Cooking. Although a normal, everyday task, when combined with a campfire, a great kayaking adventure, the great outdoors and some of your favorite people, something magical happens.
Camp fire meals must be simple yet nutritious, filling enough to fuel the physical activity involved with exploring the great outdoors. Where the challenge comes in is making something interesting from products known for their practicality not taste factor. This puts even the greatest culinary expert’s skills to the test and cooking with little more than a stove and saucepan makes things even trickier!
Yeoman Outdoors shares some tried and tested campfire classics, recipes to make meal times a fun, group time activity.
Sausage and Bean Hotpot
A real hearty warmer, ideal after a long tiring day, this quick and convenient recipe suits all the family. Using mainly tinned products, ingredients can be transported easily. Depending on the length of your camping trip, you may choose to use fresh sausages which would be best kept in a cooler, or for longer stays away from home, consider tinned hot dogs as a longer lasting option. Serve with pasta, or mash.
- One pack pork sausages
- 1 onion or leek
- 1 tin baked beans
- 1 tin red kidney beans
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 2 red peppers
Start by cooking the sausages and onion for 10 minutes until sausages are browned and onion softened. Add a tin of tomatoes and peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes. Finish by adding the baked and kidney beans and warm through for a further 10 minutes.
One Pan English Breakfast
A true meal to set you up for the day, this is a breakfast for the beginning of your trip when your cooler is still doing its job. This dish combines all the best elements from a traditional English breakfast with no need to chop anything. What’s more everything can be cooked in one pan.
- 4 pork chipolatas
- 4 rashers smoked back bacon
- 140g mushrooms
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- handful grated cheese (optional)
Add the chipolatas and fry for 3 minutes, follow with bacon until it goes crispy. Next to the pan is the mushrooms- cook for five minutes. When adding the eggs, make sure that the ingredients are evenly spread in the pan and remove any excess fat. Add the eggs to the pan and cook until they start to set. Next add the cheese (if using) and wait until the omelette has fully set. Cut into slices and enjoy.
Camp Carbonara
A more sophisticated and nourishing version of camp favorite macaroni cheese, a delicious carbonara can be recreated by the campfire in just one pan. The perfect refuel of carbs for a day of canoeing, hiking or even exploring. This meal takes minutes to make and is sure to disappear quickly!
- One bag of pasta
- One onion
- One tin sweetcorn
- One tin butter beans
- One tin garden peas
- One tub cream cheese
- One pack/tin of ham
Start by cooking the pasta, then set aside to create the sauce. Put the cream cheese in the pan and add some water, heat gently- this will act as the base of the sauce. Drain all tins and add to the saucepan and heat until warmed through. Add the ham and onion to the sauce, followed by the cooked pasta. Stir together, heat, then serve!
S’Mores
The perfect way to finish a camp meal is with a S’More- so popular it even has its own appreciation day! Taking inspiration from traditional American campfires, a S’More is an ideal campfire snack as none of the ingredients need to be kept in the fridge. Here’s what you need for a British take on an American classic-
- One packet of digestive biscuits
- A couple of your favorite chocolate bars, chopped up into pieces
- One bag of marshmallows
Not sure how to perfect the art of S’More assembly? Here’s how you put one together: Take two marshmallows, put them on a stick and toast them on an open flame until they have turned brown. Place your freshly toasted marshmallows on a digestive biscuit and make a sandwich with a square of chocolate. Top with another digestive biscuit and your S’More is complete.
Why not try these quick, tasty and delicious recipes on your next trip? What we can’t guarantee is enough being leftover for seconds!
