RESEARCHERSWHIGS

I’ve been blogging a while, but old habits die hard. I’m sometimes contacted by brands asking if I’d like to choose something to try out and review, I could be cheeky and ask for something nice to wear, something flashy or expensive. But I never do. Mainly, because I still get really uncomfortable asking for things, but mainly because I’m my mother’s daughter and always go for the practical option. So when Simply Hike got in touch, I knew straight away what I wanted. Some women lust after jewellery or handbags, but I’ve been wanting a billy can for ages.

I know what you’re thinking. How have I survived so long without one?! I don’t know either.

I thought I’d take the opportunity to show you a few recipes that are super easy to cook in a billy can while camping. It can be used on a stove or over a fire, whichever you prefer.

Mussels

I’ve mentioned before that a steaming bowl of mussels and crusty bread is one of our camping recipe staples. Super easy to prepare, quick to cook and adds a little luxury to any camping trip. All you need is a pan with a lid and away you go. On our last trip I managed to forget our gas canister so our stove was out of use, however in a stroke of ad libbing genius, I just stuck our billy can on our mini barbecue for a few minutes. As soon as the mussels are all open you’re good to go (remember to throw away any that are open before you cook them).

Our billy can makes the perfect mussel pan

One Pot Wonders

Another reason I was keen to get a billy can, was that I’m a massive fan of one pot cooking. I do it a lot at home, so it makes sense to use my tried and tested recipes while we’re camping as well. This is a great way to cook if you’re catering for a group.

I’ve raided my own recipe book for some of my favourite one pot wonders (with a few tweaks to make extra simple)

Here are a couple of my favourites, super quick and easy and perfect for family camping trips.

Sweet potato dahl one pot camping recipe (serves 2)

Chicken, chorizo & chickpea one pot camping recipe (serves 4)

Baking

One thing that was a revelation to me was finding out that you can bake in a billy can. Cakes at the campsite-what more could you want?!

Ok, this is hardly GBBO standard, but stick with me here. All you need is a packet of cake mix and away you go!

I find that it works best if you wait until the end of the night, when your coals are a little cooler. We generally do it using charcoal briquettes (the larger ones) once we’ve finished cooking on the barbecue. I take off the grill and take out some of the charcoal using a trowel, just leaving a few coals behind. I then put the billy can on top of the charcoal and put a couple of coals on top. You’ve then got your very own Dutch oven.

Just make up your mix according to the instructions and pour in. I find it best to line the bottom of the pan with some foil to stop it sticking-and make cleaning up a bit easier. It doesn’t take long so keep an eye on it. I’ve found that any cake or muffin mix, or even a cookie mix works well. I’ve got a sweet tooth and I love having a sugar hit at the end of the day, especially if we’ve been out walking.

If you have only one piece of equipment in your camping kitchen, it has to be a billy can.

What are your favourite camping recipes?

Disclosure: We were given a billy can free of charge for the purposes of this post. All opinions are my own.

I’m getting very fussy in my old age, especially when it comes to my footwear. It’s taken me a long time to realise, but it really is worth looking after your feet; that means investing in decent socks as well as shoes.
I go out walking a lot, but I also spend 10 hour shifts on my feet at work so my feet are very important! As I say, it’s taken a while, but these days I try and look after them.

Needless to say, when I was asked if I would like to try out some of WigWam’s new Peak 2 Pub collection I was keen to give them a go. Wigwam have been knitting socks in Wisconsin since 1905, so know a thing or two about making good footwear.

The Peak 2 Pub range comes in a range of great designs, but doesn’t compromise on functionality (pic courtesy of wigwam.com)

I tried out a pair of the Escalante Pro and the Swatara Pro socks and have been impressed with them both. These socks have been especially designed to fit the female foot, look good and provide excellent technical performance.

So, what did I think?

I love the look of the WigWam Escalante Pro walking socks, but how did they perform?

Firstly, it made a nice change to have proper hiking socks that look good and are made for women. It might be just me, but the socks I wear everyday tend to be patterned and colourful, so it was nice to have brighter, more feminine socks to go walking in as well.

Of course, style is no good without substance.

I immediately loved the soft feel of the socks, plus they were lightweight and ideal for spring/summer. The soles are nicely cushioned for support, even when I wore them all day, and the seamless toes made them really comfortable . I particularly liked the fact that they kept my feet cool and dry for long periods. Both socks featured WigWam’s patented Ultimax technology, which ‘wicks moisture away from the foot and upwards out of the sock’.

The Swatara Pro socks were a shorter style, ideal for warmer days

They both washed really well (boring, but important detail!) and have become my favourite socks lately. As much as I love some nice woolly socks in winter, these are perfect for the warmer months.

What do you think? Do you like the look of the Peak 2 Pub socks?

I must be the last person in the world (well, among outdoor lovers anyway) to finally start appreciating the wondrous tube of fabric that is the Buff. If you’ve never heard of it before, the multi functional headwear has a dazzling array of uses, from a scarf, to a sweatband, a hat or, my personal favourite at the moment, a rather snazzy hairband.

This video neatly sums up a few ways to wear your Buff.

When I was first asked by Kitshack, the official UK Buff distributors, if I wanted to try something from their Spring/Summer collection, I was overwhelmed by the choice! There are so many cool designs, but I stayed true to my heart and went for this gorgeous camping print.

I love the design of my Buff, perfect for me!

I hate conventional, bulky scarves, but this is a different beast. Made with Coolmax Extreme, it’s light and comfortable and wicks moisture away effortlessly. It also has high UV protection, in the rare event that we actually see any sun this year. The weather has been strange lately, alternating between warm and sunny, rainy, cold, rainy, windy and rainy (often in the same day). The Buff is perfect for these changeable days! On cooler days, I’ve worn it around my neck to keep the cold breeze out, I’ve worn it as a hairband when running or walking, especially when it’s been warmer and I want to keep my hair out of my face. I did briefly wear it in a headscarf type style, but Luke refused to be seen with me (I might have looked like an old lady but I liked it, it was very practical). I have also worn it around my wrist where it’s a handy sweatband or hanky for a toddler snot emergency (don’t worry it’s machine washable).

The ultimate multitasker in action (the Buff, not me)

I am definitely won over and rarely leave the house without my Buff these days. In fact, I’m starting to think about kit for my 50 mile walk next month, and safe to say this was the first thing I wrote down. I have also just seen that they do child sizes, and even a dog version. I love the idea of a whole family being kitted out in matching Buffs!

What do you think, is this the most versatile bit of outdoor wear ever?