There’s just something about an open fire, don’t you think? The comforting crackle of the logs, and the mesmerising way the flames flicker and dance.
It reminds me of growing up in New Zealand, when we had an open fire to heat our home. My sister and I used to fight over who’d stoke the red-hot embers, and stack the next log. Then we’d crowd around the hearth watching Walt Disney movies, until our cheeks turned a furious red from the heat.
I remember my first school camping trip; I mustn’t have been much older than Big Sis is now, and we pitched our tents in the school field. In the day we played games, and went orienteering. In the evening we built campfires and brewed big pots of bubbling hot chocolate, and cooked damper – a basic bread dough that we wrapped around sticks and baked over the open flames.
It must have been 35 years ago (gulp!) yet I remember it so clearly. So when the team at CERTAINLY WOOD asked if I’d like to revisit my campfire days, and enjoy some scrummy S’mores at the same time, well, I couldn’t say no, could I?
They sent me a complete fire-building kit, containing some of their Flamers firelighters. These wax-dipped fine wood shavings are brilliant – they’re completely natural (no nasty petroleum-based chemicals), odourless and have a long burning time, so you can get that fire going with minimum time and fuss. Also in the kit were some kiln-dried kindling and logs; all are sourced from 100% British sustainable wood sources. The reduced moisture content means they’re ready and raring to roar!
Oblivious to my professional fire-making past, OH looked on dubiously as I stacked the kindling around the logs, leaving lost of open space for that oxygen to circulate, and tucked a few flamers into the gaps. ‘You’ll never light it like that…’ he started, his words dying off as a bright orange flame leapt into the air. The kindling caught quickly, and the bigger logs began to glow.
Which meant just one thing – marshmallow time!
We toasted them until they were soft and sticky, then squished them between two chocolate digestives. The girls were in heaven.
Half an hour later we sat, with marshmallow-smeared faces, watching the logs burn down. The warmth from the fire took the edge off the Autumn night, and we made plans for our next Certainly Wood fire – to watch the International Space Station the next time it orbited overhead.
I might even throw a few foil-wrapped potatoes in the flames for a baking-hot evening treat, served up with lashings of melted butter – the possibilities are endless!
P.S: if you find you’re not a fire-making natural (like myself) this FIRE-LIGHTING VIDEO might help. P.P.S: Certainly Wood further cement their commitment to the environment by replanting felled trees, and using solar power and renewable energy to carry out their manufacturing process. Seriously, is there anything these guys haven’t thought of?!
• our fire-making, s’mores baking kit was provided for review
