Recipe: Toffee Apples, Hot Chocolate & the Frontier Stove

So our autumnal radars are currently running at full blast, and everywhere we go we are seeing pumpkins and brown leaves, sticky toffee apples and warm woollen hats. This season is one of our favourites, as the air begins to cool and the fires get lit, adding a gorgeous orange glow to our time in the outdoors.

We recently took our Frontier Stove to the woods to heat up some indulgent hot chocolate and to kick about in the fallen leaves. We thought we'd share our suggestions for this fun day out, to add to your Autumn adventure wishlist...

1. Choose your woods wisely

We opted for woodland that was close by and easy to get to - we could have gone further and steeper, however we like to 'leave no trace' and on this occasion had quite a few bits to bring with our adventure (read: hot chocolate, marshmallows, toffee apples, sparklers, pumpkins!). So the easy road it was - the woods were just over the road from the car park, and had an easy, flat path all the way through.

2. A job for the kids..

We are big on involving everyone in playing a part in creating and setting up camp, so we got the kids to work in no time, collecting firewood and popping it on a wonderful wood pile. It gave them something to do and allowed them to be a significant element to our mini adventure.

3. Always use the first notch!

We got our fire roaring in no time but wanted to mention this again here - once you get your fire going in the Frontier stove, it is important to latch the door of the stove on the first notch, so that there is a small air gap allowing air to flow to and feed the fire. Close the door and the fire will die - open it and there may well be smoke. Once the wood is completely burning, set the door on the first notch and turn the flue damper to 45 degrees. Open the damper if the stove starts to smoke, allowing for a through-flow of air. It's all about the balance :)

4. Sweet treats you can't beat..

With the fire roaring, we heated some milk atop the stove and made the richest, velvetiest, most fire-top-seasoned hot chocolate - Twinings Swiss Hot Chocolate, for a little bit of name dropping! Next up included some marshmallow roasting and toffee apple eating; we couldn't imagine a more enjoyable day out - the smell of fallen leaves, fire burning and the earth moving from the warmth of the summer into the freshness of the 'Fall'. This is for us.

5. Go out with a bang!

There is nothing more magical than the sound and sight of sparklers, lighting up the dark with their fiery white light. These were a hit and added to the atmosphere, a great way to end a fabulous evening.

We made sure to collect up our burnt-out sparkler sticks and all the other bits we had brought, and packed up the Frontier after it had very quickly cooled. A highly recommended adventure to embark on before the temperatures plummet too low - we were very grateful for our Frontier fire, offering us both warmth and a manner of boiling the milk and toasting the marshies.