“All hands to dance and skylark!”

That was the order that used to be given to sailors who were stuck in port because of bad weather, or who were becalmed at sea. The fear was that, if they were left idle, restlessness would mean they were liable to mutiny. So they were ordered to get up, dance, and “have fun!”.

Anyone who has been in a confined space with children (or adults) in bad weather knows all about the danger of rebellion and armed insurrection. But there is only so much money and enthusiasm for “all weather attractions”.  Even if your purse were bottomless, there would only ever be a limited number in the vicinity.

This is when you turn to your inner resources and “Dance and Skylark!”. Every seacook worth her salt knows that in those circumstances producing a really slap-up meal does wonders for morale. Take it one further, and get your troops to produce the slap up meal – or more likely cakes, biscuits, bread or sweets.

All the recipes in this section are for things you would never normally dream of spending time preparing when camping or caravanning, or even with the more ample facilities of a holiday cottage. They are a dream way, however, of enabling bored children to entertain themselves on a wet afternoon (and gain a few cooking skills along the way). They all provide a very cheap afternoon’s entertainment, and although they may not all be super-healthy, a wet afternoon is not the time to be counting calories.  Just think of the popcorn they would probably have eaten at the cinema!

Dance and Skylark recipes all too often need an oven, so making them is generally better suited to caravanners, motorhomers and self-catering cottages than to dwellers in tents. But they don’t all, and you will find here ….  a list of those that don’t need an oven

Happy Dancing and Skylarking!

Anna