Get Set For The Ashes

Hosting an Ashes get together this summer without a suitable food selection? That’s just not cricket. As England take on current champions Australia for the 71^st Ashes series – this time on home soil – get set for mammoth TV viewing with our pick of the best treats to serve up on match days.

You’d think we’d gone googly if we didn’t start out with the traditional cricket tea, a feast guaranteed to last as long as the test. If you don’t want to lift a finger once the action’s started, prepare for a day of slow grazing by piling the table with all the old-school favourites. Think pork pies, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, quiche, coleslaw and Coronation chicken.

Fill finger sandwiches with classic cucumber, ham and mustard or egg and cress. Or invent your own filling in honour of the occasion with a twist on a BLT, an LBW if you will –lettuce, bacon and, er, watercress? Worcestershire Sauce? Wasabi mustard? We’ll leave it to you.

Finish up with tea, jam and cream loaded scones and a sponge cake packed with summer berries.

If the classics aren’t your thing then why not use the hours of cricket viewing for some equally slow-paced cooking. Toss some tasty ingredients in a pot, stick it on a low heat and get stuck into a good innings while dinner takes care of itself.

The perfectly named hit ‘n run traybaked chicken (see what we did there?) couldn’t be easier. Serve with green salad and a hunk of crusty bread to mop up those delicious slow roasted juices.

Hit it for 6 (six ingredients that is) with this super simple one pot sage and lemon roast chicken. Pop everything in a roasting tray, bung it in the oven and get back to the game. Leftover chicken can be used for emergency sandwiches if the day’s action is even longer than expected.

This one-pot meal has got some serious spin on it. It’s next level chilli con carne. Surprise ingredients espresso, peanut butter and chocolate combine to create mild-blowing flavours during the 3-hour cooking time.

But the ultimate slow bowler has to be this crispy-topped Cumberland pie is an absolute belter. And with almost 4 hours of oven time, that’s plenty of uninterrupted cricket.

Feeding the Barmy Army? Then fire up the OptiGrill XL and go big with a barbecue.

Like Buttler and Stokes, pork and stilton are a winning combo so these burgers are a must for the grill.

Duck spring to mind when conjuring up a cricket-themed barbecue? Then try this recipe for succulent barbecued Gressingham duck. If ribs are more your thing, these marinated barbecue ribs are a guaranteed pavilion-pleaser.

Balance the meats with perfectly griddled vegetables and a selection of mouth-watering side dishes.

Howzat for ultimate Ashes feasting? And with that we’re ready to declare…