Camp cleanliness: an introduction


Posted BY Ian under camping-advice

"The Kitchen - The appearance of the food and of those who cook it is the index, as it were, to the whole camp."

This may seem a bit regimented for a casual group of friends but you should be thinking of basic hygiene measures if only to avoid curtailing your main activities from upset stomachs. There are a lot more bugs out in the countryside, many of which will be unfamiliar to your body. Don't ruin a holiday or break just for the sake of laziness. The easiest measure to put in place is as follows:
"The hands and finger-nails of those employed in preparing and cooking food should be spotless, so that a bowl, soap, towel, and nail brush are essentials to the equipment."
This is as true today as ever. After a hard day's climbing hands are scuffed and filthy. It's not easy to be sure of removing germs without a good scrub. There are two advancements worthy of a mention:
  1. Anti-bacterial soaps: these often come in handy dispensers which are far more convenient for the campsite than bars of soap.
  2. Anti-bacterial hand gels: travel shops and chemists often stock alcohol gels that can sterilize even dirty hands. These are useful for everyone at the campsite whether involved in the cooking or not.
I don't like wet wipes as they produce non-biodegradable rubbish. Often this is overlooked in favour of convenience. The last piece of advice in this section says:
"Whilst it is best to wear old clothes for cooking in camp, at the same time, they must be clean ."
Most campers forego the pinny, but it is worth thinking of changing clothes if you have been active all day long. Cooking in a sweaty t-shirt is not an attractive thought. All quotes from: Camp Cooking and Catering by J.T. Gorman, Late Commandant Army School of Cookery for India - Second Edition 1933