SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 07: Cook a Simple Camp Meal

There’s something satisfying about preparing a meal outdoors. Even something as simple as a hot breakfast or a one-pot lunch can feel different when you’re cooking away from your usual kitchen. The trick is to keep things manageable, prepare what you need and make sure you can cook safely in the conditions that you’re working in.

In the previous challenge, you learned how to read the weather. For this challenge, you’re going to plan and prepare a simple outdoor meal. You don’t need an elaborate camp kitchen or any expensive equipment. Choose something you enjoy eating, get your ingredients ready and see if you can produce a meal that is tasty, properly cooked and suitable for your outdoor setting.

Your Challenge

Can you prepare and cook a simple meal outdoors?

Choose a meal that you can realistically prepare with the equipment available to you. It could be as simple as porridge, a basic pasta dish, a vegetable wrap, a cooked breakfast or another straightforward meal that suits your experience level.

You can use a camping stove, barbecue or another suitable cooking arrangement where it’s permitted and safe to do so. You don’t have to light an open fire for this challenge.

Your aim is to prepare the ingredients, cook the meal safely and leave your cooking area clean when you’re finished.

Before You Start

Think about what makes a good outdoor meal. It should be simple enough to prepare with the equipment you have, use ingredients that can be stored safely and avoid creating unnecessary washing-up or waste.

If you’re camping, consider how you’ll keep perishable ingredients cool until you’re ready to use them. Plan the order in which you’ll prepare and cook everything so that raw ingredients don’t contaminate the food that’s ready to eat.

It’s also worth choosing a meal that doesn’t require you to juggle several pans at once. A one-pot dish is often a sensible starting point because it keeps the cooking process straightforward.

If you’re using a camping stove or other cooking equipment for the first time, read the manufacturer’s instructions before you begin and make sure that you fully understand how to use it before you light it.

What You’ll Need

Your equipment will depend on the meal you choose, but you might need:

• Ingredients for your chosen meal
• A suitable camping stove or other permitted cooking arrangement
• A pan or other appropriate cookware
• Cooking utensils
• A plate or bowl and eating utensils
• Drinking water and facilities for washing your hands
• A safe way to store perishable ingredients
• A camera or phone for your challenge photograph

Keep your setup simple. Make sure you have enough fuel for your cooking method and a stable surface for the stove or cookware.

Take the Challenge

Start by choosing your meal and gathering the ingredients that you require. Before you head outdoors, check that you have everything you need and that any perishable food can be kept at a safe temperature until cooking.

Set up your cooking area on stable, level ground, well away from tents, dry vegetation and anything else that could catch fire. If you’re using a stove, position it securely and follow its instructions. Never use outdoor cooking equipment inside a tent, enclosed shelter or other poorly ventilated space because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Prepare your ingredients before you start cooking. Wash your hands, use clean utensils and keep raw meat and its juices separate from ready-to-eat food. If your meal includes meat, poultry or other ingredients that need thorough cooking, make sure they’re cooked safely all the way through.

Now cook your meal. Keep an eye on the heat, stir when needed and allow yourself enough time rather than rushing to finish. Outdoor conditions can make cooking a little less predictable than it is at home, particularly if the wind affects your stove or the temperature makes ingredients take longer to cook.

Once the meal is ready, check that it’s properly cooked before serving. Take a moment to enjoy what you’ve made. If it tastes good and you’ve managed the cooking process safely, you’ve achieved exactly what this challenge set out to do.

When you’ve finished eating, clean your cookware and cooking area. Store leftover food safely, take all rubbish home and leave the location as you found it.

Check Your Results

Think about how the cooking went.

Did you prepare enough ingredients? Was your equipment suitable? Did you have everything within reach, or were you constantly searching through your kit? Was the meal easy to cook and clean up afterwards?

These little details make a real difference when you’re preparing food at a campsite. You might discover that a simpler recipe works better, that you need to organise your cooking kit differently or that preparing some ingredients at home saves time outdoors.

There’s no need to produce a restaurant-quality meal. The aim is to practise planning, preparation and safe outdoor cooking.

Complete the Challenge

Now it’s time to show us what you’ve cooked.

Take a clear photograph of your finished meal. If you can, include a little of your outdoor cooking setup as well, so other members can see how you prepared it.

Then share your evidence through your SGUK member profile.

How to Submit Your Challenge

1. Go to your SGUK member profile.
2. Open your Social Activity area.
3. Upload your challenge photograph to your activity wall.
4. Add #SGUKChallenge07 to your post.
5. Share your activity.

You can also tell us what you cooked and whether you’d make it again on your next camping trip or whether you’d try something else.

Challenge 07 Checklist

Before you submit your evidence, make sure you have:

Once you’ve shared your evidence and it has been verified, the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 07 is complete and the completed challenges figure will be updated on your profile.

Want to Push Yourself?

Try making a meal that uses fewer ingredients or requires less equipment. You could plan a one-pot meal, prepare a hot breakfast before a walk or work out how to use ingredients across two meals without carrying unnecessary weight.

If you’ve already cooked outdoors plenty of times, try something you’ve never made at camp before. Keep it within your abilities, plan the preparation properly and see whether you can improve your cooking routine.

A good outdoor cook isn’t necessarily the person with the fanciest equipment. It’s the person who can prepare a satisfying meal with what they have, manage the process safely and leave the campsite tidy.

What’s Next?

You’ve now put meal planning, preparation and outdoor cooking into practice. These are useful skills whether you’re spending one night under canvas or heading away for a longer trip.

You don’t have to complete the challenges in numerical order. Explore the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge collection and choose another challenge that interests you.

Learn the skill. Practise it. Then show us what you’ve done.

Learn. Practise. Master.

That’s what the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge is all about.