There's something incredibly satisfying, honest and natural about cooking a good meal over fire that you just can't achieve any other way. When you think about it, we've only been cooking with gas and electricity for a tiny length of time, but people have been cooking with fire for thousands of years. The smoky, earthy flavours that this method gives to food are a forgotten but wonderful seasoning. Even in winter, building a good campfire out in the wild after an outdoor ramble – or sticking an old pot on top of a fire in your back garden and cooking delicious food with your mates and a few beers – is one of the best things you can do.
At this time of year, a nice, slow-cooked chili con carne always goes down a storm. It's hearty, warming (especially if you pep it up with extra fresh chili) and can easily feed a lot of people. I wanted to make sure this one this had real attitude, so we're achieving brilliant depth of flavour by mixing dried chilies with fresh ones and adding fresh herbs. Serve it with whatever you fancy – spooned over steaming baked potatoes that have been slowly cooking in the fire is incredible, but charred flatbreads work well, too. When cooking outdoors, especially if you're out in the countryside, it's a good idea to do any chopping and veg prep before you leave, then store everything in sealable bags (keeping them separate, if necessary) to chuck straight into the pan when you're ready to cook. Served with popped kidney beans on the side to mix it up, as well as a lovely dollop of cooling sour cream, this will be a welcome, hot meal on any cold day.