Activity details

  • 1 hr
  • £
  • Outdoors / At camp
  • Teams
  • Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers

Activity outcomes

Find it easier to meet new people, go to new places, and do new things.

Learn to work better with others, achieve shared goals, and put the team first.

You’ll need

  • Ingredients (see recipe) 
  • Mixing bowls 
  • Aluminium foil 
  • Knives 
  • Chopping boards 
  • Scissors 
  • Baking trays 
  • Access to a campfire 
  • Heatproof gloves or tongs

Before you begin 

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Take a look at our guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.  
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers. 
Allergies, intolerances, fasting and dietary requirements

  • Check for allergies, intolerances, fasting, food-related medical conditions, eating disorders, food sensitivities or dietary requirements, then adjust the food items used as needed. This may include making sure there’s no cross-contamination of packaging and no cross-contamination during the storage, preparation, cooking and serving. 
  • You may need to use separate chopping boards, equipment and utensils, such as tongs or toasters, for different dietary requirements, allergies and foods. 
  • If you’re unsure, check with the young person and their parents or carers. You can check with the adult directly if it’s a volunteer or helper.
  • Some people may not like certain food textures or tastes and that’s OK. People don’t need to use all the ingredients if they don’t want to, and no-one should be made to try foods if they don’t want to. You can try to find an alternative for them. 
Preparing to cook as a group

  • People can work in small groups or as a whole group to bake or cook. Each group should have adult supervision.
  • You may want to be in groups, but everyone to use the same cooking source, rather than having each group have their own.
  • You may wish for groups to make or prepare the ingredients in a wider, more spacious area, then invite each group into the kitchen to cook one at a time. 
  • Remember the groups not using the kitchen or cooking will still need to be supervised, always following the Yellow Card. 
  • Make sure you have all the ingredients ready. You may want to pre-chop or pre-measure some activities.

Getting ready to cook

  1. Gather everyone together in a circle and tell them you’re going to make Campfire Fajitas. 
  2. You may want to run a fire safety talk or show people how to use the equipment safely, such as for cooking on a campfire or chopping ingredients. 
  3. Ask everyone to wash their hands before cooking, then collect the ingredients. People can get into groups or pairs, as needed. 

Ingredients

You can increase or decrease the number of ingredients needed, depending on the size of the groups.

  • 3 medium potatoes – cut into round slices, about half a centimetre in width
  • 1 bell pepper – sliced
  • 4 chicken sausages – cut into quarters
  • 1 onion – sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking info

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

Potato packets

  1. This recipe is designed to be cooked on a campfire, check out Construct a campfire for top tips on safely building one.
  2. Everyone should wash their hands, then hand out the equipment and ingredients to each group.
  3. Using scissors, cut 8 pieces of aluminium foil around 30 cm long. You need two for each packet.
  4. Cut the potatoes into round slices, which are about half a centimetre wide
  5. Cut the chicken sausages into quarters. The equipment used to cut the chicken should be washed or put to one side for washing.
  6. Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the paprika, thyme, salt and oil.
  7. Mix all the ingredients together until everything is coated with the oil and spices.
  8. Lay out four aluminium foil sheets on a baking tray, which will help to contain the ingredients.
  9. Using a spoon, divide the ingredient mixture evenly between them, placing in a pile in the middle of each sheet.
  10. Fold the edges of the sheets over the ingredients, fully sealing in the goodness.
  11. Place each packet, with the folded side facing down, onto another sheet of aluminium foil.
  12. Wrap the packet up again using the second foil sheet to make sure all the food stays inside.
  13. Cook the packets for 25 minutes, or until the sausages are fully cooked, over campfire embers. Use heatproof gloves or tongs to remove the packets, which should be done by an adult or under adult supervision.

Reflection

This activity was all about trying new things. Had anyone made a similar recipe before?

Cooking on a campfire can be very new and exciting. What did you learn about cooking on a campfire that was different to a normal oven or stove?

Maybe you learned to cook on the embers and not the flame? Or you found out how to put things on the fire or take them off safely without getting burned?

This activity was also about being a team player. How did everyone work together? Did you split up all the different jobs to make sure everyone could help? Or did you help each other to wrap up and check the packets to make sure they were tightly sealed?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Hot items and hot water

  • Kettles, cookers and microwave ovens produce a lot of heat by the very nature of them. Caution is needed when in contact with items that have been heated and young people should use them under adult supervision. Use on a suitable surface, protecting it if necessary. Never leave hot items unattended and make sure there’s a nearby first aid kit, with items to treat burns/scalds.

Cooking

  • Teach young people how to use cooking equipment safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Make sure it’s safe to use and follow manufacturers’ guidelines for use.

Food

  • Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.

Reproduced from the original post found on Scouts UK: https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/sausage-pepper-and-potato-packets/