Toad in the hole is a British classic - tasty sausages and Yorkshire pudding, which is a batter that rises as it cooks. Requiring a very hot pan with sizzling, smoking oil to make it rise, we decided it was the perfect recipe to test out our newly re-seasoned dutch oven. Sausages are great campfire food in any case, but by making them into toad in the hole, we took it to the next level!

Don't be fooled, this recipe definitely doesn't contain any toads ;-) Britain has a bit of a history giving otherwise tasty foods offputting names - spotted dick, Sussex pond pudding and clangers all spring to mind - often for no apparent reason. Maybe that contributes to our cuisine's terrible reputation? Who knows, but don't knock it until you've tried it!

Step 1: Get Your Fire Burning Well and Produce Good Embers

We require coals and embers for cooking, rather than placing the oven directly into the fire. This gets the oven far hotter and makes it easier to control the heat, as well as where the heat is applied.

This is not an instructable on how to build a fire - if you need one, this one is good. We got a good fire going while the batter was made and rested. The fire immediately raised everybody's spirits, but also immediately raised hunger levels by a factor of ten!

Step 2: Make Batter and Let It Rest

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tbsp water
2 eggs

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the milk and water gradually, beating well.

Beat the eggs separately, then add them to the flour and milk.

Beat until fluffy. If you are out camping this will require a whisk and a bit of elbow grease! If, however, you are closer to civilisation, an electric whisk, food processor or blender will significantly cut down on the effort ;-)

Leave to rest while you cook the sausages.

Step 3: Cook Sausages

Next, you need to brown off your sausages in the bottom of the dutch oven. Get the oven good and hot over the coals, then, using the oven as a frying pan, add a generous amount of fat or oil. Once hot, add the sausages as well. Brown the sausages on one side, then turn them, put the lid on the oven, cover the lid with coals, and heat for 5 minutes.

Step 4: Add Batter

After five minutes the oil should be sizzling hot, the sausages should be reasonably browned on both sides and the oven nice and hot. Remove the lid, pour over the batter, and replace the lid.

The next bit is kind of frustrating, because for around 20-25 minutes you absolutely cannot peek into your oven at all! If you do, the drop in temperature will shock the batter and make it sink.

After this time you should be okay to take a quick peek and see how things are going. It will take 25-40 minutes for your pudding to rise and go a lovely golden brown.

Step 5: Enjoy Amazing Toad in the Hole

Once your batter has risen and browned, it is ready. Toad in the hole is traditionally served with onion gravy, but ours tasted amazing on its own! Please do try this recipe, it is a great one-pot meal that is tasty and filling.

For dessert, we recommend toasted marshmallows!