Fun around the camp fire

The perfect way to end a day's cycling or hiking, after having chosen your site and pitched your tent, is sitting round a warm fire with friends, chatting and enjoying an evening meal.

Before you attempt to build a fire, always ask the permission of the owner or person in charge of the land. Then find a spot where sparks cannot set fire to straw, crops, woods or barns.

If you are going to build a barbecue, you will need two fires, one to cook on and one to sit round.

If there isn't already a bare patch on the ground, cut away a piece of turf, about 45cm (18in) square. Then surround the area with stones. You will need three kinds of wood, one for kindling, one for getting the fire established, and bigger pieces of wood to feed the fire when it has taken. Don't pull hedges to pieces or cut off branches in your search for fuel, there is usually plenty of suitable wood lying around. For kindling, use spiky bits of dry hawthorn — you'll find them under hawthorn hedges or bushes — dried birch bark, thin twigs or even holly leaves.

The larger lighting wood must be carefully chosen or the kindling will not stay alight. The wood should be finger-thick; build it into a small pyramid in the centre of the fireplace over the kindling. Hawthorn, beech, birch, pine, hazel, larch and holly are all suitable; elm burns badly and makes a lot of smoke. For the main firewood you need pieces about 5cm (2in) thick, broken into lengths of 15-20cm (6-8in). Dry hawthorn, ash, beech, oak or hornbeam will all do.

Apply a match to the base of the kindling and when the pyramid is well alight start to add the main wood, pushing it in end on, round the pyramid.
Before you turn in at night make absolutely sure that the fire is completely out and cannot be revived by a sudden wind — never leave a wood fire unattended when it is still alight.

Next day, remove surplus ash, dig up the soil of the fireplace a little and sprinkle some fresh earth on top, then replace the square of turf in its original position.

Building a barbecue
You will need: a grill out of your oven, charcoal and firelighters.

Build a three-sided square with stones, or better still with bricks if there are any about, with the open side facing the direction of the wind. Place the charcoal inside, lay the grill on the stones or bricks, and the barbecue is ready for use.

The distance between the grill and the charcoal varies with the size of what you are barbecuing; for small chops, sausages etc. a distance of 10cm (4in) is recommended; for larger pieces of meat you will need to double that distance. Start the fire with a fire-lighter, and don't begin cooking until the charcoal is ashen grey and no flames are visible.

What to cook
Sausages, chops, liver, steaks, kebabs, fish — all are delicious barbecued. Fish should be cooked wrapped in tin foil with butter and herbs, or on a sheet of foil spread on the grill to stop it sticking. Steaks are delicious if marinaded in oil and herbs for a few hours before cooking. The meat should always be wiped dry with a paper napkin before cooking. Potatoes baked in foil are very good — if you pierce the potato with a skewer before cooking you will reduce the cooking time by half; they should be done in ½-¾ of an hour.

Tomatoes cut in half, mushrooms and corn on the cob are all good barbecued; the corn should be turned regularly so it gets charred all the way round.

You will have your own ideas of what you like to cook and eat but just to start you off here are a few recipes. All quantities given are enough for four people.

Kebabs
For the marinade:
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar
1 cup dry cider, white or red wine pinch dried thyme
4 pepper corns.

For the kebabs:
Half a shoulder of New Zealand lamb a few bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
Salt

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Cut the lamb into bite-size squares, trimming off the fat. Put the meat into a china bowl (not a metal one) and cover with the marinade. Cover, and leave to stand in a cool place for about 4 hours, turning the meat two or three times. When ready to cook, drain off the liquid and reserve it. Place the meat and bay leaves on 4 metal skewers, with the marinade, sprinkle with salt and oregano and cook on the grill over charcoal for about 15 minutes, turning the skewers during the cooking (wear oven gloves; they will get very hot).

Barbecue sauce
This can be made in advance, and carried in a screw-top jar to be re-heated, or you can make it on the spot.
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
400g (14oz) tin of peeled tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
2½ tbsp plain flour the juice of a small lemon
1 level tsp English made mustard
1 tbsp vinegar
1 small bottle pineapple juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper pinch of sugar

Skin the onion and garlic and chop very finely. Sieve tomatoes into a bowl, melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes, until pale gold. Stir in flour, tomatoes, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, pineapple juice and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring continuously; reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Delicious with all barbecued meat or chicken.

Hot cheese and ham rolls
This is a tasty and filling improvised meal.
4 crusty white rolls
4 slices of ham
4 slices of Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp butter mustard to taste

Cut each roll in half, butter, and sandwich with the ham and cheese, adding a little mustard if you like it. Have ready four pieces of foil large enough to enclose the roll completely. Put roll in centre of foil, bring up the corners and close tightly. Cook on grill over charcoal for about 15 minutes. Unwrap and serve piping hot with a dish of sliced tomatoes.

Cinnamon apples
4 large cooking apples 4 heaped tsp caster sugar
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter

Peel and core the apples, put each on a square of foil, mix the sugar and cinnamon and fill the apple hollows with it. Melt the butter and pour a little over each apple. Bring up the foil corners and enclose the apple, seal firmly, and cook on grill for about 40 minutes.

The illustration shows you basic equipment used to make a barbecue can be adapted to take a frying-pan or a saucepan. Alternatively the following recipes can be cooked on a camping stove. Again all quantities are for four.

Sausage supper dish
This makes a change from just fried or grilled sausages.
450g (lib) sausage meat or skinned sausages
1 tbsp mixed dried herbs
1 tsp made mustard
1 large egg
10 tbsp breadcrumbs oil or fat for deep frying salt and pepper

Mix sausage meat with herbs, mustard and salt and pepper. Divide into 16 portions, roll into balls with floured hands. Beat egg lightly in a basin, coat sausage meat balls in egg and breadcrumbs. Put fat to heat in a deep saucepan and fry the sausage meat in two batches, for about 10 minutes each or until golden brown. Drain on crumpled, absorbent paper and serve with lettuce and tomatoes.

Hot oranges and bananas
6 bananas
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 orange

Slice the bananas lengthwise, melt the butter in a pan and add the bananas, the sugar, and the juice of the orange. Cook covered for a few minutes and serve hot.

Frankfurter breakfast dish
If you're camping, breakfast is an important meal to set you up for the day's hiking or cycling. This makes a delicious start to the day.
6 frankfurters
6 standard eggs
4 tbsp milk
4 rashers streaky bacon
4 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Heat the sausages in a pan of boiling water for about 6 minutes; drain, and cut into small pieces. Keep warm. Whisk eggs with the milk, season, cut rinds from bacon and dice the rashers. Melt butter in a large saucepan, add bacon, and fry for 5 minutes. Pour in the eggs and cook over gentle heat, stirring with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes or until eggs are nearly set; stir in the chopped sausages and cook until eggs are set.

Sausage, mushroom and bean fry
4 tbsp lard
450g (1lb) sausages
225g (½lb) mushrooms
1450g (1lb) tin of baked beans

Melt the lard in a large frying pan, add the sausages, and cook slowly for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Turn frequently. Meanwhile wash and slice the mushrooms, add mushrooms to pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add baked beans and cook for a further 5 minutes; serve at once.

Salads are a wonderful stand-by if you're camping; some are substantial enough to make a quick lunch-time main course. Here are three suggestions.

Cheese and apple salad
Put some lettuce leaves on 4 plates, chop up 2 medium-sized unpeeled red eating apples and mix with 170g (6oz) cottage cheese; pile onto lettuce.

Spanish omelet salad
Fry a small sliced onion in butter until tender, add a couple of sliced tomatoes and fry gently until soft, and add a couple of tablespoons of cooked peas. Beat 3 eggs, season and pour over vegetables in pan. Cook until set; allow to cool and cut into four. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Tinned soups are very convenient for camping; you can make them more individual by adding a knob of butter and some fresh chopped parsley, or dropping in cubes of fried bread or small cubes of luncheon meat. But it is perfectly possible to make your own thick and nourishing soups. Here are two ideas:

Quick tomato soup
1 medium onion
2 tbsp butter
1 340g (12oz) tin of peeled tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube

Melt the butter in a saucepan, chop up the onion finely, and let it soften in the butter. Add the tin of peeled tomatoes and let it cook slowly for about 20 minutes; add the stock cube dissolved in water, season, and let it cook for another 15 minutes. Serve with cubes of fried bread.

If you prefer a thicker soup, add 2 tablespoons of flour to the onion and butter before adding the tomatoes.

Carrot and potato soup
450g (lib) carrots
450g (lib) potatoes
4 tbsp butter
1 large onion
1 chicken stock cube

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sliced onion and let it soften, then add the peeled and sliced carrots and the diced potato. Add the stock cube and about a pint of water. Season and cook until the vegetables are soft. If soup is too thick add a little milk; serve with chopped parsley. Experiment with other combinations of vegetables.