Unfortunately, more often than not, barbeques in the UK are associated with burnt, charred food which is still slightly raw on the inside.

As the only non-Americans ever to win theWorld Barbeque Championship Jackie and Rick Weight from Kent are well qualified to provide advice on how to barbeque food properly.

We've got together with the Weights, who now run the American BBQ Co in the UK, to offer you some sound advice before you venture outside this summer.

To BBQ or not to BBQ?

That is the question

Believe it or not, the weather shouldn't be crucial to barbequing.

If you plan to invite friends over for a barbeque, try to choose a spot to position the actual barbeque where it is slightly sheltered. Our trans-Atlantic cousins tend to barbeque all year long - if the worst comes to the worst, just cook outside and then bring the food in to eat. Remember, barbequing is not about weather, it's about flavour!

Joint or portions?

For some strange reason, we seem to think that a barbeque should be a massive "meat-fest" resulting in our eating far more meat at one sitting than we would normally do.

For a change, try cooking one large piece of meat, or a joint, on the barbeque instead of lots of different meats. Ask the butcher to bone a leg or shoulder of pork, beef or lamb, which you can marinate and cook slower than you would normally barbeque it.

Ring the changes with vegetables Then, when it is nearly ready, add a selection of fresh vegetables to the grill - onions, mushrooms, courgettes, aubergine, and of course peppers are all far tastier cooked this way. For speed, try putting smaller pieces onto skewers.

Experiment by cooking sweet potatoes in their jackets on the barbeque - once cooked, split open and pop a knob of garlic or chilli butter inside - yummy!

Get fruity!

The feast doesn't stop after the main course -different fruits can be cooked on the barbeque - bananas for example, split along the top and cooked in their skins, topped with a slug of rum and cream just before serving. Better still slice a pineapple and pop this onto the grill - sprinkle with a hint of mixed spice or nutmeg and then serve with vanilla ice cream for a really unusual dessert - better still add a slug of maple syrup before the ice cream!

A question of Fuel

Many of us now have gas barbeques to save having to wait for the charcoal to reach the optimum heat for cooking. Some people even light their charcoal with fire lighters and other chemicals to hasten things.....have you stopped to think what all this could be doing to our health? Gas tends to taint our food, and the mind boggles when you think about the way some people put chemicals on the coals and then cook their food over the fumes.

The latest big trend in the States is for wood pellet smokers -unlike conventional barbeques they cook with indirect heat, so there is no chance of a flare up.

Another bonus is that you can ring the changes with flavour by cooking on different types of wood.