I have found my happy place. It’s tending to a pot of something delicious that is bubbling over a gentle flame that I am actively protecting from coastal winds, to a soundtrack of the sea swelling and loved ones chatting nearby, ideally with the sun breaking through the clouds to warm the back of my neck as I cook. Sounds pretty good, right?
Lockdown brought me to outdoor cooking. I had moved to Connemara just before the pandemic hit and when things started to open up, I invested in a €25 portable gas camping cooker in Stanley’s of Clifden, a sixth-generation, family-run outdoor and Irish knitwear shop, to make the most of the beaches in my new home and to break bread with friends who weren’t quite ready to socialise indoors.
A well-established penchant for one-pot wonders came into their own when my Le Creuset pot met my little hob, and soon I was simmering shore-side tomato stews and serving up broths on the beach.
In February of this year, my girlfriend Anstice and I were gifted the opportunity of a lifetime by her aunt and uncle, Joanie and Johnny; an invitation to help out on Joanie’s family’s Corriedale sheep farm in New Zealand. We caught the tail end of their shearing season and mustered sheep by quad, 4x4 and horseback through the vast, rolling valleys of their farm. We also fulfilled a lifelong dream; spending a week exploring the South Island of New Zealand in a camper van.
We christened our camper van Dame Whina in honour of the Māori activist and kuia (Māori elder) Dame Whina Cooper. We drove to Aoraki/Mount Cook and slept under the stars at the foot of the Mueller Glacier. We parked up at Bob’s Cove outside of Queenstown for a hike and a swim. Anstice went fishing in the misty dawn near Milford Sound while I read Māori folk stories. We swam in the milky blue glacial water of Lake Pukaki. It was heaven on earth.
It’s an undeniable fact that mismanaged hunger can lead to hanger and can ruin a family holiday, and entire trips can be spoiled by festering hangxiety. And what makes it all the more tragic is that meltdowns, misunderstandings and misdemeanours could quite possibly be avoided or at the very least greatly minimised by the application of a well-timed handful of dried fruit-and-nut trail mix, a bite of a banana or a mouthful of a muesli bar baked before you’ve even left home.
When it came to cooking in the van, it turned out I knew exactly what to do thanks to my Connemara beach cookouts. I knew how to keep us really well fed while working with two small hobs and two little saucepans, a blunt knife and a chopping board about the size of a Kindle, making meals out of leftovers and minimising waste.
The same ingredients may pop up in different meals without compromising variety, sort of like a capsule wardrobe but with food
I’m a committed condimentalist and I proudly pack hot sauce(s) when going on holiday. I also bring a healthy store cupboard with me on trips. Obviously, fresh garlic and fresh ginger are a lot yummier and nutrient-rich than the dried versions but I’ve used the dried versions here as they can be helpful when you’re limited for space and conscious of food waste.
Speaking of food waste, it’s a good idea to plan your meals so that you can make the most of leftovers. The same ingredients may pop up in different meals without compromising variety, sort of like a capsule wardrobe but with food. The cauliflower in the salad recipe here would also be delicious in the garam masala greens. Use the same seed mix in the muesli bars and the cauliflower salad. Use White Mausu’s peanut rayu on basically everything.
These recipes work indoors too, of course, and would make a good addition to a holiday kitchen repertoire when you may not have all the gizmos and gadgets of your home kitchen.
If you are cooking outdoors, it goes without saying that it is imperative that you follow local guidelines and rules around what type of fire you are allowed to have outdoors, and what kind of impact they leave on the land. You don’t want to leave any trace, whether that is rubbish or scorched marks on the earth. This is one of the reasons I love my GoSystem Dynasty Compact II camping stove – it is raised off the ground so there is no damage done to the earth below, which can easily happen with disposable barbecues.
It is important, to the best of your ability, to prevent wildlife from eating your scraps. Joanie’s muesli bars are so delicious that they have been stolen by weka in New Zealand and seagulls in Ireland due to my personal negligence and carelessness in the face of an unexpectedly crafty adversary.
I eat a mostly vegetarian diet but I would happily add Gubbeen chorizo to the smoky cowgirl beans or Ummera smoked chicken to the mushroom miso broth
You may wonder at the practicality of carrying a cast iron pot to the beach. Fair point, and I wouldn’t pack my Le Creuset into my kayak for an island camping trip. But I do love how slow-cooked stews taste when cooked in a heavy-based pot. While cast iron is best for open fires and barbecues, most pots and pans will work over your portable gas camping stoves. You can invest in camping cookware which often doubles up as serving utensils – your pot is also your bowl – which is helpful if you’re hiking to your camping site and carrying your kitchen on your back.
The following recipes are meat free; I eat a mostly vegetarian diet but I would happily add Gubbeen chorizo to the smoky cowgirl beans or slices of Ummera smoked chicken to the mushroom miso broth. I love a seaside sausage as much as the next gal – especially when cooked on sticks over an open fire on a New Zealand beach – but I don’t love having to store raw meat while on the road. It’s a personal preference but I like to have ingredients with a long shelf life – sturdy greens such as kale, dried mushrooms, noodles, and tinned beans all tick that box.
What I love about outdoor cooking – as well as the joy of being close to nature – is that flavour and creativity are the queens of the campsite. Presentation is lower down the list of priorities as, typically, the backdrop makes everything more beautiful, and perfection is very much not the vibe. As my friend and seasoned van-life fan Lucy says, “You’re outside and you’ve cooked food – job done.” If hunger is the greatest sauce, then surely fresh air is the greatest condiment.
Photography: Ruth Medjber. Photography Assistant: Ronan Lally. Location Scout: Lucy Jackson
Recipe: Smoky cowgirl beans and eggs
Recipe: Lemon and mushroom miso broth
Recipe: Garam masala coconut greens
