Yesterday, I joined a friend and an assorted and highly entertaining mixture of her family and friends for a walk up in the Quantock Hills followed by a BBQ, which I admit sounds a bit bonkers when you ponder the reality of being outdoors in Britain in January. I this the photo speaks for itself on that front!

Storm clouds over the Quantocks (2 January 2012)

However, midwinter BBQs now have my vote as a Most Excellent way to bid farewell to the festive season, even though I had to take the risk of melting my boots (they survived) by sitting with them underneath the fire wok in order to stave off frostbite.

The walk itself was great fun and even my amateur photography skills were able to make the most of the almost magical combination of low winter light, storm clouds creating the most amazing shadows and briefly parting to allow slivers of light through, slivers which lit up the dripping water and saturated ground in a shimmering sheen of gold, not forgetting the beautiful trees, barren yet proud of their age-old inhabitation of this part of Somerset.

As for the BBQ, well, talk about a feast. Sausages, burgers, bacon, lamb chops, Christmas cake, stollen, pancakes, chocolate, mulled wine, and hot chocolate, tea and coffee, all cooked/heated over two flaming “woks”. Snipe and Moss, my friend’s collie, had an equally good time, and although they were disappointed at not being invited to the feast, as soon as the food came out and the teepee (midwinter BBQs all require one) was (eventually) erected, they both stopped playing with the other dogs enjoying the bank holiday and started seeing them off instead. It seems that all Snipe requires to aid a transformation from a complete wimp to a protective guard dog is a roof over her human’s head (albeit a canvas one). Yes, you read that right. She and Moss worked as a team, but she saw the black Lab off herself, no questions asked. Clever dog.

If you’re ever invited to a winter BBQ, go for it. Just remember to take at least three pairs of socks. And plenty of sausages.