Learn practical outdoor food and cooking skills, including campfire cooking, food hygiene, food storage, meal planning, foraging awareness and outdoor cooking.
Campfire cooking needs more planning than simply finding a place to sit beside a fire. The cooking area needs to give everyone enough space to work safely while keeping food, equipment and people away from unnecessary hazards. Before lighting or using a campfire, choose and…
Managing food waste is an important part of outdoor cooking. Food scraps, packaging and leftovers can create unpleasant smells, attract wildlife and leave the campsite untidy. Good waste management helps protect the environment and makes packing up much easier. Plan Your Food One of the…
Good hygiene is an essential part of cooking outdoors. Unlike a kitchen, a campsite may not have running water, worktops, sinks or refrigeration readily available. This means Scouts need to plan ahead and take extra care when handling food. The basic principle is simple: keep…
A well-organised cooking area makes outdoor food preparation safer, cleaner and easier. Before you start preparing food, take a few minutes to decide where everything should go. A good layout helps keep food, equipment and people organised throughout the activity. Choose a Suitable Location Start…
Outdoor cooking is a useful Scout skill that combines planning, food preparation, equipment management and safety. Cooking outside is different from cooking in a kitchen. You have less space, fewer facilities and changing weather conditions to consider. The aim is to prepare food safely while…
Cooking is a brilliant outdoor skill for Cubs. It combines practical skills with teamwork, creativity and a little bit of adventure. A Cub who learns how to prepare a simple meal at a campsite is developing skills they can use long after they’ve left Cubs….
Cooking is a great way for Beavers to learn practical skills while having fun. They can measure ingredients, mix, prepare food and work together to create something they can enjoy afterwards. You don’t need complicated recipes or specialist equipment. Simple food activities are often the…
⚠️ SAFETY FIRST Food can become unsafe surprisingly quickly when you’re camping, particularly during warm weather. Keep perishable food cold, prevent raw and cooked foods from contaminating each other, wash your hands before handling food and follow the storage instructions on packaged products. If food…
Meal Planning Good food can make a huge difference to an outdoor adventure. When you’re camping, hiking or taking part in a longer outdoor activity, food isn’t just about satisfying hunger. Your meals need to provide enough energy, be practical to carry, simple enough to…
Foraging means finding naturally occurring food in the wild. It can be a fascinating way to learn about the natural world, improve your observation skills and understand what grows around you. But foraging also comes with serious risks. Some edible plants have poisonous lookalikes. Some…
