Learn practical outdoor food and cooking skills, including campfire cooking, food hygiene, food storage, meal planning, foraging awareness and outdoor cooking.
Activity Overview Difficulty: ModerateTime: 30–45 minutesLocation: Campsites, expedition bases and suitable outdoor planning areasBest for: Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and adult leadersSkills: Meal planning, nutrition, estimation, expedition planning and food management Calorie planning means making sure your food provides enough energy for the activity without…
Activity Overview Difficulty: ModerateTime: 30–60 minutesLocation: Campsites, expedition bases and suitable outdoor planning areasBest for: Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and experienced Cubs with supervisionSkills: Meal planning, nutrition, portion control, budgeting, packing and expedition planning Food ration planning means working out what food is needed, how…
Activity Overview Difficulty: ModerateTime: 45–90 minutesLocation: Woodlands, hedgerows, fields and other suitable countryside areasBest for: Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and experienced Cubs with close supervisionSkills: Plant identification, responsible countryside access, conservation, observation and sustainable foraging Ethical foraging means taking only what you can positively identify,…
Activity Overview Difficulty: Easy–ModerateTime: 30–60 minutesLocation: Woodlands, fields, parks and other suitable outdoor areasBest for: Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and adult leadersSkills: Observation, identification, outdoor awareness, responsible countryside access and risk management The safest rule for Scouts is never eat a wild mushroom unless…
Activity Overview Difficulty: Easy–ModerateTime: 30–60 minutesLocation: Woodlands, fields, hedgerows and other suitable outdoor areasBest for: Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and adult leadersSkills: Observation, plant identification, outdoor awareness, responsible countryside access and risk management Wild plants can be useful and interesting to learn about, but…
Activity Overview Difficulty: ModerateTime: 15–30 minutes to set up; maintained throughout campLocation: Scout campsites and outdoor campsBest for: Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and adult leadersSkills: Food hygiene, campcraft, outdoor cooking, organisation and teamwork Good camp kitchen hygiene means keeping hands, food, equipment and preparation…
Activity Overview Difficulty: ModerateTime: 30–60 minutesLocation: Scout campsites and outdoor campsBest for: Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and adult leadersSkills: Campcraft, food hygiene, outdoor cooking, organisation and teamwork A good camp kitchen should have separate areas for food preparation, cooking, eating, washing up and waste, with…
Activity Overview Difficulty: EasyTime: 30–90 minutes depending on equipmentLocation: Home, garage, garden or suitable outdoor cleaning areaBest for: Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders, campers and outdoor enthusiastsSkills: Equipment care, cleaning, maintenance, drying, storage and outdoor preparation Cleaning camping equipment means removing dirt, mud, food and…
Activity Overview Difficulty: EasyTime: 15–30 minutes to learn; ongoing practiceLocation: Campsites, Scout camps, woodland, countryside and outdoor basesBest for: Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and outdoor enthusiastsSkills: Personal hygiene, food hygiene, campsite management, sanitation and outdoor living Camp hygiene means keeping yourself, your food, equipment…
When cooking over a campfire, the most useful heat often comes from hot embers rather than tall flames. Embers provide steady, radiant heat that can be easier to control for cooking. Learning to recognise and use them is an important campfire cooking skill for Scouts….
A cooking fire needs to provide controlled, steady heat rather than simply producing large flames. The way you arrange and manage the fire affects how evenly food cooks and how safely the cooking equipment can be used. Only light a campfire where fires are permitted…
Having the right equipment makes campfire cooking safer, easier and more enjoyable. The equipment you need will depend on what you’re cooking and how your fire is arranged. Scouts should learn to choose equipment that is suitable for the job rather than simply taking everything…
