ContentsIntroductionFood as an expression of Woodcraft Folk’s aims and principlesThe incredible flour chartMeasurements/ converters/ quantitiesEquipmentHandy hints on mass cater-ing under canvasAllergiesBreakfastsLunchesDinnersSide dishesDesserts

The Woodcraft Folk has a long history of pro-ducing internal publications to assist groups in delivering the programme of the movement. As new leaders in a relatively inexperienced district in the late 1980’s, we remember Coventry Woodcraft Folk’s guide to “Camp Catering” becoming something of a bible. Indeed, it still has valuable observations, hints and quantities information. It has sadly been out of print for many years, but some of it is resurrected here for the current generation of KPs and campers alike. However, it has been tweaked and you can find it at: http://tinyurl.com/afd8vwe . You can also find recipes at: http://tinyurl.com/agvwten

First and foremost this is a recipe book. The recipes have been chosen to reflect vari-ous tastes - but we have tried to keep them relatively simple to make. It is not a guide on how to set up your kitchen, or how to organ-ise your clan duties for camp cooking. There are many variations on that theme within the movement. Again there is more specific advise online at the South West Woodcraft Folk’s excellent site: https://sites.google.com/site/woodcraftkp/ .

The recipes are divided into sections:- break-fasts, lunches, dinners, sides and desserts. The original plan was to include campfire cooking recipes, but we decided that another publication on bushcraft recipes and open fire cooking might be welcomed at a later point. All recipes included are designed to serve 10 people. The idea is that these can then be multiplied up easily for larger camps. Some of these recipes require an oven and some do not. The recipes use metric mea-surements or the US “cups” system - this is ideal for camping. We have also included conversion charts for your use.We hope there is something here for every-one. We have included meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes. Many recipes are of course in-terchangeable, i.e. adding meat to a vegetar-ian Tagine, or using Quorn mince or T.V.P and vegetable stock instead of beef and meat stock in a Chilli etc.

We have also tried to “Span the World with Food” - we hope you enjoy the journey!Happy cooking!

Kaz and Paul Bemrose

This could be a minefield in an organi-sation like the Woodcraft Folk, with such diverse but strongly held views. But it’s worth considering the following:-

Meat. Plenty of members are vege-tarian and would claim there is no place for meat at camp and the argument can get very heated. Some groups and dis-tricts may choose to keep a completely vegetarian kitchen, however for those who do not there are still some questions to consider. Meat is not required for ab-solutely every meal; consider the balance across the full menu. Keeping it fresh can be a challenge at camps without access to fridges. There is also the issue of “happy meat” or “free range”. Again this needs to be balanced with cost and ensuring your camp remains accessible to all.

Food miles. This is a term which refers to the distance food is transport-ed from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. Food miles are one factor used when assessing the environmental impact of food, including the impact on global warming. It can be part of the aspiration to “Think global-ly, act locally”. In this sense it’s about sourcing food as near to you as you can and buying food that is seasonally avail-able rather than buying foods that have been travelled across the planet. There is also a bigger impact if food has been air-freighted than if it has been shipped. You might also want to consider buying food from local producers – but again, there may be increased costs.

Aims and principles as food.

Solidarity foods. This includes using our spending power with organi-sations we support; countries we wish to express solidarity with; or to assist farmers in less economically developed countries. The first point to make is that as a co-operative organisation we should support other co-operatives rather than capitalist chain stores. Where possible we should shop with the Co-operative and other Co-op societies. In addition there are other co-operatives like “Infinity Food” in Brighton that deserve our sup-port. Where possible we should consider using Fair Trade products too. Other solidarity foods include using Palestinian Olive Oil for example.

Boycotts. There are manufacturers the Woodcraft Folk has boycotted for a long time. Nestle is the main organisation that comes to mind. This multi-national’s reach is extensive and its product range is vast - a full and up to date product list can be found on the Baby Milk Action website. There are also boycotts of pro-duce from countries. In the 1980s it was South African fruit. Today the movement has a policy on boycotting Israeli goods.

Healthy food versus junk. The challenge is to create meals that our young members will eat, that provide en-ergy but that are also familiar or at least taste good. Not every meal needs to be made of wholemeal... but on the other hand it doesn’t need to be burdened with huge amounts of salt, saturated fats and sugar either!

Calculating quantities in pre-packed foods

Cornflakes 500g

18-20 servings

Muesli 2kg 40 small servingsBread medium sliced 800g

23 slices

Margarine 500g tub

3-4 loaves

Nuts and Rai-sins 500g

12 servings

Pasta 1kg 16 servings Cheese 500g 10 servingsJelly 575g 4 servingsCustard 575g 6 servingsGravy 575g 8 servingsSugar 1 kg 1 bag a day for cereals

and drinks on a large camp

TINSA10 = 6 ½ to 7 Ilb, A2= 1 ¾ to 1 ¾ Ilb, A1= 14 oz (397g)

Baked beans

A10= 30 servings, A2 = 7 servings

Tomatoes A10= 20 servings, A2 = 8 servings

Fruit A10= 30 servings, A2 = 7 servings

Rice Pud-ding

A10= 20 servings (30 with fruit) , A2 = 5 servings (7 with fruit)

Vegetables

Potatoes 200g per person. Camp of 40 children and 16 adults ap-proximately 25 Ilbs.

Rice 500g = 8 to10 servingsFrozen Veg-etables

500g = 8 to 10 servings

Cabbage 450g = 6 servingsLettuce 1 webb for 10-15 servingsCucumber I cucumber = 20 servingsCarrots 450g = 8 servings

DrinksMilk 475 ml = 15 drinks 475 ml = 6 portions for cereal Allow 320 ml per person per day

Meat

Braising steak 450g = 6 portions of stew

Minced meat 450g= 5 portionsPot roast lamb 450g = 4 portions

Volume Conversions: Normally used for liquids only

Customary quantity

Metric equivalent

1 teaspoon 5 mL1 tablespoon or 1/2 fluid ounce

15 mL

1 fluid ounce or 1/8 cup

30 mL

1/4 cup or 2 fluid ounces

60 mL

1/3 cup 80 mL1/2 cup or 4 fluid ounces

120 mL

2/3 cup 160 mL3/4 cup or 6 fluid ounces

180 mL

1 cup or 8 fluid ounc-es or half a pint

240 mL

1 1/2 cups or 12 fluid ounces

350 mL

2 cups or 1 pint or 16 fluid ounces

475 mL

3 cups or 1 1/2 pints 700 mL4 cups or 2 pints or 1 quart

950 mL

4 quarts or 1 gallon 3.8 L

Note: In cases where higher precision is not justified, itmay be convenient to round these conver-sions off as follows: 1 cup = 250 mL 1 pint = 500 mL 1 quart = 1 L 1 gallon = 4 L

Measurements and conversion charts

The Incredible flour chart!

Ever wanted an easy chart to work out how to cook basically anything with flour in it? Well here it is!

Weight

Weights can be converted with the follow-ing table. Note that the ounces referred to in this table are not the same as fluid ounces and some rounding up has taken place.

Weight Conversions

Customary quantity Metricequivalent

1 ounce 28 g4 ounces or 1/4 pound

113 g

1/3 pound 150 g8 ounces or 1/2 pound

230 g

2/3 pound 300 g12 ounces or 3/4 pound

340 g

1 pound or 16 ounc-es

450 g

2 pounds 900 g

Other non-liquid ingredients

Conversion of cups into grams

Ingredient(cups)

1 3/4 2/3 1/3 1/4 2 Tbsp

Flour, all pur-pose (wheat)

120 90 80 40 30 15

Flour, well sifted all pur-pose (wheat)

110 80 70 35 27 13

Sugar, granu-lated cane

200 150 130 65 50 25

Icing sugar (cane)

100 75 70 35 25 13

Brown sugar, packed firmly (but not too firmly)

180 135 120 60 45 23

Corn meal 160 120 100 50 40 20

Corn starch 120 90 80 40 30 15

Rice, un-cooked

190 140 125 65 48 24

Macaroni, uncooked

140 100 90 45 35 17

Couscous, uncooked

180 135 120 60 45 22

Oats, un-cooked quick

90 65 60 30 22 11

Table salt 300 230 200 100 75 40

Butter 240 180 160 80 60 30

Vegetable shortening

190 140 125 65 48 24

Chopped fruits and vegetables

150 110 100 50 40 20

Nuts, chopped

150 110 100 50 40 20

Nuts, ground 12 90 80 40 30 15

Bread crumbs, fresh, loosely packed

60 45 40 20 15 8

Bread crumbs, dry

150 110 100 50 40 20

Parmesan cheese, grated

90 65 60 30 22 11

EquipmentThis is another area of camp cooking that will vary a fair deal based upon a District’s inherited kit, the size of the Dis-trict and the number of people attending the camps. For example, Brighthelmstone District did not buy its first camp oven un-til something like 12 years of existence. Before that we cooked on gas rings only which clearly affected the range of reci-pes we cooked.

The list below is the sort of equipment you should have or at least consider purchasing:

•Large frying pans•Large cooking pots•Chopping boards (different colours for different preparations)•Knives (same colours as the dif-ferent chopping boards)•Cheese graters•Potato peelers and mashers•Tin openers•Wide shallow trays for serving (preferably with lids)•Large bowls for serving•Large ladles and spoons•Fish slices•Wooden spoons•Measuring jugs, scales and cups•Large colanders•Large sieve•Large wire mesh scoop•Water containers•Urn for tea/coffee or pump flasks•Plastic bowls•Oven gloves•Aluminium foil

Good pans are considered to be essen-tial- preferably stainless steel, heavy bot-tomed ones. Some large pots have thin bottoms and these are fine for boiling water, vegetables or making stock- but will burn pretty much everything else.

Other kitchen equipment

•Fire blanket•Fire extinguisher•Anti-bacterial soap•Washing up equipment•Matches/lighters•Cling film•Tea towels•Anti-bacterial surface cleaners•Cool boxes•Spare cutlery, plates, bowls•Large jugs with spouted lids or containers with taps for serving squash

Equipment

Mass catering is not so different from cooking for smaller numbers. The equip-ment is bigger; preparation time is longer as can be cooking time.

Not all recipes are easily scaled up. Camp cooking needs to be relatively easy. Camps aren’t organised so that our young members or adults slave over cooking clan all day. It’s worth also trying to avoid expensive ingredients where possible. Be prepared to be flexible with your meals, sometimes food orders arrive and certain ingredients aren’t available. See if you can use something else. Or you might have over ordered a particular ingredient- try using it in some of the rec-ipes you’ve decided to use. Leftover veg-etables make great Bubble and Squeak.

Logistics are important in choosing rec-ipes - do you have the right equipment? How long will the ingredients take to prepare? What is the size of the cooking clan? Can some preparation for dinner be done earlier in the day? Are the rec-ipes written out for the clan? Is the KP supervising cooking?

Large amounts of liquid take longer to bring to the boil- potatoes normally cook in about 20 minutes - but 25 kg in 50 litres of water will take more like 90 minutes!

Handy hints for mass catering

•Clean up as you go. This helps you maximise the kitchen space during preparation and cook-ing. •10 litres of sauce is heavier than 1 litre and will boil over easily, stir regularly and leave room at the top of the pan to allow for stirring.•Don’t cook on the highest heat unless you have to; stir constantly scraping along the bottom of the pan until the pot starts to boil. The heavier the food, the more stirring that will be required.•You can cook some elements of a recipe separately and add them together towards the end of cooking - this can speed up the cooking process up.•A full oven cooks less quickly than a half full one - so either allow more time or try cooking in batches.•When scaling up a recipe don’t just scale up the seasoning and spices. Add a little at a time and taste test it. The same applies for water or stock. Add liquid to cover and check, add more as required. It’s easier to add liquid than to thick-en food up later.

Storage can be a challenge at camp. Try to set up the kitchen and storage tents near the wa-ter point and next to a wooded area. Obviously the kitchen area uses a fair deal of water, and wooded areas in the shade are several degrees lower in temperature. Other hints to keep food cool include:•A wet towel with its ends dipped in water, the food stays cool as the water constantly evapo-rates.•A deep pit lined with stones, kept in the shade and covered.•Dig a deep pit in the shade, lined with a tarp, filled with water and placing sealed cool bags within, keep covered.•A sealed container in a running stream.•Vegetables need ventilation and shade.•Keep part opened dry goods in containers - otherwise your little woodland friends might visit overnight!•Put perishables in a cool box if possible.•Leftover food should be cooled quickly and kept in the shade. It should be used within 24 hours.

Handy hints for mass catering

AllergiesAlmost 1 in 12 young children suffer from a food allergy and they seem to be getting more and more common. Food al-lergies occur when your immune system becomes confused – instead of ignor-ing harmless food proteins, it triggers a reaction, which leads to the release of a chemical called histamine. It is histamine which causes the classic allergy symp-toms of hives or swelling. More severe reactions are called anaphylaxis, and this may be life threatening.

Most serious food allergies start in infan-cy and early childhood. They are caused by a relatively small number of different foods. Milk and egg allergy are the most common and tend to disappear during childhood. The other common food ‘aller-gens’ vary depending on where you live. Whilst peanut and tree nut allergies are common in the US, UK and Australia, fish and seafood allergies are more common in South East Asia and Southern Europe. Wheat, soy, sesame and kiwi are other common problem foods.

Food Allergies in Different Parts of the World•Worldwide – milk, egg•USA, UK, Australia – peanut and tree nuts•France – mustard seed•Italy, Spain – peach, apple, shellfish•Israel – sesame•Spain, Japan - fish•Japan – buckwheat•Singapore - birds’ nest, shellfish

Symptoms of an immediate food allergy:Mild to moderate symptoms typically affect the skin, the respiratory system and the gut.

•A flushed face, hives, a red and itchy rash around the mouth, tongue or eyes. This can spread across the entire body.•Mild swelling, particularly of the lips, eyes and face.•A runny or blocked nose, sneezing and watering eyes.•Nausea and vomiting, tummy cramps and diar-rhoea.•A scratchy or itchy mouth and throat.

Severe symptoms (anaphylaxis). These require urgent medical attention.

•Wheezing or chest tightness, similar to a severe asthma attack.•Swelling of the tongue and throat, restricting the airways. This can cause noisy breathing (espe-cially on breathing in), a cough or a change in voice.•A sudden drop in blood pressure (called hypo-tension) leading to shock.•Dizziness, confusion, collapse, loss of con-sciousness and sometimes coma.Allergies at camp:•Make sure your camp health forms include questions on food allergies and their severity, and which symptoms a person is likely to exhibit.•Make sure the KP is aware of campers with allergies and can therefore try to eliminate these food stuffs from menus, and check ingredients of processed foods etc.•Ensure there is no cross contamination of cooking equipment or cutlery - knives in peanut butter, then jam or margarine for example.•Let those with allergies get served first to help reduce possibility of cross contamination.•If a member has severe allergies - for example to nuts, it’s safest not to have peanut butter etc at camp at all.•All clan leaders should be aware of the issue and liaise with the 1st Aid Officer as appropri-ate.

BreakfastsThe recipes below in-clude some old favourites and some variations upon them. Traditional camp breakfasts often consist of cereal, cooked break-fast, breads and spreads and a drink. This is pretty substantial and therefore you could easily drop the cooked course on every other day, adding fruit, and yoghurt or fruit juice in-stead. For vegetarians try serving halloumi cheese in slices instead of bacon.

Eggy Bread

Ingredients•7 eggs•425 ml of milk (semi skimmed is fine)•20 slices of bread•Oil

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the milk. Soak the bread in the mixture and fry each side in hot oil.Variation- Crunchy eggy bread. Add a tea-spoon of vanilla extract to the egg mix. Crush up a large box of corn flakes in a bowl. Dip the bread in egg mixture and then quickly place in the bowl of corn-flakes, coating both sides of the bread. Then fry in the normal way.

Deluxe Eggy Bread

IngredientsAs above except butter the bread and add grated cheese – making a cheese sandwich. Dip into eggy mixture and fry as above. Another variation is to make a peanut butter sandwich and fry in the same way but adding a teaspoon of va-nilla extract to the egg mix.

Chocolate Toasties

• 10 mini pitta breads• 200 g of dark chocolate

Split the pittas open and lay inside a row of chocolate. Add them to a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Grill them for several minutes, turning regularly until the chocolate inside melts.Variations - try with Nutella, or milk choc-olate or chocolate that’s flavoured with mint.

Breakfast Bagels

• 10 large open cup mushrooms• 1 tablespoon of olive oil• 10 halved bagels toasted• 10 eggs• Salt and pepper

Remove the stalk from the mushrooms, and deepen the hole to allow the egg to be added. Put oil into frying pan and cook the mushrooms hollow side up over a medium heat, turning once. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms get soft. Crack the egg into the hollow mush-room and cook for a further 6 to 8 min-utes. Toast the bagels in a dry frying pan. You could spray the mushrooms with oil and cook in the oven and fry the eggs in the normal way as an alternative. Variations - you could use bacon or sausages (meat or vegetarian) instead of the mushroom or egg.

Scrambled Eggs

• 10 eggs• 240 ml milk• salt and pepper

Mix ingredients together and cook gently in a double boiler, stirring constantly. Take off the gas while it is still a bit runny, as it will contin-ue to cook in the hot pan.Variations - You could add chopped fresh herbs- Rosemary for example, or grated cheese, diced and sautéed onions, chopped cooked bacon or diced ham. Be careful if you decide to add mushrooms - open cup mush-rooms can turn the scrambled eggs into a grey colour...not particularly appetising!

Pancakes

•310 g of self raising flour•2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder•Pinch of salt•62 g of caster sugar•500 ml buttermilk (or use 250 ml of milk and 250 ml of natural yoghurt)•5 eggs•Oil for frying

Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add sugar. Separately whisk the buttermilk and eggs, then add to the flour. Stir gently with a wooden spoon - don’t over stir it.Add oil to a frying pan and add 1-2 table-spoons of batter per pancake to the pan. Bubbles will appear in the batter, as they burst its time to flip them and cook for a fur-ther minute.Serving suggestions - they can be served with streaky bacon or maple syrup for an American style breakfast. Although they are good with jam or a side of fresh fruit pieces like blueberries, strawberries etc. You could also add 3 apples, peeled and grated to the pancake mix with 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon. And of course, lemon and sugar is traditional!

Mexican beans and sausages

•2 tablespoons of vegetable oil•20 chipolata type sausages•5 x 415 g cans of baked beans•A couple of pinches of smoked paprika and dried chilli flakes•250 g of grated mature or medium cheddar•Salt and pepper

Add the oil to the frying pan and cook the sausages on a medium heat for 15 minutes, until nice and crispy. Remove from pan and cut up. Put beans, smoked paprika and chilli flakes into a pot and cook until piping hot. Add the sausages and cook through. Add seasoning as required. Served and add grated cheese on top. This tastes great with a piece of buttered French bread.Variations - Clearly this is quite spicy and could be a little hot for our younger members. As an alternative, cook the sausages and beans without the spices and buy jars of Chipotle paste that people can add to their own taste.

Greek Yoghurt Makeover

•300ml Greek yoghurt•10 bananas sliced•200 g of chopped hazel nuts or other nuts•200 g of clear, runny honey

Serve the yoghurt and simply add the bananas and nuts and drizzle honey over the top to taste.Variations - Try replacing the bananas with another fruit like blueberries, rasp-berries, strawberries or blackberries. Grated dark chocolate or dried fruit are also good.

Breakfast Burrito

•600 g of choritzo cut into chunks (you can buy vegetarian versions)•800 g of cooked, diced potatoes•15 eggs•225 g of grated cheddar cheese•10 large tortilla wraps•A hot tomato based sauce•A knob butter/margarine

Melt the butter/margarine in a frying pan, add the choritzo and sauté until the oil seeps out and the choritzo begins to go crispy. Add the diced potato and cook over a medium heat. Stir the pan regular-ly until the potatoes are hot. Crack in the eggs and scatter over the grated cheese. Stir well, breaking up the eggs to create a kind of omelette. Warm through the wraps and put the mixture into them. Let people add their own hot sauce if they want it.

Breakfast Bread

• 900 g of sausages• 24 eggs• 1 loaf of thick cut bread• 180 g of grated cheese• Cooking oil

Add oil to frying pan and cook sausages for 15 minutes. Then cut up into small pieces and set aside. Whisk eggs in a bowl and then pour a small amount into a high sided cooking tray, just enough to give a thin layer. Layer half the bread into the tray overlaying the slices. Spread the sausage and grated cheese over the bread. Pour half of the remaining egg mixture over the first layer of bread. Now add another layer of bread and pour the rest of the egg over that. Put in the oven on gas mark 7 for about 40-50 minutes – or until the eggs have set.Variation - you could add mushrooms instead of sausage. This American dish is served with Maple Syrup, but obviously that’s a matter of taste.

There can be many variations on lunch-es. The standard easy lunch can be a sandwich (cheese, ham, tuna mayo and hummus are all popular) crisps, a piece of fruit and a cereal bar. But below are some other lunches you could try to mix and match.

LUNCH

Bruschetta

•4 french sticks, divided into 10 lengths and cut in half•10 garlic cloves•10 plum tomatoes diced•Extra virgin olive oil•Salt and pepper•Fresh basil

Pop bread into the oven on gas mark 4 for 5-10 minutes to start to crisp up the bread. Peel the garlic, slice in half and rub garlic on the bread. Then chop up and sprinkle over the bread. Add the diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle chopped basil leaves over the top.Variations - you can remove the skins of the tomatoes by dropping them into boiling water for 30 seconds and remov-ing the skins with a knife. Other ways to make a tasty lunch include:• Mozzarella: While toasting or grilling the bread, top each piece (after turning once) with a thin slice of fresh mozzarella. • Cherry Tomatoes & Chives: In-stead of using large tomatoes, cut cherry tomatoes or small pear tomatoes in half and scatter them over the bruschetta. Top with fresh snipped chives. • Red Onions: Add 1 small red onion, minced, to the tomatoes. Top with finely chopped parsley. • Balsamic Vinegar: Add 1 table-spoon balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes and top the bruschetta with a mix of fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme).

Basic Quesadillas

•20 flour tortillas•10 tablespoons of tomato puree•250g of grated cheddar or other hard cheese

Spread the tomato puree onto a tortillas and top with cheese then place the sec-ond tortilla on top. Cook for a couple of minutes in a dry frying pan. Flip over the quesadilla and cook on the other side. Just lift the edge of the top tortilla to see if the cheese has melted- if it has its ready to serve.

Variations - you can add ham, chorizo, onion, mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, tomatoes, or a touch of oregano. The secret is to make sure whatever else you add is finely sliced. You could use pesto or salsa instead of tomato puree.

French bread pizza

•3 French sticks•100 g of passata•6 buffalo mozzarella balls roughly cut

This will give you a basic Margarita type pizza. Obviously you can add onion, peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn etc. For meat eaters you could add tuna flakes, chorizo, pepperoni, chicken. Have some salt, pepper, chilli flakes and oregano for individuals to add extra flavour.

Grilled Halloumi with pea and mint salad

•1kg of halloumi cheese•Olive oil•450g of fresh or frozen peas•Three big handfuls of interesting salad leaves- rocket, watercress etc•75g of fresh mint roughly chopped•Juice of 1 ½ lemons•Pepper

Slice the haloumi, and then rub a small amount of olive oil and pepper on both sides. Fry the cheese in a frying pan, cooking both sides - keep warm in oven. Blanch fresh peas in boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes. Mix the salad leaves with the mint. When serving place salad leaves first, place halloumi over them and drizzle a little olive oil and lemon juice over the top.Variations - you can buy chilli flavoured halloumi for extra kick. Or replace the mint with finely chopped parsley.

Wardorf Salad

•10 handfuls of interesting salad leaves•3 large handfuls of seedless grapes•7 sticks of celery•250 g of walnuts roughly chopped•2 bunches of flat leafed parsley•3 red apples•2 heaped teaspoons of Dijon mustard•4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar•Extra olive oil•2 heaped tablespoons of natural yoghurt•Salt and pepper

Throw together the salad leaves and cut up grapes. Peel the outside of the cel-ery and chop. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan (don’t overcook them), and set aside. Chop parsley and add to salad. Put olive oil, vinegar and mustard into a jar (3 times as much olive oil as the other ingredients. Add yoghurt and a little salt and pepper - give it a good shake and add ingredients as needed to get a smooth creamy dressing. Finely slice the apples into thin sticks.Pour the dressing over the leaves. Given children may have nut allergies, keep the apple and walnuts separately and serve them to those who want them!

Summer Minestrone soup

•Olive oil•1 large onion, chopped•2 cloves of garlic, chopped•150 g of green beans•10 spring carrots•250 g of asparagus, each cut into three•2.5 litres of vegetable stock•300 g of broccoli cut into small florets•15 spring onions –white part only, cut in rounds•820g of canned cannellini beans•10 tablespoons of parmesan cheese•10 tablespoons of olive oil•5 tablespoons of chopped basil•5 tablespoons of mint

Heat oil in a frying pan and cook onion over a low heat for 10 minutes, then add the garlic. Prepare the carrots and beans and cut into bite sized lengths. Place onions, carrots and stock in a large pot, bring to the boil, then cook for a further 5 minutes or so. Add both kinds of beans, asparagus, broccoli and the spring on-ions. Bring back to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Season the soup. Mix the basil, mint, a little salt, parmesan cheese and olive oil together in a bowl. Serve the soup up and add a little of the basil and mint dressing on top.Variations - add ham for a meaty alterna-tive.

Chickpea and pasta soup

•3 tablespoons of olive oil•10 cloves of garlic, crushed•3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary•3 cans of tomatoes (400 g each)•1 litre of vegetable stock (use about 5 vegetable oxo cubes)•400g of canned chickpeas•200 g of pasta - like macaroni

Heat the oil in a large pot over a medi-um heat. Add the garlic and gently cook. Add rosemary and cook for a little longer. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the stock, chickpeas and pasta. Season to taste and cook until the pasta is cooked

Dutch Rice

Ingredients• 1.25 kg of rice• 5 heaped teaspoons of marmite• 5 large onions, sliced• 10 tablespoons of vegetable oil• 10 beaten eggs• Soy sauce

Boil the rice. Dissolve the marmite in a cup of hot water. Heat a pot, adding the oil and onions, gently frying them until they soften. Pour the eggs over the mix-ture and allow the eggs to cook slowly. Gradually add the cooked rice. Now add the marmite. Heat through and then sim-mer until the liquid has dissolved. Serve with Soy sauce.Variations - add cooked bacon cut into small pieces with the onions.

Pasta and Pesto salad

You can buy jars of pesto for this dish or make your own.

Ingredients.• 750g of pasta• 3 large bunch of basil• about 25 g coarse sea salt• 100g pine kernels• 10 garic cloves, peeled• 250ml olive oil• 200g parmesan freshly grated

To make the pesto, put the basil leaves in a large bowl with the salt, pine kernels and garlic. Grind down with a pestle until it becomes a fine pulp. Start to add the oil and continue grinding until the mixture is smooth. Add the parmesan and mix well. Cook pasta in salted water until soft. Drain pasta. Mix the pesto into the pasta.

Falafels, minty Yoghurt and Pitta Bread

You could buy pre made falafels but these tend to be a little dry- so make your own.

Ingredients•10 pittas•2 ½ cans of chickpeas (400g can)•2 heaped tablespoons of chopped cori-ander•10 chopped spring onions•2 teaspoons of cumin•2 heaped tablespoons of parsley•5 gloves of chopped garlic•2 teaspoons of sesame seeds•3 medium eggs•Flour•Vegetable oil •2 packets of salad leave400ml of natu-ral yoghurt•3 tablespoons of fresh mint•Juice of fresh lemon

Put drained chickpeas into bowl and mash them, mixing in spring onions, herbs, cumin, sesame seeds, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Crack the eggs into the mixture, stir and leave in a cool place for at least half an hour to firm up. Mix yo-ghurt and mint together. Flour your hands and taking a heaped teaspoon of the falafel mix and roll into a ball and dust with a little flour. To cook the falafels, heat oil in frying pan and fry until crispy. Dry fry pittas, slice open when they rise slightly.

Variations - You could add fresh chillis- two small red ones or chilli flakes to give it and extra kick or add medium curry powder instead of the parsley for a differ-ent twist on this classic dish.

Tahini Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice3 cloves of garlic - finely minced1/4 to 1/3 cup Tahini 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oilWater to thin the sauce to a consisten-cy a bit thicker than a heavy whipping cream.2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley1/4 teaspoon sea salt

In a small bowl add the minced garlic and lemon juice. With the back of a spoon, crush the garlic slightly. Add the Tahini and stir. Add the olive oil. Slowly add a little water at a time, stirring until it is fully mixed. Add the parsley and salt. Except for the tiny chunks of garlic, the sauce should be smooth. Set aside for half an hour before serving.

Dinner tends to be the most sub-stantial meal of the day, usually a main course and dessert. There are many simple meals you can do. For example:- sausages, mash and beans. Or have a chip night. Buy the chips from a local chip shop and just cook up sausages. Half a bag of chips is plenty for Elfins and Pioneers. Or you can buy ready-made quiches, warm them through and serve with new potatoes and a basic salad. Below are meals that will take a little longer to make, but are well worth the effort.

DINNERS

Tagine

Ingredients•1 ½ tablespoons of cinnamon•1 ½ tablespoons of ground cumin•1 ½ tablespoons of ground turmeric•Olive oil for frying•3 packs of Quorn pieces (350g each) •2 kg of sweet potatoes, peeled and chunkily cut.•5 onions, chopped•3 cloves of garlic, chopped •2 tablespoons of tomato puree•2 cans of chopped tomatoes•600 ml of vegetable stock•3 tins of chickpeas drained and rinsed (400g cans)•Salt and pepper

Heat some oil and fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic and spices. Transfer to a pot, allow to cool slightly and add the tomato puree, tomatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Add the sweet potato and chickpeas and simmer until they are soft. Add more stock if the tagine starts to dry out.

Variations - to make a meat tagine add 1.2kg of lamb or chicken and replace the vegetable stock with chicken stock. Tagine often have apricots in them, but not everyone likes them. But add 150g of dried apricots if you wish. This meal is normally served with couscous.

This meal is normally served with cous-cous. Allow 60g per person. You can add sultanas and flaked almonds- ap-proximately 30g of each per ten people. But remember the advice regarding nut allergies above.

Vegetable Risotto

Ingredients•2 large onions chopped•600g of broccoli cut into small florets•600g of cauliflower cut into small florets•5 carrots peeled and sliced•2 red peppers diced•100g of margarine•600g of white or brown rice•2 cans of chickpeas •900ml of vegetable stock•Salt and pepper•12ml of dried mixed herbs•60ml of chopped parsley

This is a great risotto dish for camp because it doesn’t require the gradual adding of liquid like other risottos. In a large pot melt the margarine and saute the onions, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and pepper. Stir for about 5 minutes. Then stir in the rice and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously. Add the chickpeas, stock and the herbs and season. Bring to the boil. Transfer to a cooking tray and cover. Cook in the oven at gas mark 6 for 40 minutes. Check it occasionally as the rice absorbs a fair bit of liquid - add more if necessary. Serve with chopped parsley or grated parmesan cheese.

Variation - you could replace the vegetable stock with chicken stock and add chicken breasts that are cut into chunks and fried before putting the risotto in the oven.

Fajitas

•Olive oil for frying•10 chicken breasts, cut into strips•5 onions, sliced•8 green peppers, deseeded and sliced•10 flour tortilla wraps•5 chopped tomatoes•2 heads of lettuce, sliced•2 tubs of salsa (200g each)•1 tub of sour cream (300g)•2 tubs of guacamole (200g each)•500g of grated cheese

Fry the chicken strips in a frying pan, and fry the onions and peppers in a separate pan. Then warm the wraps. Serve and al-low people to make their own, construct-ing it as they want.

Variations - you could replace chicken with quorn pieces, mushrooms or another meat substitute. Or you could coat the chicken in flour, dip into egg and roll in golden breadcrumbs and then fry.

Goulash

•1 kg of lean beef cubed•2 tablespoons of vegetable oil•3 cans of chopped tomatoes•2 green peppers, diced and deseeded•2 tablespoons of paprika•1 tablespoon of dried basil•1 tablespoon of marjoram•240ml of sour cream

Heat oil in the pan and brown the beef. Set the beef aside and sauté the onions until soft. Add the herbs, pepper and tomatoes. Season and return the meat to the pot. Add the sour cream. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.Variations - add quorn instead of beef. You can serve with egg noodles or mashed potato.

Highland Filler

•300g of new potatoes•Oil for frying•10 chicken breasts cut into chunks•5 onions finely chopped•5 peppers, deseeded and chopped•300g of mushrooms chopped•2 x 500 g jar of pasta sauce.

Cut up potatoes and par-boil in salted water. Drain and leave to cool. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken. Set aside and add the onions to the pan, add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until soft. Add potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms and chicken to a cooking pot and add the pasta sauce. Cook through until piping hot.This can be served with crusty bread, pasta or rice.

Variation - use tofu or quorn instead of chicken. Or you can make your own pas-ta sauce from scratch or use passata if you don’t want to use a pre-made jar.

Thai green curry

•2 tablespoons of vegetable oil•10 tablespoons of green curry paste•2 cans of coconut milk (400 ml each)•500ml of chicken stock•5 chicken breasts cut into strips•240g of green beans, ends trimmed.•20 spring onions, roots cut off and cut into small pieces

In a frying pan warm the oil and add the curry paste. Add the coconut milk and stock and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the beans and spring onions and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve with rice. If you want to make coconut rice, cook basmati rice and replace one third of the water with coconut milk. Green curry paste is the hottest Thai paste, so you might want to reduce the amount in the dish for younger palettes. Or use red paste which is medium hot or yellow paste which is the mildest.

Variations - clearly you can replace the meat and chicken stock with alternatives or add more vegetables - peppers and chunky cut mushrooms or aubergines for example.

Irish stew

•1.5 kg of stewing lamb•1 kg of floury potatoes, peeled•1 kg of waxy potatoes, peeled•1.5 kg of carrots, peeled and sliced•3 onions, chopped•2 bay leaves•3 sprigs of thyme•10 lightly crushed peppercorns•2 litres of lamb stock

Pour the stock along with the peeled and sliced onions, carrots, herbs and pepper-corns into a large pan. Cut the meat into large chunks and cut the potatoes into similar sized chunks. Keep the two types of potato separate. Put the lamb into the stock, bring to the boil and skim off any fat that rises. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Add the floury potatoes and cook on a very low heat for at least an hour and a half, or until the meat is tender. Then add the waxy potatoes and simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes.

Variations - You can add pearl barley, leaks or other vegetables to bulk it out. There is a vegetarian version at: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vegetari-an-irish-stew.html

Chunky potato and spinach curry

•10 tomatoes•4 tablespoons of vegetable oil•5 onions, cut into thick wedges•7cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped•2 ½ tablespoons of ground coriander•1.5 kg of potatoes cut into chunks•1.5 litres of vegetable stock•2 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste•600g of spinach leaves•Salt and pepper

Put tomatoes into a bowl of boiling wa-ter, leave for a few minutes, then plunge into cold water. Now peel off the skins. Cut tomatoes into quarters. Remove the seeds and core. Heat the oil and add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry until the onions soften. Add the coriander and potatoes and increase the heat. Add the stock and curry paste, season and bring to the boil. Stir occasionally. Now simmer on a low heat of about 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook for another couple of minutes or until the spinach has wilted.

Serve with rice or naan bread.

Variations - you could obviously add chicken for a meat variation or half the amount of potatoes and add the same amount of sweet potatoes, or use sweet potatoes entirely. Chickpeas are another good addition if you want a non-meat protein source.

“Indian” tacos

This is a recipe we were introduced to by our friends in Montana during an ex-change to the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne nation.

Ingredients for chilli• 2 tablespoons of oil• 2 large onions, sliced• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed• 2 tablespoons of mild chilli pow-der• 2 teaspoons of paprika• 1.2 kg of lean beef mince• 3 beef stock cubes• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (400g each)• 2 teaspoons of sugar• 4 tablespoons of tomato puree• 2 cans of red kidney beans• 600ml of boiled water

Fry the sliced onions and garlic in the oil until soft and add to a cooking pot. Brown the beef, and strain to release any fat. Add the beef to the onions and garlic in the pot, along with the chilli powder and paprika. Add the stock cubes to the boiled water and add to the pot. Now add the tomatoes and paste to the pot. Season the chilli with salt and pepper. Simmer the chilli, bringing to the boil gently, then turn down and simmer for 30 minutes or so with lid on the pot. Add the kidney beans and cook on a higher heat for 15 minutes with the lid off. Taste and adjust seasoning - remembering that young children aren’t always too keen on food that’s too spicy. You can add a little sugar to this recipe - about 2 teaspoons.

Fry bread

• 240g plain flour• 2 teaspoons of baking powder• 34g of powdered milk• 50g of sugar• Salt• 240ml warm water• Vegetable oil for deep frying

To make Indian fry bread. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, powdered milk and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the warm water and mix with a fork and hands to create a soft dough. Leave it to stand for at least 30 minutes. Pull off bits of dough and make into balls (golf ball size). Then flatten out. Add oil to a high sided frying pan or skillet to the depth of 2.5 cms. When you drop the dough into the oil, it should sizzle, if it doesn’t the oil is not hot enough. Fry the rounds 2 or 3 at a time - depending on the size of the frying pan. Deep fry for about 1or 2 minutes un-til golden brown. Remove, drain and pop in the oven to keep warm.

When serving fold the fry bread over like a taco and put a ladle of chilli inside with a sprinkle of grated cheese.Variations - You can make the chilli with a vegetarian substitute and vegetable stock or simply add extra kidney beans. Fry bread can also be eaten sweet with sugar, honey, maple syrup or berries.

Pasta and spicy meatballs

• 1.2 kg of minced beef• 5 onions, finely chopped• 7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped• 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika• 2 large eggs• 10 tomatoes• Oil for frying• 3 tablespoons of tomato puree• 2 tablespoons of oregano• 200 ml of beef stock• 1 kg of dried tagliatelle• A bag of grated mozzarella

Mix all the mince and half the onions in a bowl, add two thirds of the garlic, the paprika, eggs, salt and pepper. Make into 60 small meatballs. Fry in a deep sided pan on a medium heat until brownedCore and chop the tomatoes. Fry the on-ions until soft adding the garlic. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, stock and seasoning. Bring to the boil and then simmer. Cook the pasta in boiling water. Combine the meat balls with the pasta sauce and warm through.

Serve the meatballs in sauce over the pasta with a sprinkle of mozzarella over the top.

Variation - use vegi mince instead of beef and vegetarian stock.

SidesMashed potato - 2 alternatives

Neeps and tatties

Ingredients•1 kg of swede peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks.•1 kg of potatoes peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks•Salt•White pepper•Butter

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the swede and cook for about 20 minutes, then add the potatoes and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until both ingredients are cooked through. Drain and leave to steam dry. Mash up with a good pinch of white pepper and a large knob of butter until smooth.

Potato and celeriac mash

•Salt•1.5 kg of celeriac, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks•1 kg of potato, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks•Single cream•Butter•Black pepper

Boil a large pan of water. Add a pinch of salt. Add celeriac and potatoes and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through. Drain and leave to steam dry. Mash up and add a good glug of cream, a knob of butter, salt and pepper.

Oven vegetable chips

•3 kg of mixed root vegetables (parsnip, swede, carrot, celeriac, turnip)•10 tablespoons of olive oil•36 cloves of unpeeled garlic•Salt and pepper

Put the oven onto gas mark 7. Peel vegetables and cut into sticks about 1 cm thick- you can blanch them in boiling water for a minute to help speed up the cooking process. Toss the vegetables and garlic in the olive oil, season and spread out on baking trays, roasting for about 30 minutes. Turn them occasionally.

Coleslaw

Ingredients• 12 tablespoons of plain yoghurt• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise• 1 white cabbage• 4 carrots• 1 onion• Salt and pepper

Mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt and mustard together. Grate the vegetables. Mix all together and lightly season.

Potato saladIngredients• 2 kg of small new potatoes• 10 tablespoons of mayonnaise• 150g of chopped spring onions• Salt and pepper• Chives snippedBoil the potatoes, mix in the mayonnaise and spring onions. Lightly season and add chives, mixing thoroughly.

Cheesy nachos

Ingredients• 250g of nachos• 200g of grated cheese• 14 tablespoons of salsa• 14 tablespoons of soured cream to serve

Spread the salsa on the bottom of a cooking tray. Scatter the nachos evenly over them and then the cheese. Bake in the oven at gas mark 6 until the cheese melts and starts to brown a little. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.Variations - you could use refried beans as the base layer and spread the salsa and cheese over the nachos.

Tabouleh

Ingredients• Fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped• 5 tablespoons of fresh mint, finely chopped• 10 spring onions, finely chopped• 10 tomatoes, finely chopped• 5 lemons - the juice only• 10 tablespoons of olive oil• Salt and pepper• 250g of couscous• 300 ml of water• 2 vegetable stock cubes• 3 teaspoons of mixed herbs

Mix all the veg into a large bowl. Add all the lemon juice and olive oil and season. Put couscous into a pan with the water, mixed herbs and stock cube. Bring to the boil and then simmer for a few minutes. (You could just pour the boiling water over the couscous , cover it and let it absorb the liquid) Set aside for 5 minutes or so until all the liquid is absorbed. Then mix couscous and vegetables together.

Chickpea mash

Ingredients• 2 tablespoons of olive oil• 2 onions, chopped• 8 garlic cloves , peeled and crushed• 2 tins of chickpeas (400g cans)• Two bags of baby spinach• Salt and pepper

Heat the oil and fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic. Then add the chickpeas and cook until soft (keep stirring the pot). When the chickpeas are soft, mash them. Add spinach to a pot of boiling water to wilt them. Drain the spinach and squeeze out excess water. Then add to the chick-peas. Season and serve.

Potato scones

Ingredients• 1 kg of potatoes, peeled.• 4 teaspoons of salt• 100g of margarine• 200g self raising flour

Boil the potatoes in water until soft, drain and mash them. Add the salt, flour and margarine into a stiff mixture. Roll out on a floured surface to 1 cm thickness. Cut into triangles and fry in a hot greased frying pan for 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Chunky mushrooms

• Olive oil• 10 flat cap mushrooms• Salt and pepper• Tub of créme fraiche• Bunch of flat leaf parsley

Cut storks out of mushrooms and drizzle with olive oil. Place the mushrooms cup side down on a baking tray and cook in the oven on gas mark 6 for 15 minutes. Turn the mushrooms over and fill the cups with créme fraiche and cook for another 10 minutes. Coarsely chop them into a bowl and scatter chopped parsley over the top.

Tofu and carrot patties

Ingredients• 2 carrots, grated• Bunch of spring onions sliced• 1 clove of garlic, crushed• 400g block of firm tofu, drained and crumbled• 2 eggs, slightly beaten• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil• Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients except the oil into a bowl and season. Heat both oils in a frying pan and dollop about 4 table-spoons of the mixture into the oil, turning down to a medium heat. Cook for 4 min-utes. Flip over and cook the other side.

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Tame Sprite cake

Ingredients• 35g butter or 1 ½ cups• 600g sugar or 3 cups• 5 ml lemon or 1 teaspoon• 5 ml vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon• 5 eggs • 360g flour or 3 cups• 240 ml Sprite or 1 cup

Heat the oven to gas mark 5/6. Cream the butter and sugar together and then add vanilla and lemon. Add the eggs one at a time. Add flour and Sprite alter-nating them, adding bit by bit. Pour into a greased tin (a bundt tin serves well). Bake for an hour and a half. Leave to cool and turn out. Sometimes the bottom seems undercooked. If so pop back into the oven free standing, the bottom face up to brown off for another 10/15 min-utes.

Wild Sprite cake

Ingredients• 2 packets of white cake mix (550 g each)• 2 cans of sliced peaches drained (398 ml each)• 2 cans of Sprite (335 ml each)

Pour the drained peaches into a greased baking tray. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the fruit. Pour the fizzy drink over the top. DO NOT MIX IN. Cover and bake in the oven on gas mark 5 or 6 for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 20 minutes. Let the cake cool completely before serving.If you can’t find ready-made American style cake mix you can find out how to make your own at: http://chickensinth-eroad.com/cooking/homemade-white-cake-mix/

Flapjack based fruit crumble

IngredientsFlapjack base•50g of hazelnuts•125g unsalted butter•3 tablespoons of golden syrup•175g rolled oats•75g dried mixed fruitFilling•1 cooking apple cored and peeled•6 medium eating apples, cored and peeled•100g dark brown sugar•Pinch of ground cinnamon•300g of blackberries

Crumble topping•75g unsalted butter•100g plain flour•100g Demerara sugar

Break up the nuts. Melt butter and syrup in saucepan over a low heat. Put nuts, oats and dried fruit in a bowl and pour over the butter and syrup. Mix well and spoon into a greased tin. Press down with the back on a spoon. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes in a pre heated oven at gas mark 4. It should be golden when cooked.

Cut each apple into 12 pieces and cook over a medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover with lid and stew until the fruit softens. Remove the lid and cook until the sauce thickens a little. Stir in blackberries and take off the heat.Rub the butter and flour for the topping in a bowl, add sugar and rub until you have fine crumbs.Pour stewed fruit over the flapjack, sprin-kle the topping over it and put in hot oven for about 50 minutes.Serve with custard.

Variations - you can try other fruit that complement apples- blackcurrants for example. Or try adding a number of fruit instead, black berries, raspberries and blue berries for example.

Pineapple sundae

Ingredients• 3 fresh pineapples cut into chunks• 450 g of sweet orange segments• 3 bananas cut into chunks• 5 tablespoons of chopped crystal-lised ginger• 1200ml natural yoghurt• 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract• 3 teaspoons of sugarMix the fruit and most of the ginger into a bowl. In another bowl mix the yoghurt, vanilla and sugar. Into plastic cups spoon alternative layers of fruit and yoghurt mix and finish with a little chopped ginger on the top.

Fruit flan

Ingredients•25cm flan case•397g tinned fruit•1 packet of Quick Jel

Drain the fruit and spread fruit on the flan case. Make up the Quick Jel as per instructions and pour over the fruit. Allow it to set. Serve with cream or evaporated milk.

Cream tea

Ingredients• 200g of self raising flour• Half teaspoon of salt• 50g of margarine• Small amount of milk to make a soft dough

Mix the flour and salt together and rub in the margarine. Add a little milk at a time until you have a soft dough. Roll out on a floured surface. Cut into 7cm rounds and place on a greased tray. Cook in the oven at gas mark 7 for about 10 minutes. Serve with strawberry jam and squirty cream or whipping cream. Go the whole hog and brew up pots of tea to go along with it!

Strawberry mess

Ingredients• 40 strawberries• 2 ½ tablespoons of icing sugar• Couple of dashes of vanilla es-sence• 400 ml of whipping or double cream• 8 tablespoons of plain yoghurt• 5 individual meringue nests

Hull and roughly chop the strawberries and mix in a bowl with icing sugar. In another bowl, whip up the cream with the vanilla. When it forms soft peaks add the yoghurt.

In plastic cups put a layer of strawber-ries. Add meringues to the cream, break-ing them into small chunks. Add this to strawberries and then add some more strawberries. Serve before it becomes more of a mess than a strawberry mess!

Rhubarb and custard pots

Ingredients• 1 kg of rhubarb• 10 tablespoons of caster sugar• 5 tablespoons ginger cordial• Juice of two large oranges• 400ml of double cream• 600g of thick ready-made custard• 10 ginger nut biscuits

Cut the rhubarb into 2 cm pieces. Put into a pan with sugar and drizzle over the cordial and orange juice. Mix and gently cook until rhubarb is tender. Leave to cool. Take out the rhubarb and return the juice to the heat until it thickens. Divide rhubarb into plastic cups, whip the cream and mix with the custard, spoon this over the rhubarb, and then add the syrup over that with a crumbled biscuit to finish off.

Banana custard

Ingredients• 4 cans of custard (425g each)• 8 bananas

Slice up the bananas. Add them to the custard and heat through. Serve with grated chocolate or a dollop of cream and cherries.

Variation - you could blind bake some sweet short crust pastry bases and then add the banana custard mixture to it.

Fruit turnovers

Ingredients• 1 can of fruit pie filler (410g)• 1 kg block of puff pastry

Roll out the pastry and cut into 12 cm rounds (two per turnover). Add a heaped teaspoon of the pie filling to the centre of one round. Wet it around the edge and place the second round over it, sealing it all around the edges. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in an oven at gas mark 4 to 5. Serve with whipped or pouring cream.Variations - clearly there many different types of pie filling you can use. You could also add a little ricotta cheese to the turnover filling.

St Lucia biscuits

Ingredients• 75g margarine• 35g of icing sugar• 25g custard powder• 75g self raising flour• Bar of milk chocolate

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the cus-tard powder and sieve in the flour. Take a small amount and make into a sau-sage, then curl into a figure 8. Bake on a greased tray at gas mark 3 or 4 for 10 minutes. Melt chocolate in double boiler or in a bowl placed in a pot of hot water. Dip cooled biscuits half in the melted chocolate and set aside to harden.

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