Living in the Garden of England we are quite blessed through most of the year with fine weather, and the huge majority of my workshops take place on days when the sun is shining and the breeze is calm. Not just reliant on my lucky stars I have an all weather policy for Wild Classroom, only cancelling workshops in the most wild weather conditions.

So, what to do when the weather isn’t quite at its best?

Just like everything in life, the better you prepare the greater chance of success you will have in what you do. So here are a few things to consider before heading outside.

1. Check the weather. 

I use a range of apps and websites before a workshop, to ensure that I have the best idea of what is going on in the skies above. Forecast maps are invaluable as they give more visual idea of what is going to happen. However there are two things you MUST do. Firstly keep checking the forecast, particularly in the colder months when the weather is more interchangeable, but most importantly go outside and check yourself. I have been in a field when there was a 0% chance of rain and it was absolutely tipping it down.

When cooking outside our eyes and other senses are incredibly useful for reading what the weather is going to do in real time. Look at the sky above and the direction and speed of wind travel, sometimes clearer skies maybe ahead or not. If you spend a lot of time outside then you might just be able to sense the change in air pressure which happens just before it starts to rain and you might just have time to stow anything away that you wouldn’t want to get wet. If it is going to rain or snow, please don’t stop as you might just have a lot of fun!

2. Shelter

The level of shelter you require really does depend on your needs. For example, how many people you are with, their age and how long you intend to cook for. These are just a few factors. The weather is also a factor too, nobody wants a freak gust of wind to blow away their expensive shelter!

If it is just one or two of you and you don’t mind the rain, wind or snow then as long as you are appropriately dressed then you may not require a shelter at all. There may also be both natural and man-made shelters nearby that you can put to use. Quite often in wet weather I would light a fire in the shade of a tree, although not near any shallow roots as to do damage. If the wind and rain is blowing in a specific direction then take advantage of any barriers that help protect your fire from these elements.

However if the rain is going on for a while and you are planning to stay in one place for a longer duration then you may need to consider additional shelter options. The most simple of these is the tarp, this may or may not come with poles to help you create a shelter. If not then you will need to identify some suitable trees and be confident with your knots and carabiner use. The main purpose of such a shelter is to keep you and you food/timber/equipment dry- don’t worry about the fire! Please also note that if you do wish to have a fire under your shelter it should be at least 8-10ft high to prevent stray sparks and allowing smoke to circulate.

If you are travelling with a larger group or like myself you may be running a workshop outside then a more fixed structure maybe of use. I personally use a pop up event shelter for the majority of my workshops, These tend to be 12-14feet square in size and can be erected in a matter of minutes. My advice would be to avoid pop up gazebos. They have a more rigid shape that makes them much more prone to weather damage.

The most important thing I  can stress is that if it is windy DO NOT USE your event shelter with gusts above 40-50 mph. They are like giant kites and will blow away and break, air shelters will also do the same too.

Lighting a fire in the wet isn’t as hard as it might seem. The key is to keep your tinder dry and protect the young fire where you can until it establishes. Wind provides an additional challenge, while it might fan your fire providing extra oxygen it can blow it out in the early stages or blow your tinder away. Snow and extreme cold will cool your fire down and cooking times will take a lot longer due to the ambient temperature being far cooler.

Here are a few tips to help you master these tricky conditions:

Put simply dry tinder is absolutely essential to any fire, more so when the conditions are against it. So if you are able to plan ahead keep your kindling and tinder (in my case cotton wall) inside a watertight bag and leave it there until you are ready to light the fire.

Wood loves oxygen to burn and hates the wet. By building your fire up from the ground with the largest timbers at the bottom and the  kindling and tinder at the top you are both allowing maximum oxygen to circulate and protecting the infant fire from the wet ground. In addition to this as the fire develops it will heat the lower larger logs and dry out the surrounding surface.

Protect your fire where you can

This can be simply done in a number of ways. Firstly choose a well-sheltered site for your fire using natural and manmade wind a rain breaks. In addition to this use what you have. My 58 cm firebowl provides enough coverage to protect the fire from heavy rain from the start and will allow the fire to get very hot underneath for ember cooking. If you plan to cook with a Dutch oven, place it on the tripod (lid on) almost immediately after the fire is lit. The base will heat up while the lid will again provide protection from the rain itself.

On windy and wild weather days keep low!

The wind can be a major problem when it comes to fire. In a fire’s infancy wind can be both a help and hinderance. A stiff breeze adds more oxygen to the fire, but too much will possibly fan the fire out or even blow the tinder away. So what to do?

Start by shielding your fire as best as you can, use natural and man-made wind barriers, even standing with your back to the wind as you light the fire.

Add extra kindling and tinder if you can. I never use fire lighters in any case but in windy and wild weather they would prove most ineffective. Cotton wool will catch a spark in any weather, just make sure it is securely position amongst the kindling so it doesn’t blow away. In addition to this be prepared to add more kindling until the fire has fully established.

Cook low. The wind blows heat, smoke and flames in its chosen direction. By keeping your cookware close to the heat you are minimising heat loss. Om extremely windy days you may have to ensure that the cookware is almost touching the fire to heat up.

Keep adding fuel and keep an eye on the fire as much as possible. The more oxygen a fire receives the quicker it burns, be prepared to use a lot more fuel on a windy day.

In it for the long haul? Dig! If you are going to be cooking for a longer period of time and have permission from the landowner, consider digging a fire pit, wood burns top down so a pit will provide natural protection from the wind as well as funnelling the heat upwards. 

The answer to this is keep a lid on it!

Cast iron Dutch ovens do a terrific job of retaining heat. even in challenging conditions. So if you can get your fire hot enough then you will still be able to cook as you would on a hot summer day.

My choice would be  these hot chillies, these particular dishes require little prep and few ingredients. This particularly suitable if you are backpacking and want a hearty meal fairly quickly.

Alternatively if you have some shelter and don’t mind waiting for your food to cook then pottage or venison casserole would be and ideal choice when facing wet and wild weather.

Finally

Whatever you decide to cook outside, even if the weather is truly awful, enjoy it! Many of my most memorable cooking experiences have been in snow, wind and rain. Enjoy the challenge and the food!

I am regularly updating my website and adding new recipes these are not only delicious, but also a great teaching resource inspired by the young people I get to teach, examples of Roman, Viking and Ancient Greek recipes can be found via my recipes page.