Luxury camp cookery workshop?

[Eric_Methven]

While at the recent meet at Loch Achray with BCUK and SOTP members I had the occasion to make a big pan of chips on the campfire for my grandson.

This raised a few eyebrows and that surprised me as I often cook 'normal' food while camping.

I was thinking therefore of doing a cooking workshop at the next meet in September. I could include making a decent curry from scratch, making crispy chips and making fresh bread and rolls in a primitive oven (stones and divvits).

When I was in the Army (catering corps) I regularly cooked for dozens on a campfire. It would be good to pass on some of the secrets of luxury feld cooking.

Anyone interested?

Eric

 

[Singeblister]

Sounds like a great idea, passing on the know is what its all about shame I doubt I will be able to make it.

 

[Graham_S]

I'm in.
never turn down an opportunity to learn something new.

 

[bikething]

Hmmm FOOD! - my favourite subject

might have to trek north again to make that one!

 

[Dingo]

love to learn more, sounds great, i love to have a good feed when i'm out and about.

 

[Wayne]

Sounds like a good plan Eric. I doubt i will be able to make your meet. I am always shocked that people don't cook decent food when out and about.

 

[Tadpole]

While at the recent meet at Loch Achray with BCUK and SOTP members I had the occasion to make a big pan of chips on the campfire for my grandson.


This raised a few eyebrows and that surprised me as I often cook 'normal' food while camping.

I was thinking therefore of doing a cooking workshop at the next meet in September. I could include making a decent curry from scratch, making crispy chips and making fresh bread and rolls in a primitive oven (stones and divvits).

When I was in the Army (catering corps) I regularly cooked for dozens on a campfire. It would be good to pass on some of the secrets of luxury feld cooking.

Anyone interested?

Eric

It’s amazing what you can do with just a few staple foods. Things like onions, garlic, bisto browings, liquid butter (Ghee) olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, suet, flour, salt pepper there is literally hundreds of things that they can be added to, either to enhance the flavours or to make a meal in their own right. What rabbit stew is not improved by some rich and fluffy dumpling, what wild salad could not be improved with a few drops of a balsamic vinaigrette. “Roughing it” is ok but I like to smooth it when it comes to campfire cooking

 

[Trevody]

Would be very interested Eric, though this summer I'm unlikly to get to many meets (loads of building diy on the home this year)
Recently did a fare size hangi for the Lincolnshire meet, which seemed to impress, would love to be able to do more from fresh and foraged foods.

Trev

 

[rik_uk3]

Great photo Eric, nice to see a young'un involved. I don't do the bushcraft camping many of the guys here do, more overnighters or car camps, so I like to make the food as good as possible.

Trying out a new stove, cooking paprika sausage stew, very nice it was too

 

[Biddlesby]

Would love to come, but doubt I could make it if it's too far north.

 

[Phil562]

Well done Eric, I'm with you on camp cooking, why eat out of a packet when with a bit of imagination and forethought you can cook virtually anything

Must admit, I have never done chips, did you shallow fry them ?

 

[dommyracer]

Curry powder, Mixed spices and salt and pepper always lived in my Surival Kit

 

[gregorach]

Personally, what stops me from doing that sort of cooking isn't lack of skill or interest - it's plain pack weight. Fair enough if you're turning up in a van, but on shanks' pony the idea of carrying a bag o' tatties, a big cast-iron dutch oven and enough oil to deep-fry is a definite non-starter!

I'd be very interested to see your oven ideas though.

 

[Grooveski]

Definately seems to be an area that varies wildly with personal preference. Some folk are shocked that others "rough it" while others are shocked at the amount of cooking kit some folk carry. Then there are allsorts of happy mediums.

Group meals at the meets are great. The grub at the north meet last year was delicious and I even enjoyed the venison gruel at Achray too. In a way it was interesting this time to not have a group meal as you could see everyone's differing approaches.

I can't justify the weight for solo camping, and tend to forego hot meals in the summer and travel light. I don't drink tea or coffee so often carry no cooking kit at all, just an assortment of cold meals and plenty of water. Even being able to carry more in the canoe hasn't changed that approach.
Each to their own.

Must admit Stuart_f's cooking had my mouth watering at the weekend. It's always nice watching an artist at work .

 

[JohnC]

I'd be very interested in the bread oven, Eric.
It was quite something seeing the range of food you produced.
I've amused/annoyed my wife, cooking in the kitchen or on the back step using camping stoves to "see what we can do". I guess I should be more adventurous.

 

[Eric_Methven]

Positive responses so far then.

To clarify, at the Achray meet (and others like it), where I'll be arriving in a vehicle, I come prepared for a base camp environment. That's just as bushcrafty as any other, it's just on a different scale and with different objectives. On these occasions my catering style is designed to feed large numbers of people with tasty nutritious food so that they can do other stuff without having to stop off from their own individual tasks.

I had a couple of discussions about end of the world scenarios - read my book to get the jist of the story line - and the subject turned to how a group of survivors/bushcrafters would manage if society as we know it went belly up. A central kitchen would be one obvious choice, as would a central laundry. Decent hygene and specific toilet areas would also be necessary. Now I'm not a doomsday advocate by any means, but I do like to keep the skills alive that might one day come in handy.

I agree that carrying in a dutch oven and a bottle of oil and a stone of tatties would be daft on a hike, and on these occasions I go for the freeze dried stuff and if I have to have tatties I use Smash with a wee bit of butter, some powdered milk and a pinch of nutmeg. I'm not daft. I like to carry light as well when I'm hoofing it.

On this occasion though, a central camp scenario seems appropriate and in this case we can justify the heavy gear. The bread making needs no special kit other than flour, yeast, a wee bit of salt and some water. The oven is made from stuff lying around. Clay is best if there is an abundance, but failing that, rocks built like an igloo with a wee hole in the top, and a door big enough for a cooked loaf to get out, and covered with sods of earth to insulate it will produce fresh bread.

We'll see where we go with this, but I'll have the gear in the van anyway so there's no harm in having a go.

Cameron is going to be dissapointed when we go for our fist solo overnighter when he finds out we'll be eating that box of compo I won at the archery. No chips!

Eric

 

[Grooveski]

Oops, sorry if I came across negative earlier talking lightweight nonsence. I should have emphasised the...

Group meals at the meets are great.

...with a bunch of smilies.


The ramble after was just that - a ramble. I enjoy a hot meal as much as the next guy. Just too used to traveling myself or in very small groups .

 

[Toddy]

The Meets are very different from going out alone or in a very small company, but that difference isn't a bad thing, it's actually very productive and a lot of fun
I like the idea of a really good cook-in at a Meet; they seem to manage well at Moots so why not at the smaller get togethers?
Cheers Eric for volunteering :You_Rock_

I'd like a shot with different oven styles.

Toddy

 

[Eric_Methven]

OK then, if someone wants to bring along a haunch of venison we can do a ground oven as well. If it's possible to make it a four day event (Friday to Monday inclusive) we can do loads of different stuff each day.

Eric

 

[jamesoconnor]

Must admit Stuart_f's cooking had my mouth watering at the weekend. It's always nice watching an artist at work .

i know!! that man knows how to cook over the fire and enjoy what he has cooked!!