Sustainable food cooked over a campfire is a hit with the guides and scouts
How does a plant-rich jamboree menu work when 30,000 guides and scouts all have to cook over an open fire? If you ask the guides and scouts at the jamboree, the answer is simple: it works well.
At 1st Kokkedal, vegetables are being chopped, sliced and grated like there is no tomorrow. Today the menu features Bygotto, a barley risotto, and it is the juniors’ turn to cook. They have prepared well, tested several of the recipes at home and brought extra graters with them.
At 1st Kokkedal, vegetables are being chopped, sliced and grated like there is no tomorrow. Today the menu features Bygotto, a barley risotto, and it is the juniors’ turn to cook. They have prepared well, tested several of the recipes at home and brought extra graters with them.
Anne, who is group leader in 1st Kokkedal, explains that they are very focused on involving the children in the cooking.
We take turns cooking and make a real point of having the guides and scouts help with chopping and slicing, and they think it is fun,” she says.
Well Received by the Guides and Scouts
Sabrina Bach Meldgaard, who developed the 15 recipes in the jamboree cookbook, has been visiting different scout and guide groups to see how they like it. She is cooking with a new group of guides and scouts five evenings during the jamboree.
“I am especially excited to hear what they think of the recipes, and how they have adapted them to make them fit their group better. You can, of course, adjust the recipes however you like. I am curious to see what they have done,” says Sabrina Meldgaard.
Group leader Anne says that the decision to serve vegetarian food has been very well received.
“We want to support sustainability. Young people encounter vegetarian food in many other places too, so it is not a problem at all. No one has complained about it. There is a lot of chopping to do, but the recipes are easy to follow,” she says.
Sustainability as Education
he jamboree executive committee decided early on that the food at the jamboree should be mainly vegetarian. The budget is 62 DKK per day per guide or scout, and no ultra-processed foods are allowed, including meat substitutes, and ingredients should be local wherever possible.
I think it is a good decision. As guides and scouts, we have a duty to lead the way and take care of our planet. One way we can do this is by eating less meat,” she says.
The work on the recipes has not been about simply replacing the meat in familiar dishes.
“The focus has been on developing dishes that taste good in their own right. We have also thought a lot about the ingredients and prioritised Danish, organic and local produce wherever possible,” she says.
At the same time, two nutrition consultants have reviewed all the recipes to ensure they meet the official nutritional recommendations.
Hacks and Adjustments
he recipes have been adapted in several places. This is mainly because the guides and scouts do not have enough time, as they have to head out for activities in the evening. In some places, plantbased mince has been turned into a delicious sauce, and the dessert has been saved for breakfast the next day.
Sabrina Bach Meldgaard is delighted that the guides and scouts are putting their own stamp on the dishes.
This is exactly how a cookbook should be used. You are very welcome to make the dishes your own.”
On her wish list for the next jamboree is a better way to adapt the recipes to each individual group, as the recipes are currently based on an average intake.
“I also dream of developing a counting tool, so you can easily scale the recipes up. It will make it easier to get an overview when you collect the camp food supply and plan what you need to bring. We will have to think about that for 2030,” she says.
