How to make Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is an essential part of Czech cuisine, and one that's nigh impossible to substitute for. It's a pro-biotic, but perhaps more important historically, very rich in vitamin C, and it keeps for very long time without refrigeration. I had a first go a making sauerkraut some 25 years ago in my early days in Scotland, without understanding the process (and before one could readily find information on the internet), and it didn't work. I have had another go last September, and we have eaten over 40kg of the stuff since. Turns out, it's really simple to make if you know how. »

Pinto Bean Soup

My love of lentils and legumes of all sort goes as far back as I can remember. In recent years, the pinto has become my firm favourite among the beans, for it's a versatile legume of a gentle flavour that is easy to work with. The burrito use aside, the pinto is an excellent foundation for a bean salad, great in chili, and once you taste it baked with tomatoes, you will never want to eat Heinz again. And then there is the soup. »

To Eat or not to Eat (contd)

The disillusionment with the M&S curry aside, the biggest factor that forced me to rethink camping food was running. While Scotland's hills provide superb playground from short jogs to long days, it is the linking of multiple days together that opens up, literally, whole new horizons. Alas, none of my previous approaches to cooking was suited to self-supported multiday runs. »

To Eat or not to Eat (Well)

I have always liked my food; perhaps it's because I come from a place that obsesses over wholesome home cooking. I also like my food now more than I once used to; perhaps it's because my adoptive homeland doesn't do food particularly well (doesn't really 'get' food).

A good meal is one of those little, simple, pleasures that can put a smile on your face when there isn't much else to smile about, and this fully applies to eating in the outdoors. »