Gramping in the Grampians + How to make S’mores

This is a sponsored post by Aerogard & Mortein

After months of renovating at home and living without a kitchen for over six months, I was looking forward to getting away from the construction chaos and enjoying some quiet time in the Grampians with Emma and my in-laws.
Emma’s grandparents live over three hours away from us, so it’s always lovely when we can get together and just hang out. Gramping out in the Grampians was the perfect chance for three generations of the family to have some outdoor fun.

It’s been a while since I’ve pitched a tent, but with everyone chipping in we managed to get camp set up. The real hard work was digging out the fire pit, we all left that to Pop. Emma helped collect some firewood and in the blink of an eye we had a proper camp fire.

I think the most exciting thing about having a fire was getting to try s’mores. I’d seen them all over Pinterest and they sure looked delicious, so it was number one priority on the camp food menu.

How to make S’mores

Ingredients:
Marshmallows
Milk and/or Dark Chocolate, thin blocks work best (I like dark chocolate)
Wheat based biscuits

Directions:
Toast your marshmallow till it’s just golden.
Sandwich the marshmellow and a piece of chocolate between two biscuits whilst still warm. (I like to double up on the marshmallow, one on each side of the chocolate)
Squish together so the chocolate melts.
Mmmm…
Enjoy!

Ever since I’d mentioned going camping Emma was obsessed with the idea of toasting marshmallows.
After a few failed attempts, she promptly decided that they taste better raw and proceeded to sneakily eat most of the bag whilst we weren’t looking!

I must admit nature isn’t always my ‘friend’. I get shocking hay fever, react violently to mosquito bites and no one likes snakes. But we came prepared. I took some hayfever medication and packed the Aerogard Odourless Protection for a Mozzie-free Gramping experience.

Also you’ll be happy to know that there were no snakes, probably because Emma is so loud that they were driven off.

As the evening set in, we lit the Mortein Citronella Candle Outdoor which contains natural Citronella and burns up to 25 hours. I must say the Aerogard Odourless and Mortein Citronella Candle Outdoor combo worked a treat because none of us got a single mozzie bite.

For the full camping experience, dinner was cooked in a camp over over the fire too.
Emma was in charge of preparing the Damper and did all the mixing. Nanna popped the dough around a stick and Pop was in charge of the cooking. (With Emma’s strict supervision of course).

I must admit, I was not at all confident at how the damper on a stick would turn out, but it was a complete success and tasted super yum.

Dinner was simple but tasty, and the clean up was a breeze when you’ve got an eager four year old helping do the dishes.

I didn’t grow up with my grandparents around, so I love that Emma gets to have that as part of her childhood. It’s wonderful to see what a genuine bond they have with each other, and the time they spend together creates special memories for them all.

We had a wonderful evening chatting and telling stories around the fire. It was a perfectly clear night and I’ve never seen so many stars in all my life.

I’m usually a big sleepy head, but thanks to a deflated air mattress I had an early start and got to experience the beauty of the sunrise over the Grampians. The fog blanket over the paddocks created a stunning scene that I won’t ever forget.

We managed to relight the fire and get the billy on for a morning cuppa. Pop showed us his special Billy tea making technique of spinning the boiling billy around to get the tea leaves to steep and sink to the bottom.
After some bacon and eggs it was time to pack up and head home with a full tummy and lots of happy memories.

Emma is already asking when we are going again. I think we may make ‘Gramping out’ a regular thing. Hey any excuse to eat s’mores!

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