Few summer smells as lovely as a BBQ at work...

Waaaaay back at the end of May, before June kicked my butt (everyone who is a teacher or who knows a teacher will tell you, June and September are just too busy for words!), I was lucky enough to go to a really fun event hosted by John Lewis at the Loft in London.

The beetroot salad made by Ed was stunning!

Isn't the Heston Blumenthal BBQ cool?

The lovely Ed Smith of the food blog Rocket and Squash was the BBQ master, there to share hints and tips aplenty on how to make your summertime cookouts truly events to remember, and there were loads of beautiful grills and gorgeous tablewares from John Lewis for us all to sample and to photograph.

I loved the pretty patterns on our tableware!

We weren't just there to eat and socialise, though - in teams of three we were challenged to make our own barbecue dishes, and as the photos will demonstrate, competition was stiff. Charlie Richards, the renowned food photographer who takes shots for John Lewis' communiactiosn, amongst others was busy photographing the event and captured all of the creations to be shared on the John Lewis site (my mummy would be so proud!).

Adore when I bump into dear blog-friends at events - Mel is always a delight to spend time with!

I got to work with the fabulous Julie of Julie's Family Kitchen and Kim of Food and Lycra and we created a yummy halloumi and asparagus salad, perfect for everyone, but especially for any non-meat-eaters at your gathering. If you'd like to try it out, Julie has written up the recipe here. I've made it at least twice since the event!

Taking snaps as the table takes shape!

Sat down and listening to Ed's pearls of wisdom. We also got to quiz Charlie on all things photography too.

Barbecued butternut squash is an utter revelation!