put a damper on things...

Campfire cooking is never rocket science - it generally relies on a bit of common sense, a pair of eyes and a good set of taste buds.

However, there are recipes that have developed over the years that lend themselves tremendously well to the open fire style of cooking.

This little series of posts will arm you with a set of recipes that are easy, low hassle, one pot or nothing short of miraculous. they will all taste the bees knees.

The first in this series is dampers.

Probably the easiest of breads you will ever make, dampers originate in the Australian Outback, where some believe they owe their origins to the Irish settlers, given that they are very similar to an Irish Soda Bread. They require the minimum of ingredients and equipment, are tasty and quick, and they also lend themselves to customising, so you can add all sorts of bits and bobs you have to hand. Plus, as they are cooked directly over the edges of the fire, they ensure you are keeping social and warm while you bake!

The Greens Bean's Dampers:

450g plain flour

4tsp baking powder

1tsp salt (or 2tsp sugar if you want to make a sweet version)

water (about 250ml - about 2/3rds of a standard drinks can in measure)

some sticks or skewers (rosemary is great if you can snaffle any)

Take your sticks or skewers and give them a good soaking to ensure that they don't burn.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together, then add the water and mix until you get a soft dough.

Pull pieces of the dough into long 'worms' then wrap them spirally around the sticks.

Angle and secure the sticks around the outside of the fire, turning until they are golden brown. They can also be cooked directly on the dying embers if you are baking late!

They are tasty dipped into butter, or leftover sauces from dinners, or jam if you prefer the sweet version. Add herbs or cheese into the mix, sea salt on the outside, or try rolling some tiny pieces of chocolate into the dough before you wrap it around the stick for a very extravagant sweet damper.

Quick, social, tasty, add what you want - the perfect campfire snack.