After lunch there were more workshops including cordage making
and by mid afternoon we were preparing food for our evening meal. On both days the main meal was cooked in a pit. A pit had already been dug and into this we made a fire.
Once there was a good bed of embers a layer of wet hay was put over the embers (on Sunday Nick cut a large amount of Stinging Nettles which were used instead) and the meat, having been wrapped in hay was then placed in the pit (we had Roe and Muntjac deer and some Wild Boar)
Another layer of wet hay/Stinging Nettles were then added and finally another fire was made on top
The pit was then left for four hours.
A piece of lean meat from the Roe Deer was held back, sliced into thin strips and hung by the fire to make jerky.
After 14 hours by the fire with the smoke keeping insects away, it had dried just right as venison jerky.
As dusk approached the meat was removed from the pit
Everyone enjoyed the evening meal and afterwards there was a primitive fancy dress competition
and the rest of the evening was spent eating more and drinking some very strange concoctions.
On Sunday morning after breakfast there were more activities and I ran a bow-drill and wet tinder workshop for a small group.
Hannah from Natural Pathways was keen to try the wet tinder oven.
I spent a lot of time chatting with Hannah and her assistant instructors Lief and Sal. I would highly recommend there survival and nature awareness courses held in Kent.
By early afternoon people were starting to leave and after the final workshop I also headed home