With short days and cold nights, it's more important than ever to have a quick, easy pick-me-up at camp - one that will warm the bones and refresh the spirit.

Soup is a great starter to a larger and more elaborate meal, especially in a group situation. In cooler weather it's easy to become dehydrated because you tend to be less thirsty than during hot weather but your body still needs a steady supply of fluids to prevent muscle cramps and exhaustion.

Soup is a great and easy way to boost your fluid intake during cold weather as well as pack in those carbohydrates needed for extra stamina and warmth.

Dried and canned soups are long lasting, don't take up a lot of room and are quick and easy to prepare. But nothing beats the real thing, which you can prepare at home and simply heat it up at the camp site.

And nothing's easier than making a thick and tasty vegetable soup, you don't even need a recipe. Just a few tips and tricks…..

First of all you need a good base. A chicken broth is a good start and it's easy to make. Simply boil some chicken pieces in a couple of litres of water with a little salt depending on how much soup you want and how strong the broth is.

Then choose some fresh vegetables: Try potatoes, tomatoes, onions, zucchinis, mushrooms, spinach etc. 5 to 8 different vegetables, not more than that.

Add salt, pepper, garlic, and one spice of your choice like oregano or rosemary. Once again don't overdo it! You want to be able to taste every ingredient in your soup. The broth is very important. It's what brings all the taste together.

Then put the broth and the vegetables into a large pot or camp oven. Add enough water to cover, and add the salt. Cook over a medium heat and leave it alone for a good 3 to 4 hours. You can add more water if required and add your main spice half an hour before the soup is done.

Serve piping hot with fresh bread.

THICK BEEF SOUP

• 2 tablespoons of oil

• 500 gr of gravy beef, diced

• 3 carrots finely chopped

• 3 turnips finely chopped

• 2 onions finely chopped

• 1 leek finely sliced

• 2 cups of water

• 4 large potatoes, diced

• 2 to 3 cups of beef stock

• salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a camp oven and brown the meat. Remove. Add more oil if required, add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes or until the onions are softened. Return the beef to the camp oven and cover with the beef stock.

Bring to the boil and season to taste. Cover and simmer for 60 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with freshly chopped parsley along with fresh bread or toast.

CAMP OVEN MINESTRONE SOUP

• 2 tablespoons of oil, butter or margarine

• 1 onion chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic � crushed or 2 teaspoons of bottled variety

• 1 carrot � diced

• 2 sticks of celery � chopped

• 1 packet of French onion soup

• 2 cups of water

• 2 cups of beef stock

• 1 to 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

• 1 tin of tomatoes

• � cabbage � shredded

• 1 packet � 500gr � dried beans or peas

• 1 tin of beef and vegetable soup

• 1 cup of spaghetti broken into small pieces

• 1 tin of baked beans

• salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a camp oven and saute the onion, garlic, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened.

Mix the French onion soup with the water. When combined add to the vegetables in the camp oven along with the beef stock, tomato paste and tomatoes. Mix well. Season to taste. Add the cabbage, beans or peas, and beef and vegetable soup, mix through and bring the soup to the boil. Add the spaghetti and simmer for around 15 minutes. Add more stock if you want to thin the soup. Stir in the baked beans and bring back to near boiling point. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if required.

Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and fresh bread. This makes a big pot of delicious, flavoursome soup, a meal in itself.

Enjoy your camping!

The Kamp C�ook