cooking at festivals

I went to many music festivals in my twenties. Planning involved little more than a trip to the cash point so that I would have enough money to spend on cocktails, beer and fast food.
Now I travel with three children and a freezer bag of food.

This change is due as much to convenience as it is for economic reasons; it is as quick to whip up a pan of pasta pesto than it is to queue for five meagre plastic plates that have to be consumed standing up, three portions of which may not go down well with the children, who accept or reject dishes with their tiny group mind.

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

Quesadillas

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.

Black beans

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 handful raisins
1 tbs cocoa powder
Salt and black pepper
1 chilli, chopped
1/2 bunch coriander, chopped
Juice of a lime
Oil for frying
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 star anise
1 tsp caraway seeds, ground
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Gently cook the onions, garlic and chilli in some oil. Add the spices, beans, cocoa and raisins, a little water and cook until the beans are soft. Remove the star anise and make a paste by mashing the mixture. Add salt and pepper, lime and coriander leaves. This will keep for a few days in an airtight container until you are ready to use it in your quesadillas.

Spicy tomato salsa

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
A handful coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbs cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
Salt

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and keep in a sterilised jar for a few days to use in your quesadillas.

Sausage Rolls recipe

My children like sausage rolls and so I always prepare some veggie ones and meat ones. These will mainly be eaten while travelling to the festival, then during and after setting up the tent. The chore of preparatory baking is minor compared to the disappointment, expense, and diminishment of soul that comes from chowing down at a motorway service station.

Ingredients

1 portion of rough puff pastry
1 packet of veggie sausages
1 packet of organic bangers or 250g sausage meat
1 beaten egg
Tomato ketchup

Method

On a floured surface, roll out half the pastry into one long strip about 15cm in depth.
Spread a layer of ketchup down the middle and lay a veggie sausages or meat sausage on top.
Brush the nearside edge of the pastry with egg wash and fold over.
Pinch the edge with a fork, cut into large or small rolls.
Cut two little slits into each roll, brush with egg wash and cook in a hot oven (200oC) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Beef pie with slow-cooked onions and greens recipe

Ingredients

Hot water crust pastry

80g butter, cubed
100ml water
1 egg, beaten
225g plain flour
A pinch of salt
Pie filling
500g minced beef
2 eggs, beaten
3 onions, finely sliced
1/2 pointed cabbage, finely sliced
1 handful of breadcrumbs
1 handful coriander leaves chopped
Knob of butter
Vegetable oil

Marinade

1 star anise
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lumps of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp brown rice vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce

Method

To make the pastry

Melt the butter in the water in a small pan. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the middle and drop in the egg. Once the butter is melted, add to the flour and egg and briskly mix with a wooden spoon. Once it has come together, spread it out on a dinner plate and leave to cool. Then roll it into a ball, cover with cling film and refrigerate for half an hour or so while you make the pie filling.

To make the pie filling

Heat the oven to 200oC.
Mix together the minced beef in the marinade ingredients.
Cook the onions in a few tablespoons of oil on a medium heat until they are soft and browning, this should take longer than you expect.
Drain them in a sieve and sprinkle with salt.
Saute the greens in butter for a couple of minutes.
Split your pastry in two and roll out a piece to line your pie dish, I use a loose bottomed tart tin, as this is quite a shallow pie.
Add 3/4 of the egg, breadcrumbs and coriander to the beef mixture.
Layer the pie filling, first with the cabbage, then the beef and top with onions.
Top your pie with the other half of the rolled out pastry, pinch it all the way around, cut in two air holes and glaze with the rest of the beaten egg.
Decorate the pie with a pastry shapes before you glaze it.
Cook in the hot oven for about 20 minutes.
A metal skewer should come out very hot from the middle of the pie when it is done.