The year 2021 was certainly an exciting one for us at Firemasters. Despite many of the difficulties we encountered with regards to lockdowns and restrictions on our events and festivals, we were still able to have a bit of fun before the Summer drew to a close. Now, as we edge closer to Spring 2022 we thought that we would share some of our main highlights from the past year...
Twickenham Rugby; the Firemasters team finally got together for an amazing day out to watch South Africa take on England at Twickenham during the Autumn Series in November. For those of you who missed the action, England were able to squeeze past the Springboks by one point in the last few minutes of the game, ending with a nail-biting 26-27 result.
Watching the Springboks play at Twickenham was everything we ever imagined it to be, especially when you get to meet rugby legends like Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira, Bobby Skinstad and Lawrence Dallaglio.
The cherry on top had to be having our lunch prepared by Master Chef judge, Marcus Wareing. Unfortunately, it wasn't a Braai (as we would have hoped for) but that doesn't mean we didn't feast on the Biltong & Boerie for sale outside the train station on the way home!
The Smoke & Fire Festival; this is the first real BBQ festival that we’ve ever been to (they don’t really have these where we are from). What a great opportunity to meet some of our local BBQ hero’s like Big Ed & Jurgen Hofman (aka Culinary Demons) from team Savage BBQ; Alex Russon from Hunter Gatherer Cooking; Californian Grills and of course the Naylor brothers over at Somerset Grills.
We also got to meet ex-cricketer Matthew Hoggard who now runs a BBQ school called Hoggys Grill, as well as UK BBQ pioneer, Marcus Bawdon (we've done a blog article on Marcus before, click here to read more).
We even got to meet young Aston Prideaux - the 14 year old BBQ prodigy from Bristol who goes by the alias "Smoking Maple Meats." He's got his own YouTube channel and has also been sponsored by the likes of Kamado Joe. Check out his Instagram page for some tasty recipes.
There was an abundance of amazing food and really fascinating pieces of BBQ kit, ranging across various styles of outdoor cooking. If you’ve not been to a BBQ festival before then it’s certainly worth adding to your bucket list for the upcoming summer. On that note, the Firemasters team will be collaborating with Savage BBQ at an event set to take place in May 2022. It's called the Savage Retreat and you can expect 3 full days of BBQ, food and fire! This is a very exclusive event with only 24 spots available so if you're interested in joining us for an all-inclusive weekend away with some of the UK's best outdoor cooks then click here to learn more.
An Argentine Asado Wedding; as the Summer of 2021 finally drew to a close we were invited by our friends at Sizzle Grills to join them at one of their exclusive catering events. Manning the grills at this authentic Argentine Asado style wedding event was truly an eye-opening experience. Never before have we seen BBQ done quite like this and it has changed our perspective completely.
The art of preparing, cooking and serving over 120 dishes of meat, chicken and vegetables with nothing more than a pair of tongs and an authentic Argentine "Gaucho" knife is not something for the faint-hearted. After several hours of cooking over the hot Sekelbos coals, the food was ready for plating and the exhausted chefs were finally able to sit down around a fire and enjoy a well-deserved cold beer.
When it comes to catering you think you've seen it all, however, we can assure you that you've never experienced a BBQ until you've experienced one hosted by expert "Asador" David Deadman from Sizzle Grills. With over 15 years of life and Asado experience in Argentina, David not only knows the art of Asado but also the sentiment and traditions it involves, including the fabrication of genuine Argentine Parrillas, Chapas and Crosses (for whole lamb grilling).
If you have an upcoming wedding, birthday or stag party this Summer season and are looking for something truly unique to dazzle your guests then get in touch with David to see what he can do for you. If you still don't know what an Asado is then check out our blog on this very unique style of cooking.
That's about it from us for now; we'll be back next month to talk about our new product launch and our next competition lined up for 2022 so watch this space for more information and a chance to win a year's supply of Namibian hardwood.
Until next time, keep those fires lit.