-sized pieces. Roll steak and kidney in seasoned flour. In a 11/2 pint (900m1) pie dish, arrange the steak with kidney in layers sprinkled with the onion, herbs and seasoning. Mound meat in the centre and add the stock or red wine.

On a floured work surface, roll out pastry at least 1 inch (2.5cm) larger than the rim of the pie dish, and cut out the pie lid. Grease pie dish rim and place pastry trimmings on the dish. Cut a small cross in the centre of the pastry lid and turn pastry under to make a hole. Brush pastry rim with water and cover the pie with the lid. Trim the edges, knock up and flute. Cut pastry leaves from trimmings to decorate. Glaze the pie with beaten egg, place on decorations and glaze the decorations.

Cook above centre in an oven heated to 425°F (220°C) or Gas no. 7 for 30 minutes. Then lower oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) or Gas no. 4 and cook for a further 11/2 hours. When pastry is a deep golden colour, wrap pie crust with a double thickness of wetted greaseproof paper, wet side out, to prevent over-browning.