Now that we’re into the warmer months, I’m going to be spending most of my Friday nights until the end of term cooking outdoors with my Guides. A few weeks ago they built a fire to boil water for hot chocolate, but tonight they actually cooked something. Eggy bread. Dip your bread in some beaten egg and fry. So simple. So delicious.

If you build it, they will come
To make things easier to tidy up at the end of the night (and not make a mess of the school yard), we build raised fires using a metal crate, a battered old fridge door, a couple of bricks and a grill. The Guides build the fire themselves, teach newbies how to do it and it all works swimmingly until it comes to actually lighting the fire. They’re all really enthusiastic about lighting it, but don’t seem to get that holding the match aloft in the wind isn’t going to result in a roaring blaze. Tonight, after about ten minutes and twenty matches we had a viable fire.

Lucy: Can I eat a raw one? Me: No. Because I very much do not want to see it again.

Lord of the Flies
Each girl had a job to do, and they took turns taking care of the pan. Ginger gamely volunteered to look after the fire, but decided that involved doing a fire dance rather than keeping it well fed. Anyway, the eggy bread cooked away in batches quite nicely. The first couple were a little bit charred, but they still tasted good. Alex’s batch was perfect – nicely browned on both sides and delicious with it. Once we’d all stuffed our faces, we used the embers to toast off some marshmallows. We normally do this with candles after enrolments, but marshmallows melt and crisp up so much faster on a hot, open fire, it would have been rude not to take advantage of the opportunity. Nom.

While the girls are generally very sensible, they’ve got a little bit to learn about fire safety. As in placing logs on the fire, rather than throwing them on from several feet away. Or employing the same principle when putting the bread in the pan so the fat doesn’t spit. We had one minor burn, but the girls need to know basic first aid to pass their Outdoor Cookery badge so that’s one thing ticked off the list at least.

Guides: Have no scruples about the 7 second rule.

 

Cooking outdoors on a fire you’ve built yourself is pretty cool. However, the smoke is not. It stings when it gets in your eyes, to the extent that you feel like PJ out of Byker Grove following the infamous paintballing incident (I’m sure shouting ‘Dun’can! ME EYES! I CANNAE SEE MAN!’ would be lost on the Guides). It also stinks up your hair and clothes pretty badly. I’m sure the lady sitting next to me on the train on the way home was grateful when I switched seats. I’ve since been in the shower  but can’t get the smell of charcoal off my hands. Delightful.

Soundtrack
As with most cookery sessions at Guides, the only soundtrack is the general chat of the girls and me shouting at them when they take their eyes off the fire. However, this little video has been doing the rounds on the internet and has been stuck in my head for several weeks now. This also made me giggle, although it adds to the cliché that Youtube is just full of cat videos. Whut.