A highlight of the Eat Local year for me was judging our first ever Club Campsite Cook of the Year final at the National Feast of Lanterns (NFOL) back in August last year. With all the sizzle, steam and flame of a good battle it proved to be an exciting and entertaining part of the event.
Three budding (and brave) campsite cooks with a passion for food and fun, stepped up to our challenge of cooking a campsite meal on a Cadac barbecue in under 30 minutes. We tasked them to cook a “campsite-friendly main dish, with an Eat Local element” - in short, a dish that could be prepared and cooked at your pitch on a barbecue or gas stove.
I was one of three judges, the others being a Cadac representative (Cadac are our Eat Local sponsor) and Rob Ganley, the Club’s Senior Communications Manager – a man who knows a good meal when he tastes one.
The competition was as much about fun as it was about food and laughter flowed, as did the odd tipple in true campsite cooking style. A merry and friendly crowd gathered as our contestants took their places at the three ‘cooking stations’ set up under a Cadac day shelter. Not quite the Bake-Off tent, but the perfect setting for our competition.
Contestant Ken Scrase, enjoying his first NFOL visit, went for simplicity with three freshly grilled sardines, lightly floured and then griddled to perfection. He served this with an “allotment salad” - showing that great food on a campsite doesn’t have to be complicated. Ken cooked his meal in just 15 minutes and poured himself a drink – all part of the plan to show the advantages of keeping things simple.
Debbie Carcary had definitely embraced the Eat Local regional theme with her meal of grilled chicken pieces wrapped in bacon and stuffed with black pudding, served with a whisky and cream sauce. All elements (apart from the chicken) were sourced from Scotland – proudly demonstrating her Scottish roots. Debbie had definitely given herself a challenge against the clock – lots of elements needing to come together within the cooking time.
Jeannie Hill had chosen to cook with the Cadac paella pan on the Carri Chef. She was keen to demonstrate that being vegetarian should be no restriction to enjoying outdoor cooking with barbecues. Vegetarian sausage, instead of chorizo, was a key ingredient in her vegetarian paella, plus red peppers, garlic and onions. She played the Eat Local trump card by informing us that all her ingredients had been bought from the farm shop just down the road from the NFOL site that very morning. Even more impressive, the wine used in the paella was locally produced and also purchased a couple of miles away.
What a treat it was being a judge. We munched, nibbled and scoffed our way through the most delicious dishes before huddling in the corner to compare our notes and opinions.
Our judging criteria focused on a few elements. Firstly was the meal suitable for ‘campsite cooking’? Did it embrace the spirit of The Club’s Eat Local campaign? By this we were looking for a dish that contained fresh local or seasonal ingredients or perhaps incorporated a regional item such as a locally-produced cheese or beer. Finally, we were looking for a well-cooked, tasty meal with a touch of creative flair.
It was a tough choice but we eventually agreed on the Club’s inaugural Campsite Cook of the Year as Debbie Calgary, with her Scottish-themed chicken in whisky sauce. We felt it just pipped the others on our judging criteria.
Cadac generously provided prizes to our contestants. Each cook walked away with a fabulous Cadac barbecue; Ken – a safari chef, Jeannie – a Carri Chef and Debbie won a patio barbecue and the soon-to-be-coveted Club Campsite Cook of the Year trophy.
Our first Cook-Off Final proved to be great fun, so much so we’re making it an annual feature of our NFOL event.
So, if you enjoy cooking, can rustle up a camping-friendly feast on a gas stove or a barbecue and would you like to win a fantastic bundle of Cadac prizes for yourself and your regional group you can enter by contacting your local Region or Section.
This year will be a much bigger affair as we’ve asked our Regions and special interest groups to host a cook-off at their main events during the year so we can find six deserving finalists for the NFOL cook-off.
To find out more and obtain an entry form and a copy of the competition Terms and Conditions, contact your local Region or Section.
The winner of each regional event will win a Cadac Carri Chef Barbecue, worth £185.
In August 2017 all Regional winner’s recipes will be judged by the Eat Local team at HQ, and six members invited to take part in the exciting cook-off final at the Cadac stand at NFOL on 27 August 2017. The overall winner will be presented with a Club Cook of the Year trophy and a fantastic patio barbecue.
