Australia has a difficult relationship with fire - it has ravaged our landscape in recent years, destroying homes and lives, and yet it is a principal means by which we connect with each other food. The humble barbecue is one of our favourite pastimes, and while we’ve mastered the techniques in recent years, no longer blackening steaks into dried inedibles as we once did, it’s rare to find an Australian home without a barbecue in the backyard or balcony. 

My guest today is the master of barbecue, and fire. Lennox Hastie starred in an entire episode of the celebrated Netflix documentary Chef’s Table earlier this year and his restaurant Firedoor in Sydney’s Surry Hills has (outside lockdown) a waiting list of up to eight months for a table. 

Fire has taken centre stage throughout Lennox’s career - he moved from his English hometown in West Sussex to Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, pintxos bars in Spain and an apprenticeship of sorts at the fire-powered restaurant, Asador Etxebarri.

But he’s here to talk to us about how we can use fire, and why we should. He tells us his tips for cooking over fire, why the quality of ingredients matter, and even explains how to do a no-frills, DIY outdoor barbecue at home. He talks about the important and practicalities of involving children in cooking, and how he helps his own son connect with the food he eats. 

We talk using smoke and wood and flames, and why now is the best time to cook outside, at least in Australia, before the real heat of summer arrives. He gives us some of his favourite recipes for home, and how he does dinner at home. This is a practical but also insightful conversation about how we can eat now, how to reconnect with the food and create a community despite lockdowns and physical separation. 

I hope you enjoy this episode with Lennox Hastie. Here he is. 

Episode links: 

Firedoor, Sydney 

Firedoor Instagram

Kate Gibbs Instagram