The Roasting Plank Company at Milton Abbas

Last Saturday I spent the day with my stall at Milton Abbas Street Fair and had a fabulous day. Milton Abbas is a very picturesque Dorset village and every two years they organise a street fair celebrating their rich history. I even had to dress up and that always adds a sense of occasion.

I love having a stall as it is a great way of spreading the word. Cooking on wood is new for most people in the UK and it is fun watching people's reactions as you explain what it is all about. There was one lady from Texas that bought a cedar BBQ Plank because, as she explained, she was used to using planks for cooking at home. You can even buy them in packs at the supermarket in the US and now she was very happy to finally find BBQ Planks in England. However,for the British, it is a totally new and sometimes surprising idea.


I have to choose my fairs or festivals carefully because my products do not suit non-foodies and I have to go to places where there will be people who are interested in the quality of their food and love new tastes and flavours. Milton Abbas had plenty of these people and I had great fun showing how wood can enhance their food and be a fun way to cook.

People are always so surprised that you can cook on wood, generally the first questions is 'doesn't the wood burn in the oven or on the BBQ' which is the logical result of wood and heat! First, I always show the BBQ Plank and Wood Paper soaking in a container and it is always fun to get people to sniff the wood to smell the sweet, spicy smell of the cedar or earthy, oaky smell of the oak. Showing a BBQ Plank or Wood Paper on my portable BBQ with a slice of steak or salmon or kebab of prawns is important to show that the wood doesn't go up in flames and also the smell of the food and the wood is a great selling tool.

Some people get the concept immediately and they start to discuss the different combinations of wood and food and what a great idea it is. Their wood food imagination has been kick started and this is when the fun begins with The Art of Planking and I know I have made a fellow Wood Foodie. Other people love the idea but are still wary as they have never heard of it before and other people don't get the idea at all !

There is still a lot of work to do in order to truly spread the word about cooking on wood but after each fair, market or festival there are always a few more wood foodies about.

See my website www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk to see where I will be next, come and say hello and try cooking on wood and see if I can make you into a Wood Foodie.

The Art of Planking

I have three different wood cooking products in my kitchen : Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper and I practice The Art of Planking ! I know that sounds a bit naff but it all about back-to-nature cooking and, what I love the most, about experimenting with the different combinations of wood and food.

That is what The Art of Planking is all about, you don't need intricate instructions of a recipe or be infinitely precise about measurements because it is all about experimenting and choice.

You choose what food you want to cook (meat, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruit), choose between oven or BBQ, choose the wood you want to cook with ( oak, cedar, beech, cherry), decide on the liquid you want to soak your plank or wood paper in ( water, beer, wine, cider, even whisky) and finally how to prepare your food ( marinate or not?). All this to create your own unique wood smoky recipes.

The secret of cooking with wood is the soaking. When wood is soaked it goes back to its fresh cut state and if meat, fish, seafood, vegetables or fruit is cooked on wood then the food is infused with the smoky taste of that wood. The food is gently steamed and is therefore always moist and tender. A great way to cook !

I have tried oak, cedar, beech and cherry wood in Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper and tried different liquids to soak them and there is still a lot more experimenting to do. The cooking fun is endless.

Oak gives a heavier smoky flavour and is great for red meat, cedar is sweet and spicy and is perfect for fish and seafood, Beech has a subtle sweet flavour great for poultry and Cherry has a subtler sweet fruity flavour for all foods.

I have a lot of recipe ideas on my website, I have included one here, but would love to hear from other wood foodies who have tried cooking on wood to hear their smoky recipe ideas.

Wood Paper King Prawns

All seafood is fantastic on a Roasting Plank, BBQ Plank or Wood Paper because the food is gently steamed and the seafood stays amazingly moist and tender as well as infused with a wood smoky taste. My simple, but great, marinade for King Prawns is 3tbs olive oil, sliced dill and coriander, juice from half a lemon and finely chopped chilli. Let the King Prawns marinade for more than 1 hour, roll up in Wood Paper or cook on your BBQ Plank or Roasting Plank in the oven. Which wood would you choose ?

(Please see website for cooking instructions on the Roasting Planks, BBQ Planks and Wood Paper)

I have chestnut, olive, pear, apple and olive Wood Paper to try as well as an ash BBQ Plank. I'll be blogging soon about the results.