One of the essential things that all Scouts learn is how to put up a tent. Pegging the flysheet into place rigidly and securely is essential in order to avoid it touching the inner tent.
Many Scouts will attest to the unhappiness of waking up soaking wet, as the outer sheet was touching the inner sheet, allowing condensation to leak through.
Hammering a tent peg is not easy when the ground is hard and dry, and even on damp ground a little help can be gained by using a mallet. Recently our old wooden mallets were replaced with new rubber ones.
Every item at camp needs to have multiple functions. A Scout has to be resourceful as there is only so much we can carry with us. So when it comes to making the base for a banoffee pie, a mallet can be used in place of a rolling pin.
This recipe below should feed eight people but I am certain even if shared between four Scouts there will be nothing left. It has been adapted for camp cooking, or non-cooking in this case.
For the Bannoffee Pie:
500 g digestive biscuits
250 g butter, melted
1 tin Carnation Caramel
5 – 6 bananas
Squirty cream
Equipment:
1 large food bag
1 mallet
1 small pot
1 tablespoon
1 fork
1 knife
1 can opener (if the can has no ring pull)
1 chopping board
1 foil container, 9 inches square
1 coolbag
1 or 2 icepacks, depending on size
How to make:
Place the biscuits in the food bag and GENTLY bash it with the mallet. We are not going for the Tom and Jerry or Punch and Judy type of bashing here.
Bash until the biscuits have turned into crumbs. Pour this into the bottom of the foil container.
Melt the butter in a pot then pour this onto the crumbs. Using a spoon, mix the butter and crumbs together. Press this mixture with the back of the spoon until it is flat and forms a base.
Open the can of caramel. The caramel will be dense and thick, so lightly loosen this with a fork before tipping it out onto the biscuit base.
Now chill the entire base and caramel by placing the foil container on a coolbag lined at the bottom with ice packs. You can chill this ahead of time, ideally with the can of squirty cream in the same bag.
When you are ready to eat dessert, peel the bananas and slice them over the caramel sauce.
Squirt the cream over the bananas and tuck in!
If you have eaten the pie and properly pegged your tent, you should sleep well…
