Glastonbury Festival on a sunny day

I have eaten well at festivals over the years; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s mackerel burgers at Port Eliot and Leon’s veggie platters at the Big Chill were real treats. And I have eaten poorly, sampling under-salted vegetarian gloop from every corner of the globe.
So here we are packing and prepping for festivals. I plan for three days’ worth of dinners. Festival breakfast is a more chaotic affair than a normal camp breakfast due to the large amounts of ale downed the night before; we pack plenty of chocolate croissants so that the children can help themselves while I attempt to rouse Math with a cattle prod.

Day 1: Family festival pie
When Math compered a day at the Free University of Glastonbury, he had to interview the writer, campaigner and comedian Mark Thomas. During the conversation, Math admitted that his family had been – for two days – dining off an enormous Glastonbury pie. “I really hope that is true,” said Mark Thomas. It was.

For festival pie to be the perfect one dish meal, it needs protein and a portion of vegetables to go along with the carbohydrate pastry case. Hot water crust pastry is my favourite type of pastry as it is so easy to make and can be rolled out pretty thinly, because I am not keen on a pastry-heavy pie.
Recipes
Beef pie with slow-cooked onions and greens recipe
Sausage rolls recipe

Day 2: Quesadillas

Quesadillas don’t leave much washing up, which you should always be mindful of at festivals where there is only ever a stand pipe. Many festival goers break out the bacon and eggs but it’s not easy or pleasant to wash up after such a greasy meal.
The quesadillas should be spicy with grated cheese, but other than that, choose your favourite fillings. This is how I like mine, with spiced black beans (made at home), grated cheese, olives, avocado, spicy tomato salsa (shop bought or made at home) and if you can store it, Greek yogurt or soured cream.
Warm up a frying pan on the stove. On a tortilla, spread some black beans then add olives, spicy tomato sauce, avocado, a squeeze of lime, yogurt or cream and a handful of grated cheese. Roll the tortilla up and warm it in the dry pan for a couple of minutes, turn it over and cook again on the other side.
Recipes
Quesadillas
Pasta pesto
Super quick and something I know will fill the children up, and it won’t spoil when the ice packs lose their cooling power.

Day 3: Stew from tins
It’s day three at the festival. Let’s open some tins. If you make the spice mix at home this is a simple recipe to make even at a festival and will probably save you £6 a head.
Recipe
Moroccan chickpea stew, serves two

I cooked this traditional Italian recipe on a sloping field in Cornwall using only a Trangia meths stove. Unfortunately Math’s filling was prised free by a rogue shard of shell, which meant he was dosed up on painkillers for the rest of our trip. You can put this meal together on store cupboard ingredients, none of which will go off if you don’t have decent refrigeration. You only need one cooking ring; if you have two, then you can prepare the pasta on one and the sauce on the other.

A sloping field in Cornwall

Ingredients
200g dried spaghetti
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Jar of preserved clams, drained (Carluccio’s in St. Ives provided mine)
Half a glass of white wine
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper

Equipment
One or two ring stove
Frying pan
Large saucepan with lid
Knife
Chopping board

Method
Cook your pasta first in salted water. Once cooked, drain, but leave a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water in the pan. This will stop your pasta sticking together as you cook the sauce and form a cooking liquor. Cover to keep warm.
Fry onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Pour in the wine and let it cook for three to five minutes. Throw in the clams.
Once the clams are hot add the parsley and pasta with its reserved cooking liquor. Taste and season with salt, pepper and lemon if needed.