A FATHER and son are turning up the heat this summer with the launch of their own barbecue manufacturing company.

Ron Pearce and his 26-year-old son Steve have teamed up to create a business called Friar Tuck.

The 57-year-old dad, who owns metal fabrication, cutting and welding engineers, Heron Fabrications, based at Berry Court, Little London, near Tadley, said: “Manufacturing in Britain has

suffered over the years, and

hardly any barbecues are manufactured here.

“They come mainly from the Far East, but with Friar Tuck we’re aiming to help change that.

“The build principles around Friar Tuck barbecues are exactly the same principles that we use for our heavy engineering business – quality comes first. That’s quality in both the design and build.”

The first barbecue Ron made was to replace an old oil drum type for a local football club.

He said: “I looked at it and knew that I could do a better job for them, so I did.”

When Steve joined his father’s company, he knew that the overall shape and design together with its simplicity was exactly what people were looking for. He said: “Seeing our product in retail outlets, alongside other established brands, is a great feeling. “It’s been hard work, doing the market research, setting up the company and sorting out all of the processes – but it’s really exciting.”

The Southampton Solent University graduate’s interest in barbecues was enhanced during his travels to countries such as Australia, where he was able to compare his father’s products.

“Cooking outside is what Australians do – it’s part of their culture,” said Steve.

“They’re quite sophisticated about using the barbecues and I learned a huge amount.”

The father and son team have produced a complete family of barbe¬ cues, from the portable MiniQ for travellers, campers and home use, which comes with a shield to protect the grass or a table from the heat, to larger barbecues for catering and commercial customers, to the family sized ones in-between. They have also created a patio heater so that barbecue lovers can enjoy their evenings in the garden, well into the autumn. Steve said: “Our heaters are an environmentally-friendlier alternative to gas and electric patio heaters, you can use waste timber and other combustible materials to generate heat, and like our barbecues, they’re built to last.”

For more information, visit

friartuckbbq.co.uk.