For fast food, outdoor dining beats takeaway pizza hands down. All you need is dry wood and leaves to feed the flames, a bucket of water to douse them, and permission (check with the local ranger).
Once you get the go-ahead, pick a small spot on bare earth or the beach below the tide line, well away from vegetation and tents. Build a lattice or teepee of twigs over kindling in the centre, keeping it small so the fire heats up fast. Ring it with stones, then light it at the base. When the flames have died down but the fire is too hot to hold your hand over, it’s time to get cooking.
For the full bushcraft experience, try this simple fish-on-a-stick recipe: push a long stick lengthways through the fish, prop it over the fire using a forked branch for support, and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. Easier still, wrap the fish in layers of newspaper, soak the parcel in water and cook it in the ashes. When the paper blackens, the fish should be done.
Enjoy – then douse the fire completely and remove the debris.
