Welcome to Campfire Kitchen! In fact, welcome to the second running of Campfire Kitchen. If you remember the original version then you should expect more of the same except maybe a bit slicker, a bit more mature and hopefully a bit more entertaining. Here you will find inspiration for your next meal outside, be it a BBQ at home, a stove-top feast for friends or a one-pot meal cooked over a fire for your scout patrol. You will also find a selection of posts relating to some of our experiences camping in Ireland or in other parts of the world which may or may not have anything to do with campfire cooking! You will also find objective equipment and gear reviews.
Campfire Kitchen hopes to inspire hungry campers to expand their recipe repertoire. In our teens, we were Venturer Scouts in 10th Antrim Scout Section in Belfast. When away camping in the Mourne Mountains or on Northern Ireland’s beautiful North Coast, we fed ourselves poorly. As a young scout we lived on super noodles, cereal bars and breakfast in tins. Now, these things have their place but it’s pretty uninspiring stuff and with a little know-how, it isn’t too much trouble to prepare something delicious. The plan is to transform the idea of campfire food from fuel and move it more into the spotlight.
At the minute, there are two of us behind Campfire Kitchen, Mark T and Mark G.
Mark T
Loch Lomond, Scotland
I am a primary school teacher and life long scout. I love BBQs and not the sausage-that’s-burnt-on-the-outside-raw-on-the-inside kind of BBQs. For me, a BBQ shouldn’t be served all at once on a plate like a normal meal, it’s a journey through a plethora of small courses which are served as they are cooked almost like a banquet. I am a Scouter in 10th Antrim’s Scout Section. I am currently Section Leader for Scouts and for a long time was a Venture and Cub leader so I also have a passion for campfire cooking. There is something primitively satisfying about fire lighting, tending your fire and using it to cook your meals. Of course it isn’t always possible to light a cooking fire for practical reasons such as time or weather but also you mightn’t want to spoil the area you’re in and so a stove is an invaluable piece of kit which is always in my rucksack.
Inish Davar, Co Fermanagh
In the summer of 2016, my fiancée and I packed the car and left Belfast for 4 weeks. We camped through the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway; headed as far north as the road goes in Europe to Nordkapp and hiked further still to Knivskjellodden. The roadtrip through the mad roads of Germany and the beaches of balmy Denmark took us through the reindeer covered roads of Swedish Lapland and the 24hour day light of Norway and back again. In the four weeks we almost exclusively cooked on either a BBQ or Trangia, but we also broke out the Dutch Oven a few times. It was this experience that was the kickstarter for me wanting to start writing again for Campfire Kitchen.
Mark G
Left:Mark G / Right: Mark T. Cave Hill Country Park, Co Antrim
I am a front end web developer for an eLearning solutions company and also a life long scout. I am a lover of camping and food, so Campfire Kitchen seems like a perfect way to join two hobbies and show off a little about what I’ve learnt as a Scout and Scouter whilst getting the chance to learn a bit more myself. I am the Venture Section Leader and Rover Co-ordinator in 10th Antrim Scout Section. I am continually disheartened from seeing the rubbish that some of our youth members (and leaders) eat when they are on camp and I am hoping to spread the message that camping food doesn’t have to mean poor quality.
I am a firm advocate of the Leave No Trace movement and so try to build those principals into whatever camp or expedition I am planning.
Emma H / Mark G. Tollymore Forestpark, First Summer Campfire Kitchen Camp
I am also a bit of a gearophile. I love having the latest piece of equipment or a nifty bit of kit. From sleeping bags to stoves and drones to lenses, you’ll catch me testing things out and you’ll see my reviews here on Campfire Kitchen. We aim to inform campers aged 6 to 106 of what they need to bring BBQing, hiking and camping. We’ll talk about what gear to get, looking after and how to make the most of your equipment. Campfire Kitchen’s equipment reviews will be fair, objective and, if we stand to gain, transparent.