A few people have asked about the food I have cooked and how it’s made. I’m no chef but am learning and getting a bit better at it. Camping over a fire in a woodland setting is not easy. You don’t have the luxury of fingertip control over your stove or cooker, nor do you have many pieces of equipment or running water. So I have chosen to practice a few simple, easy to make meals. This dish is bannock bread and eggs in tomatoes.

Bannock is a popular food with bushcrafters and wild campers because it doesn’t need an oven, it just needs a fire and either a cast iron skillet or a stick. I guess you would describe it as an unleavened bread i.e. no yeast. To make a portion this size (enough for one) you need:

1 cup plain flour

1/4 cup dried milk powder

teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt

About 1/4 cup of water

I mix the dry contents at home and put it into a medium sized ziplock bag roughly 20×20 cm. It needs to be big enough to allow you to squidge it around (knead in chef-talk). It’s convenient this way as you don’t get the sticky stuff all over your hands. When ready to make it into dough, add small amounts of water (less then you think and a bit at a time). Lock the bag again and keeping it all toward the bottom corner, start kneading it in the bag thoroughly. Open the bag now and then and check it and add a little more water until you have a stiff sticky dough. If it’s runny at all there’s too much water!

Your fire needs to consist of hot embers not flames. Camp fire management is all important when cooking. If using a skillet (my preference) add a little oil and put it over the fire. I use an old mesh baking tray as a shelf. I cut the corner off the bag and squeeze the dough out into the pan, then flatten it into a burger shape. Cook slowly for about 5-10 minutes then turn it over and repeat. You could shape the dough into a sausage and wrap it around a clean stick and prop it next to the fire turning occassionally.

The bread is quite tough and rubbery to be honest but it’s filling and easy to make. You can add dried fruit to the dry mix for a sweet version which is nice with a bit of jam or marmalade on top.

Eggs in tomatoes requires large beefsteak tomatoes, eggs and cooking foil. Slice the top off carefully and keep it, scoop out the core and seeds from the main body and discard those. Be careful not to pierce the sides, so I use a teaspoon rather than a knife. Put the tomato on a piece of cooking foil which needs to be big enough to wrap around the whole tomato, sealing it completely with a bit to spare. Carefully crack an egg into the tomato, add a pinch of salt and pepper then pop the lid back on. Don’t worry if a bit of the egg white oozes out. Wrap the foil around it and pinch the top of it together to seal it and also provide a handle to lift it with. Your fire needs to have plenty of hot embers. Place the eggs in the embers and heap some of them around and over the foil package. They need about 15 minutes and you should turn them every few minutes for even cooking. Now here’s where the little handle really comes in. Lift them out and away from your other food, blow the ashes off before opening them. The skins might have stuck to the foil a bit but you can eat them out of the foil or use a spoon to get them out and onto a plate. Easy and delicious. Enjoy.