Music to chop veg by?

For me, music and cooking go together like bitter and pork scratchings. There's nothing finer than a suitable soundtrack when the knives come out (ask Tarantino!).

But are there specific tunes for cooking as opposed to other activities? And does being outside make any difference?

So this is something in the way of an experiment. I've created a Spotify playlist called The cook outside. I'd like EVERYBODY who reads this blog to subscribe to it and add ONE song that they think is perfect for the chef outdoors. If you don't have a Spotify account then add your suggestion in Comment and I'll add it. If you can, forward it, retweet or otherwise pass it on to other like-minded foodies. Let's see how many tracks we can get .

What's your perfect pitch?

For the first time ever we've just received a door drop promoting a campsite. Given that we live in Balham this is not for one on the Kent coast with a shop,entertainment and heated pool but one called Ember something. It seems to be down near Beaulieu and as the name suggests features the joys of campfires.

As the name of this blog suggests, a fire is one of my essentials when choosing somewhere to go, but it's interesting to have a think about what else makes a difference. 

Getting there
Being in London means that proximity to wide open spaces is not good. The result is that there's some hard yards to go before we get anywhere. So high on my list of good things is a site that's accessible and easy to get to, particularly at weekends. Hardly any sites fault, but having spent nearly 7 hours getting to Eweleaze Farm in August, nothing kills the joy of tents like a long time stuck in the car. And that includes decent parking and trolleys etc when you get there. The guys at Wowwow memorably gave us a lift in a trailer on the back of a quad through the snow when we went there a couple of years ago.

The space you're in
There seem to be 2 types of site:

• The big field - rolling fields where you simply find a space that's not occupied
• The individual suite - usually with a comedy name

I'm pretty agnostic about which is better. 

The Eweleaze view

For the former what you want is something to look at. I have to say that the Eweleaze view is pretty hard to beat. The disadvantage is that you are sharing it with thousands of others, so if silence is golden for you, think carefully before making the trek

A stand of tough-looking trees

For the latter, you are swapping the view for seclusion. And the price of that seclusion is trees, lots of trees. Trees are both friend and foe. Friend in that they allow you to rig up tarps and hammocks at will. But when the sun goes down, make no mistake they are your foe. After a few glasses of anything stronger than Ovaltine (other bedtime drinks available) your ability to gauge distance is impaired. And having been knocked over more than once by a chunky bough you may regret that arboreal haven you chose. Wowow is particularly treey (is that a real word?) and none the worse for that - 

The facilities
It's a sad fact that the British are somewhat toilet obsessed (blame Thomas Crapper I suppose) and therefore their state is more important than anything else. For the cost-conscious campsite owner, it's a lot easier to dig a few deep pits and plonk a small garden shed on them than invest in many miles of pipework. To my mind the long drop or composting is infinitely preferable to the portaloo. 
But whatever is there or not there, the crucial point is that the staff regularly visit them - to clean that is rather than use! A judicious use of woodchips is particularly welcome for the average long drop - particularly at the end of the season.
Some kind of shower is also a boon - though most of the kids (and some of the adults) tend to develop acute hydrophobia under canvas. These are bound to be a bit on the spartan side, especially if they rely on solar power. But there are bonuses. The sound of birdsong as you get in the open top shower at Blackberry Wood  is particularly lovely.
And finally some kind of washing facility should be high on your wish list. You can of course make do with heating your own water and using your own washing up bowl (a builders trug is great for that). But you will have to accept that you will simply be moving dirt around an item rather than actually getting it clean.

The staff
Campsites are basically service businesses. So any site that has staff who understand that will be going to the top of my list. By that I mean staffed by people who know the site inside out and have all the vital knowledge - just how far is the walk to pub and what is the food like there? And staff who will take the initiative and sort stuff out. It's inevitable that there will be double bookings and pissed groups - it's how the campsite team deals with them that makes the difference. Britchcombe Farm near Uffington is a lovely site run (or was as I've not been there for a couple of years) by a woman who understood that perfectly.

You
The most important factor in what makes a great campsite is you.

Yes, you.

Campsites bring us all together cheek by jowl like nothing else. And without wanting to come over too John Stuart Mill, thinking solely about yourself will seriously impact on others. 

So, maybe lay off the bongo drums and that rendition of Land of Hope and Glory after say 11.00pm. Don't leave your rubbish strewn around or drive your 4x4 around the campsite. Lend or given someone stuff they may have forgotten. 

Because what really makes a great campsite is great people.

I've booked a night or two at Embers. I'll let you what it's like.