I LOVE this time of year, when the birds are pairing up and tweeting their most soulful of songs, the trees and bushes are bursting with blossoms and the days are getting longer while the sun keeps us warmer as we sit outside ruminating nature’s glory.

In my opinion, it’s one of the best times of year to enjoy a BBQ and this little saucelington recipe will hopefully equip you with something a little different to dip your skewers into!

I always encourage my clients to experiment with fermented foods like miso. Fermented foods contain something called ‘probiotics’ , which support the gut by feeding it with friendly bacteria, stopping bad bacteria in its tracks. Research shows that these strange probiotics even have gut health benefits if they aren’t ‘alive’ anymore (what I call a “good-weird phenomenon”).

If you struggle with breaking down your food properly and using the nutrients efficiently, you may also find that fermented foods can help as they are rich in enzymes and nutrients that aid digestion and support the gut in general to do it’s thing.

It’s spicy, it’s fruity, it’s tangy and subtly sweet and goes with just about everything!

It went down a storm at the #EastAnglianGameFair last year with some little turkey meatballs, but it goes extremely well too with aubergine, lamb, sweetcorn and chargrilled courgette too! I haven’t tried it with fish, but I reckon a monkfish skewer would consider itself a happy pairing too.

I first came across a variation of this sauce whilst oogling over the work of Nobu Matsuhisa, a Japanese mastermind in the kitchen and I’ve put my own “simplifying” touches to it, to hopefully make it something we can all enjoy, in a speedy fashion, in the comfort of our own homes- it’s not quite the same obviously, but it’s pretty dang good if you ask me!

Anticucho Miso Sauce

50g of Aji Amarillo (if you can’t find that use 30g siracha + 20g chipotle chili paste)

1 large garlic clove

1tbsp cumin powder

1tbsp sake (optional)

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp rice wine vinegar

2tbsp flax/walnut/almond or olive oil

1tsp lemon juice

pinch of salt

1 heaped tsp miso paste

Spring onions and coriander to garnish (optional)

Blend all the above ingredients together to sauce consistency- add at the end of cooking or use as a condiment to spice up your meal.

Enjoy!