Fireside feasts

Best meal of the day?

I suppose that if this blog is all about the great outdoors and food, I should begin at the beginning - breakfast. 

Now of course the key difference to breakfast under a roof is time:the time you start; and the time it takes. Even without toddlers and small children, who are generally up well before anything else, the combination of light and birdsong make dawn pretty irresistible (lucky old dawn).

So my advice is use those extra minutes, or possibly hours, to get the fire going and prepare things. And the first thing to do, get the tea or coffee on. Tea of course is easy-peasy, but for coffee forget about lattes, flat whites and the like and keep it simple.  A hob-top espresso maker is perfectly tough enough to sit on the fire. 6 cup is perfect - you want a big mug of instant oomph. It's easy to weaken coffee that's too strong, but impossible to make weak coffee decent. Oh and don't forget to fill the bottom chamber with water. Bitter experience has taught me that there is no joy in the smell of burning rubber that precedes the realisation you forgot.

So with a cup of Joe in hand, consider the main event.

Although I'm not American, I have to say that pancakes are particularly fine in the wild. With maple and blueberry sauce they are really tasty and very filling. Kids go crazy for them too, no bad thing given they will have had next to no sleep and be more cranky than Alex Ferguson after a United loss.

The good news is that they are easy to rustle up.  We use the Nigella Express recipe - pack it up in 1 or 2 egg bags worth as it were - then simply add the eggs and milk when we need it. For the sauce just combine the maple syrup and the blueberries then heat til boiling and simmer for 5 minutes.

A dutch oven lid - the perfect griddle

But for the real deal - it has to be a fry up. And here, my advice is to invest in a Dutch oven. Though these are really common in the States (the frontier heritage?) they are a lot less common in a country that's more English Heritage. I'll be writing a post later to discuss them in a bit more detail, but for fry ups it the lid you want. 

The warming pan

A broad expanse of solid cast iron is perfect for almost everything - bacon, sausages and tomatoes. Cook these in batches and then keep them warm in a tray or pan, slightly away from the direct heat.

Eggs as I like them

Finally, on to the eggs. Make sure the lid is clear of any debris, let it reach frying speed, add a splash of oil, then off you go.

If one of you has the patience and can stand the heat, then while the eggs are frying, toast should be on the griddle in direct heat. You want red hot embers - flame and smoke - will result in something deeply unpleasant.

 It only remains to eat this excellent fry up - with brown sauce naturally. And here I have only one recommendation Tracklements. This is simply so superior to anything else that I urge you go out and buy it right away. 

So that's it - my thoughts on breakfast. 

What are yours?