| It's an annual pilgrimage and it takes place usually on | | | | Whatever the style of barbecue one thing remains |
| the second weekend in June and it's considered to be | | | | common to all of my friends and neighbours on the |
| the greatest British sporting event held on foreign soil. | | | | campsite - they don't know how to cook. For this |
| Thousands of perfectly rational Englishmen (and some | | | | reason I've decided to prepare my own list of Le Mans |
| ladies) squeeze a small amount of belongings into a | | | | BBQ Recipes to ensure that I set a good example. |
| classic or performance sportscars and head south. | | | | One of the menu this year I'm going to start with the |
| It's a time of year when the cargo on the cross | | | | full English and for that I'll have to bring the bacon with |
| channel ferries is actually more valuable than the ferry | | | | me because bacon in France it just isn't the same but |
| itself. Many locals line the road and watch the steady | | | | having said that I can't wait to put some French |
| procession down to the venue affectionately known | | | | sausages with it. At last sausages that are filled with |
| as La Sarthe. If you haven't worked it out, I'm talking | | | | meat rather than rusk and breadcrumbs. The big |
| about the city of Le Mans, 3 hours in land from the | | | | challenge for doing the full English is of course the egg |
| northern coast of France where they hold the most | | | | and to get it right I fry them on the charcoal barbeque |
| famous motor race on Earth called Les Vingt Quatre | | | | grill in homemade foil trays. A little homemade bbq |
| Heures Du Mans. If you can't speak French then that's | | | | sauce and there's the perfect way to start race day. |
| the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race to you and me. | | | | I've already expressed my delight at tasting French |
| I try to go every year and the first item that gets | | | | sausages again and there's lots of others such as |
| packed is my portable BBQ grill. There's a fantastic | | | | Merguez (spicy) and Saucisses De Toulouse (herby |
| atmosphere amongst the crowd and while qualifying | | | | and garlicky) that will go great in a baguette for a |
| and the race takes place, there's many a BBQ, pop of | | | | great barbecue variation on the hot dog. Just avoid the |
| a cork, firework explosion and all round party | | | | sausages called andouillette unless you like tripe! |
| atmosphere. The food is an important part for me and | | | | For the evening meal I'm gonna keep my Le Mans |
| it's probably for this reason that my classic car is not | | | | BBQ very simple with a boned shoulder of lamb, |
| only a looker but tremendously practical too. | | | | dusted in paprika and grilled accompanied with a fire |
| Many fans have so little space that they buy their | | | | roasted red pepper salad. |
| BBQ's when they get there and these can range a full | | | | I'm hoping that some of my Le Mans Barbeque |
| blown kettle barbie right down to those disposable bbq | | | | Recipes will rub off on my fellow motor racing |
| grill trays. | | | | enthusiasts........well we'll just have to wait and see. |