James Muscat, Andrew Treglown and Andres Toompere celebrating after one of their wins. Photo: Kutt Niinepuu

Three members of the Malta Barbecue & Grilling Association (MBGA) successfully participated in the Good Food Festival – Grillfest, held recently in Parnu, Estonia.

The Malta BBQ team, composed of James Muscat, Andres Toompere and Andrew Treglown, was the only one that competed in both the grilling and barbecue categories and won two runner-up titles.

In the grilling competition, the team won second place in the ‘Fantasy’ category where teams had to cook any meat of their choice. The trio grilled Maltese traditional rabbit marinated in local wine, bay leaves, fresh garlic and lemon.

In the barbecue competition, they clinched second place with their pork spare ribs in an orange zesty marinade.

The Maltese stand, promoting local produce including beer, wine and Maltese sausages, proved popular. Hundreds of brochures sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority were also distributed.

The Malta BBQ & Grilling Association was founded in 2013 with the aim of raising awareness about healthy cooking styles and to promote barbecue and grilling as a form of culinary art and recreation. MBGA has recently organised a series of educational seminars with the aim of enticing more people to enjoy outdoor eating.

A number of other educational and social activities are planned for this year. Membership to MBGA is free and applications are available on the association’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/MaltaBBQ.