Girls... and boys
DISCOVERS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T LET SUMMER PASS WITHOUT COOKING OUTSIDE WITH THE KIDS
ONE thing is guaranteed to ruin the vibe of any summer party, and that’s a parent shrieking across a sun-scorched garden: ‘IT’S HOT – I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BARBECUE!’
Fire and small children can be a stressful mix. But that doesn’t mean it can never be done – and provide fun, bonding and ridiculously good food.
Dawn Isaac, author of 101 Things For Kids To Do Outside (Kyle Books, £14.99), notes that “it’s always more exciting having a sandwich outside”.
And you know what’s more exciting than a sandwich – especially outdoors? A burger. Or a hot dog. If you speared that hot dog sausage on a twig (OK, a Lakeland skewer) and blackened it over a fire yourself, then things are exponentially better.
That’s as an adult – just imagine doing it aged eight. Talk about mind-blowing.
Chuck in some marshmallows turned lichen-orange as they melt into a tooth-sticking goo, and you just know your kids may never go to bed again.
Largely that’d be down to the sugar coursing through their tiny bodies, but also because cooking in the open air – and learning to prep your own food in the process – is quite simply intoxicating.
As much so as it is watching the dancing belly of a fire flickering away.
“Kids love getting stuck in in
the kitchen, so getting them to help with cooking really encourages them, especially when it’s more of an adventure outdoors,” says Genevieve Taylor, grill extraordinaire and author of veggie barbecue book Charred (Quadrille, £16).
Genevieve’s all for stretching yourself when it comes to barbecuing too – kebabs, plastic cheese squares and bangers are all very well, but what about cumin spiked falafel burgers, miso grilled aubergine, and sweet potato wedges with oregano? She notes in Charred that “pretty much any vegetable you can think of can be elevated by a little fire and smoke” – and getting kids involved with spicing up BBQ fare is a great place for you to all start.
“Mine have always loved sniffing the jars of spices and choosing what they fancied, which works a treat as they can both be quite fussy,” explains Genevieve.
“Getting kids used to spices early gets them used to the idea of food from all over the world and teaches them that spices don’t always need to equal heat.”
Also, anything that tricks them into taking an interest in vegetables – regardless that it might mean torching them to a crisp over a campfire – must be positive. Think wrangling with butter drenched corn on the cob, or stealth-eating (shock horror) veg on skewers, because if you’ve threaded it yourself, you’re going to have to eat it, right? Even if there are mushrooms hiding amongst the chunks of pepper...
“Fried cheese sandwiches are really popular and so easy to make on a BBQ – you can always leave out any bits they don’t fancy,” adds Genevieve.
“Getting kids to choose, or at least giving them an element of choice, is empowering and doesn’t mean they feel forced to eat everything.”
Talking of cheese, watching anyone – no matter their age – try flame-seared halloumi for the first time is arguably a beautiful (if squeaky) experience.
Halloumi aside, there’s the whole getting into nature, learning new skills and ‘making memories together’ thing too – and memories attached to food have a different kind of vividness to them.
Childhood picks them up like sticky burrs (like making flapjacks with your granny, eating jelly for the first time, building a fire in the garden and throwing bananas and chocolate wrapped in foil into the coals...).
Wild cooking together also means the usual dedicated in-charge barbecue person won’t be all alone wreathed in smoke
Go forth, and make fire... with a bucket of water on standby.