Wild Child by Sarah Glover
Sarah Glover’s second book Wild Child takes children (and adults!) on a culinary adventure, making the most of creatively collecting, preparing and cooking campfire meals.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Kat Parker
Photo: Kat Parker.
Sticky buns with Billy Jam from Wild Child: Adventure Cooking with Kids by Sarah Glover. Photo: Kat Parker.
Sarah Glover is a chef who is passionate about adventures and the outdoors, particularly cooking and enjoying food while she’s there.
Sarah makes cooking outside look effortless.
Scroll through her Instagram account and you’ll find a plethora of incredible adventure scenes including meals over a campfire, boiling pots of tea on the back of a rowboat or making fried eggs for breakfast from the back of her Land Rover Defender nicknamed ‘Harriet’.
After the success of her first cookbook Wild, Sarah is back with her second book Wild Child: Cooking with Kids, this time focusing on innovative and rustic cooking methods catered to the younger generation.
Across the book’s chapters, Sarah has collected recipes inspired by the land and the sea: fish and ears of corn dangled on a stick over an open flame; perfect bread baked directly on hot coals; kale and potatoes simmered in saltwater; eggs fried alongside spicy sausage and toast; chili-brined cherry tomatoes–and more.
The essence of Wild Child: Cooking with Kids is to take time out for adventures and connect with family and friends, all while creating simple and healthy meals outdoors.
Below we share one of Sarah’s recipes from her new book: sticky buns with billy jam.
STICKY BUNS
My nan used to make cream buns every Sunday. That’s a special memory for me, but I also really enjoy baking when I’m camping, because it’s not something people normally do. Try it for yourself—I have a feeling this recipe will become a new family favourite.
Serves 12 buns
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
¼ cup (50 g) superfine (caster) sugar
½ cup (120 ml) lukewarm whole milk
1 cup (240 ml) lukewarm water
4 cups (520 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg yolk
Billy Jam (recipe below) and heavy or thickened cream, for serving
Confectioners’ (icing) sugar, sifted, for dusting
METHOD
Build a fire with lots of coals then light the fire and let it burn down for about 1 hour, or until you obtain a medium heat. Make sure there are still plenty of coals to cook over. Build a tripod over the top.
Meanwhile, combine the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the superfine sugar in a small bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and lukewarm water and stir together. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, or until frothy.
Sift the flour and the remaining superfine sugar into a large bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the flour and sugar until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the middle, add the yeast mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until it takes shape. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and let rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Dust a Dutch oven with flour.
Punch down the dough in the bowl, then knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it bounces back when poked. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, then knead each portion into a smooth round, about the size of a golf ball. Arrange in a single layer in the prepared Dutch oven, allowing a little room for spreading if possible, and let rest in a warm place for about 10 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.
Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water and brush over the buns. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and place on the tripod set over the fire then shovel some more coals on top and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the tripod then transfer the buns to a wire rack and let cool.
Slit open each bun and fill with about a tablespoon of jam and a good drizzle of cream. Dust with a little sifted confectioners’ sugar and dive in.
BILLY JAM
The best thing about camp fire jam made in a billy boil is that you eat it all at once, so you don’t need to stress about making it set like normal jam. This means it’s a lot more forgiving and it tastes delicious spooned straight from the pan onto your food.
Makes 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
10 ½ ounces (300 g) fresh strawberries (hulled) or raspberries
1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
METHOD
The best thing about campfire jam made in a billyboil is that you eat it all at once, so you don’t need to stress about making it set like normal jam. This means it’s a lot more forgiving and it tastes delicious spooned straight from the pan onto your food.
Light your fire and let it burn down for about 1 hour, or until you obtain a medium heat.
Place the berries and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set on a grill over the campfire and stir to coat the fruit in the sugar. Continue cooking until the sugar is dissolved, then move the pan to a hotter part of the fire and bring to a boil. Continue boiling, stirring only occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the jam turns a rich red color.
Take the pan off the fire and set aside until ready to serve—the jam will thicken slightly on standing.
This is an edited extract from Wild Child: Adventure Cooking with Kids by Sarah Glover, published by Prestel, RRP $45.00. Available where all good books are sold and online.