A hay box is essentially a slow cooker.  It's ideal to use on camp as it means that you don't have to spend hours slaving over a roaring fire!

To use the hay box, you need to quickly bring the food you want to cook, such as a stew, to boiling point and then simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Then transfer your cooking pot, with lid, to the prepared hay box.  Leave it for 5-6 hours, depending on what you are cooking.

Materials: a large wooden box or a sturdy cardboard box with a lid; hay, straw or shredded paper; a pillow case; a piece of cotton cloth, big enough to line the inside of the box.

Tightly pack the insulating material on the bottom and up the sides of the box.

Line the space with the cloth and stuff the pillow case with the insulating material.

Once the pot is inside the box, the pillow case goes on top and the lid is fitted tightly.

It is essential that: the box is big enough for your biggest dixie to fit in; the insulating material is packed as tightly as it can be; the lid fits snugly; the box is placed in a sheltered place where it cannot be knocked over