Long ago there was a lightning storm followed by a forest fire and man, or his ancestors, discovered that food cooked out of doors tasted great. But as soon as man discovered the delights of barbecue and all the rest he discovered too that hot food burns - and this was long before the invention of Elastoplast and burn cream.

Which is why I'm writing today about Out Door Cooking Accessories. These will vary from a bucket of damp sand to quench the final flames to very long tongs, at least 12 inches is the minimum - and Oven gloves - the kind that don't just cover your hands, but also go right up your arms.

Those are obvious choices, as are camp cookers, barbecues, plates and cutlery but here are some things you may not have considered:-

Grill Gauge - if you use propane gas for your camp fire you will know how annoying it is to run out of gas. And you can't tell how much is in the can by shaking it - the gas weighs almost nothing and the can weighs a ton. Use the grill gauge to tell you, before you are miles from the nearest store, whether or not you have enough gas left.

A meal cooked at night is perhaps best of all. A Camp Fire Chef's Light fixes on to your stove and means that you can see when the food is cooked without relying on the moonlight.

Storm lighters mean that you can ignite the fire even in horrid conditions if you are that desperate for a meal.

Dutch ovens come complete with disposable liners and can be used to bake cakes even in the back of beyond. You can use the liners to bake bread or place a loaf tin of dough inside the oven.

In certain countries very few cars have a full set of wheel trims as they make perfect baking trays, but in earlier times people cooked on Stone griddles. Something similar is available once more. The stone is on a frame which fits above the flames and provides a fat free cooking surface for the healthiest of cooking. The heat of the stone sears the outside of the food locking in the taste and flavor. Great for pizza of course, but meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, eggs, fruit, scones, biscuits or bread, in fact almost anything can be cooked easily and without mess.

Instant coffee is fine, but for those who must have the best campfire proof Percolators are available.

If camping for quite a while a set of Bellows will soon get hot embers alight once more - or you could just bend down and blow, but then you are likely to get a load of ash in your face. Campfire Roasting Sticks, soaked in water first, can be used by lots of people at once to cook the foods of their choice over a communal fire, perhaps in a long fire trough lined with Heavy Duty Foil .Great for Boy Scouts etc.

I f you are setting up a full field kitchen as for a large camp it is good to know that items such as Blenders can be found which run on batteries.

There is only one problem with all this gear - someone has to get it there and someone has to bring it back. I have childhood memories of scout troops setting off with a hand cart piled high with gear - nowadays it would be in the pack of a camper van. Even so it all takes room, so choose carefully, add a first aid kit, lots of food and enjoy.