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Bream on the Barbie.

It’s been an absolutely glorious weekend here in London. When the weather is this nice what can you do but buy three crates of beer and whip out the BBQ. We invited some friends round yesterday and had the classic barbie: sausages, burgers, chicken and everything meaty and macho washed down with plenty of bottles of Bud. The food and company was perfect, that and the sun made it such a lovely Saturday in the garden.

bbqWe brought the cutest little BBQ from ASDA the other day- just in time for the lovely weather. It was only £10! and I 100% recommend it to anyone after a small and easy portable BBQ. It comes in a few different colours, we chose this little red number.It’s the classic round style with a lid on a small stand its perfect for anyone with a small outdoor space, for us it works particularly well in our split level garden.

Today with bellies still full after one too many burgers we decided to do a lighter, fresher BBQ. We whipped ourselves up some chili king prawns to start followed by Sea Bream stuffed with lemon and garlic butter rubbed in chili oil, served with grilled pak choi and tomatoes -Oh my god it was the most delicious thing I have every tasted and so proud we cooked it ourselves. I know some people are funny about fish especially if it still has a head but there is nothing to be scared of when it comes to cooking a whole fish. It’s moist and so so simply to cook.

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Sea Bream is a delicious choice, at approximately £1.80 per fish its pretty cheap and a perfect substitute for the usual chicken and beef on the BBQ. Simply season and stuff with lemon butter and garlic and then grill over hot coals for 5-7 mins on each side until the skin is crispy and the flesh cooked through, rubbing butter on the inside will ensure for perfectly succulent flesh and a melt in the mouth butteriness. You can serve fish with so many things but here we went for a Thai feel and grilled sliced Pak Choi with cherry tomatoes- but you could easily have rice, salad or Mediterranean vegetables.

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It was absolutely delicious. We sat outside with a glass of wine by the warmth from the bbq enjoying the perfect end to our lovely weekend in the sun. I hope you too have had a great weekend. And lets hope the weather stays nice for more weekend BBQs to come.

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Small Red BBQ: ASDA http://m.direct.asda.com/george/george-home/portable-kettle-bbq-in-red-34cm/001679167,default,pd.html?cgid=D26M09G09C02S01

The Bearded.

Beards are sexy as hell. There is nothing more manly than a man with a beard. Its that rugged, worn in, easy look that’s charming and so endearing. A smooth faced man is like a man with a high voice- luckily David Beckham has a beard to cancel out the latter and thank god in pictures you don’t have to hear him speak. And no girl likes face burn. To avoid that sore blotchy face from too many kisses there is one simple solution… just head straight for the bearded instead.

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I watched the Oscars earlier this week. I think nearly every guy there was fully suited and booted and finished with a well groomed beard. My first prize would have to go Chris Pine-Who else; what a fine specimen of a man he is. But in at a very close second it would have to be Chris Evans- such beard perfection.

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So dreamy. A good beard adds to the jaw line and frames the face. It should be trimmed under the cheek bones to create a clean line, similarly a straight line can be trimmed into the neck line, this gives a neat edge to the beard and keeps you looking polished and fresh.

In my opinion baby faces should be left for babies. Full stop. I’l just leave you with one final image of the ever so handsome Chris Pine. If the don’t share the same enthusiasum for a good beard then maybe Pine’s fine blue eyes will change your mind.

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