The "Barbeque Summer" statement was, as usual, twisted by the British Media, who took it to mean that all Summer was going to be roasting hot and blazing sunshine for months on end. In reality the actual comment used by the Met was something along the lines of "65% odds on for a barbeque Summer", but the British Media being as they are, stunningly thick and ignorant, as always, took the bits of the quote they liked for their headlines and completely missed out the 65% bit, instead boldly stating in their headlines that the Met Bods were telling us that Summer 2009 for the UK was going to be resembling a Mediterranean Summer.
Then of course when it didn't happen the Radge Right-Wing journos (Mail, Express, Telegraph etc.) got angry and slated the Met. And of course there were the usual accusations from such nutters about "typical state wastage", tax being stolen from the Middle Classes to fund Lefty Loonyism being perpetrated by the Met Office, etc. Ad Nauseum
Put simply, the Barbeque Summer thing was a product of the British Media. Although admittedly the Met perhaps could've worded it slightly less, er, enthusiastically.
Good point about the jetstream though Doc C. And Wx stones are handy for making METARs, but not TAFs
Smithy