Fondue in a Ditch

[@edwards9557]

Love that ditch, was walking on Huish Hill last month, missed the ditch and it didn’t occur to me to take the elements for a fondue, albeit with cider and cheddar. Made a note to go to that stone next time. Congrats on another good un. Cheers. Oh, don’t leave it so long next time.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Happy to hear I'm not alone in recognising the merits of that ditch! There is something inherently appealing about all ditches, but not many of them are as nicely located as this one - I think it's a lovely view from Huish Hill. Nor are many of them as pleasant to sit in! This one has nice short grass and no brambles or other undergrowth; it isn't waterlogged or muddy, and best of all there's the section where I sat which is a bit secluded from the nearby footpath, thanks to that fence and that gorse bush. So I was happily left entirely alone during my time there. It is hard to imagine what more I could ask of a ditch really!

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Hi Tweedy. Well I never. Could it be possible that I’ve witnessed the first ever documented evidence of mankind making a “fondue in a ditch” ! 😮 What a brilliant success it was. You never fail to amaze, impress and entertain. Can’t wait to see what you do over Christmas 🎅👏👏👍😀🍷

[@mixdiver]

Love your posts - keep them coming ! Think you need to come on the tweed cycle ride next year in London it is just up your street and the riders are encouraged to wear tweed, ride old bicycles and drink tea at the rest stations

[@Michael-v3z1s]

Cant go wrong with that mate. GREAT idea.

[@philcollinson328]

I never thought I'd ever read the sentence ''Fondue in a ditch'' ...Thank you for the new experience 🤣. I enjoyed watching Mr WC21's recent attempt at cooking outdoors (ditch regardless) but for future expeditions together, I suggest you stick with doing the catering! ...As ever, a genuine pleasure to watch your ventures. Thank you Tweedy.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Phil! I thought Mr WC21's recent wild cooking endeavours looked pretty good actually! An unusual fusion cuisine sort of concoction, and perhaps some bits were a tad more "brûlée" than I might have personally chosen but in fairness he was dealing with a completely new stove, and I have a sense that all camp stoves have some kind of malevolent panpsychist spirit. In a former life they were all charcoal kilns. As I think he mentioned in the video it is the incredibly lovely Mrs WC21 who does the vast majority of the cooking at home, and having had the privilege of enjoying a delicious meal she made (when I stayed with them as part of that Hadrian's Wall collab) I can understand why Mr WC21 doesn't feel a desperate need to hone his own culinary skills!

[@jameswalksinhistory3848]

Totally enjoyed this

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thank you!

[@paulcarter8215]

I didn’t think fondue was ‘my thing’ - but your ditch creation looked very appetising. Thank you for suffering the train journey. A very enjoyable video.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Paul! I'm not a frequent fondue eater either - I would guess over the last decade I've averaged about one every two years. Which is odd because I love cheese! Perhaps I had just assumed it was a bit fiddly and error prone? ...but if I managed to make one with these very basic ingredients on a camp stove (in a ditch!) then it really can't be that hard!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

I see this received a thumbs down within minutes of being published. Please explain what part of cooking a fondue in a ditch this video failed to deliver. Are there better videos on KZbin of somebody cooking a fondue in a ditch? Was the fondue somehow sub par? Or was that ditch a cause of some dissatisfaction?

[@tweedyoutdoors]

...ditchsatisfation...?

[@Misty_Bottom]

Must've been a slip of the mouse. Or thumb. Or whatever input device was used. Maybe they're lactose intolerant.

[@barryconway]

@@tweedyoutdoors people expect a “Hello Ladies” within the first 26 seconds. You are, sir, a victim of your own excess.

[@awatt]

Such a good idea. Definitely doing that at our next picnic in spring.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

@@awatt It's very well suited to outdoor cooking! I think some people use something akin to a camping stove for fondue even when eating indoors, so it makes a lot of sense.

[@secondcity11]

Its been a long time since i witnessed such frivolity in a ditch! Can't beat cooking outside in the winter. Last time i consumed fondue was in the Swiss Centre near Leicester square. Not a memorable experience but now my interest in it has been awakened😊🧀 Lovely view also..

[@jaynesierakowska3120]

I love that you came from London to my lovely home area. You wern't wearing much for a snowy day!

[@iainmc9859]

People, people, everywhere. I live in a village, you can't walk out of the door without somebody waving at you and asking how you are ... I sometimes miss the anonymity of a city ... we're never happy ! My idea of 'eating out' is sitting on a bench with a fish supper and a can of Irn Bru next to the Clyde. If I saw you I'd wave and ask how you are ... maybe in a post-ironic way 😁

[@tweedyoutdoors]

You make a good point Iain! The unrelenting hordes of London do, for the large part, mind their own business. So when I am sat on a park bench with a bottle of wine here I'm generally left undisturbed. Whereas a similar scenario in a more rural area might lead to a well intentioned (but not really desired) conversation.

[@iainmc9859]

@@tweedyoutdoors Okay, I admit it. I sit on a park bench with a bottle of Buckfast next to the Clyde, I've been outed. Seriously I don't mind so much, everyone thinks I'm a cheerful chatty guy that will fuss their dog and pass the time of day ... but my initial internal reaction is 'Jeez, another person I'm going to have to talk to', then they ask about the family, then its about the garden etc etc ... I only went to get a pint of milk ! They just don't recognise my inner curmudgeon. Could be worse, they could shout abuse at me as they drive by in a white van 🤣

[@hedleythorne]

Enjoyed that, especially the sunset.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Hedley! Alas the train times from Pewsey back to London bafflingly don't take into account the requirement to sit atop the nearest hill until the sun fully goes down, so I did have to bugger off a bit before I'd ideally have liked to. A beautiful spot though.

[@bobalinga]

Very nice ditch with views. In all my camping fondue had not occurred to me so when my foot is healed (broke several toes tripping over my daughter's wheelchair) I shall add it to my camping repetoire. 🙂

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Oh no - sorry to hear about your foot! I do think fondue is a really good camping meal - it's hearty and warming, and if for some reason something goes horribly awry with your camping stove you can just eat all the ingredients cold.

[@danmarsh2457]

Brilliant, what next, a raclette in a ravine?

[@tweedyoutdoors]

A hot pot in a hollow way?

[@Chilternwildcamper]

I'm watching this while camped in storm Bert and am struggling to hear over the din of the wind... I'll enjoy this tomorrow if I get back ok. 😅.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Crikey - that sounds a bit scary! I hope things aren't too extreme where you are and remember there's no shame in bailing out - I've done it several times!

[@WalksInCamera]

Making fondue in a ditch is an admirable endeavour! Good cooking and great scenery and woodland too. Thanks!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks! It's a bit bandwaggony perhaps, I'm sure there are a thousand videos on KZbin of men in tweed making fondues in ditches.

[@WalksInCamera]

@@tweedyoutdoors There's been a few similar recently, 😉but you definitely had the best fondue, tweed and ditch!

[@Linleys]

Another excellent wander out to the lovely vales and woods. Love the combo of lovely food and quality wine. Thank you for sharing your adventures, Cheers, Warren :)

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Warren!

[@davidberlanny3308]

Hi John, what a great day out this was top marks👌👌 The Holloway at the start was magnificent as was the standing stone in the woods. You know, the word ditch conjures up in my mind something with water at the bottom, this was obviously the executive model. A wonderful place, it really was. The fondue looked fantastic and the recipe perfect. This summer we were lucky enough to visit Gruyère it's a magical little village, we were there first thing in the morning for a very brief visit which included a cheese tasting although I didn't fully participate I do remember commenting that Cheddar was better!! We both came home lamenting that we didn't try a fondue but at least I now know how to make it!! Incidentally it's quite normal down here to rub garlic over your toast before coating with olive oil and grated tomato. By my judgement, In the food world cup, that is a victory for toast and marmalade!! I'm pleased for you that you escaped the hubbub of London and its trains and had the hill to yourself. I've been out hill walking this afternoon too, the troubles of your life just disappear for a while!! All the best!!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks David! I'm very glad you agree with my assessment that this really was a top notch ditch! Cheddar is absolutely my "desert island cheese". I could reel off a long list of other cheeses I love, but if I were forced to pick only one cheese to eat for the rest of my days it would undoubtedly be Cheddar. It might sound like an unadventurous choice but it's immensely satisfying, wonderfully comforting and extremely versatile. A really good chunk of mature farmhouse Cheddar in a Ploughman's is hard to beat. It's also the cheese I always turn to for making cheese sauces for lasagne, macaroni cheese, moussaka and all of those kind of dishes. Surely the undisputed king of cheese on toast? Is there any other cheese that would feel so right on a jacket potato? ...and as demonstrated here it even works surprisingly well in fondue. Each to their own of course! My loyalty to Cheddar is largely down to what I've become accustomed to from growing up in England. I'm sure if I had grown up in (the right part of) Switzerland I would be passionately defending Gruyere now!

[@davidberlanny3308]

​@@tweedyoutdoorsI couldn't agree more!! I have tried "conejo de gales" (a translation joke of mine - Welsh rarebit) with Spanish cheeses but they're just not designed for that. I'm lucky because my local supermarket does stock a decent mature cheddar which is an absolute joy to eat - if only they stocked Branston Pickle too!!

[@4seasonbackpacking]

Nice spot Tweedy I Camped up there many times. The biggest chalk ridge in the UK.

[@M.Vardy82]

A Tweedy outdoors video is always a treat.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thank you!

[@GreybeardWanders]

Always a joy when a Tweedy Outdoors video appears, more so when you are in my neck of the woods - deepest darkest Wiltshire!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

It's a beautiful part of the country and happily seems to often provide vast swathes of countryside which are gloriously devoid of other people! Come to think of it, perhaps I should stop publicising Wiltshire?

[@david6920-r6z]

Hi Tweedy, apparently fondue was an economic necessity of rural Switzerland. They had a cow for cheese and access to cheap bread. But meat was in short supply. So bread and cheese is not a bad meal. Random fact for you. Love the cat 🐈 🇬🇧 🇳🇿

[@tweedyoutdoors]

It's a sort of Alpine Ploughman's Lunch then!

[@adrianstone2605]

Excellent, lovely views, a chat and fondue with cider in a ditch. Inspired to try this myself, cider, cheddar, a little outdoor cooking and a nice walk. Just need to find a suitable ditch 😊

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Adrian! I'm not sure whether the ditch is absolutely an essential requirement for enjoying the fondue. That might just be me!

[@VenomousMart]

You're always going to get some people been negative. Don't let it bring you down we all get the negative criticism. But we also get a lot of positive motivating criticism to we have to take the rough with the smooth. As I have started recently 3 weeks ago my own food review channel. I always watch your videos and really enjoy them can't wait to start camping out again😊

[@markyoung3383]

Brilliant, amusing and informative 😊 such good work!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

@@markyoung3383 Thanks Mark!

[@markantscott]

Fondue. In a ditch. On a hill. And I was not disappointed, thanks Tweedy!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

It was an ambitious undertaking and I'll be honest there were moments where I was wracked with self doubt and thought I might not make it... but I persevered and fortune smiled on me.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

I am pleased to see that, not only did you cleanse that ditch once, but you went back to cleanse it a second time. Our work of ditch cleansing is an endless task, but let’s face it, someone has to do it. Wonderful light in this video - the scenery looked very appealing in its late Autumn colours. The fondue worked well - how did it not end up burning the bottom of that can? I can only imagine what would have happened if I’d have tried that. Great to see you out again and it’s made me regret not having climbed a fell in the last few days, whilst they were in snow. Non-stop rain up here now for the next few days. The standing stone is very intriguing. Definitely placed, I’d say. I must have a look to see if it is on the old maps.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

I felt more like the ditch cleansed me rather than the other way round on this occasion! (That sounds a bit weird doesn't it?) I was pleased with how the GoPro captured the light on this outing. It does seem to do much better with big open landscapes and blue skies but perhaps unsurprisingly struggles with overcast days and gloomy woodland scenes. I suppose they don't get a lot of the latter conditions to test with in California! I too was expecting a charred mess on the bottom of the billy can! I wonder if this is part of the rationale for the booze in fondue recipes? Sort of a preemptive deglazing? There is scant information online about the standing stone in West Woods, which inclines me to think it's more likely very modern. (Well, I mean the fact that it's standing is modern, the stone itself of course ancient regardless.) There is still something very satisfying about it nonetheless - no signposts, not even a well established path leading to it!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@ let’s hope English Heritage don’t get wind of it. £30 per ticket before you know it. And a great big modernistic visitor centre!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Good point - perhaps I shoudn't be drawing attention to it!

[@chrish5319]

Thank you, loved the simplicity of this one, fondue looked excellent. Since you were on a path was it fusion street food? Love that part of the world, the views, the sense of history, the quietness. Thank you again.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Chris! According to Allotment Fox, the word "street" is heavily linked to Roman roads, which does sound like a good idea for a future video! I completely agree, Wiltshire is a beautiful part of England, and yes, perhaps best of all is that it's so quiet. I love the South Downs, but on a nice day it can so easily be overrun with walkers / cyclists etc. Other bits of picturesque English countryside like the Cotswolds can also be notoriously swamped with tourists. However, with the possible exception of Stonehenge, hardly anyone goes to Wiltshire, and yet much of it is stunning and filled with fascinating ancient things!

[@garrymartin6474]

This video reminds me how much I used to enjoy fondue , I haven't had it in , well decades. The scenery looked lovely too . I have only ever passed through Wiltshire ( other than Sailsbury) I hope I can remedy this.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Garry! Yes Wiltshire and fondue both definitely deserve a (re)visit!

[@JustcallmeKathi]

The tedious train ride was worth it - beautiful, peaceful views and an innovative take on fondue. It worked so well; cheddar is great and versatile, I only recently discovered how well it goes with pasta. Thanks as always, Tweedy!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Kathi!

[@elvis197797]

Brilliant video tweedy. Love your outdoors stuff 😎👍👍

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Elvis!

[@Chilternwildcamper]

What a lovely video as always. You cook better in a ditch than I do at home, but I will try this. The stone looked to be in a beautiful setting in that Beech wood, and as a viewer I didn't notice the road noise!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Lesley! I think this is probably only the third or fourth time I've made a fondue myself, and I'm always a bit nervous that it's just going to end up a horrible inedible mess! Intuitively the idea of dropping handfuls of cheese into boiling wine / cider seems crazy... and yet I don't think it has ever gone horribly wrong for me so far. Yes I find the standing stone in West Woods quite magical - as I said in the video I suspect it's probably not particularly ancient but something about it being a bit hidden like that makes it really special.

[@caroljourneaux145]

Another wonderful video! I wish I could cook as well at home as you can in a ditch!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Carol! Everything seems to taste better outdoors, this might have been a mediocre meal at home, but it was great in this ditch!

[@colinriley123]

Its curious you set out to get away from the rest of us and when you achieve this, you then want to share the solitude and chatter to us. I'm glad you do!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Yes it's a paradox isn't it? I'm not sure I fully understand it myself. It's quite a one sided / selfish form of interaction in a way: when I feel like saying something I turn the camera on, but when I want to just be quiet I leave it off.

[@CyclingSteve]

As a Plaistovian who loves the area around Pewsey this channel is right up my footpath at the moment.

[@_Hold_My_Beer_]

What a great ramble, thank you.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks HMB! It was indeed a great afternoon out. Apart from the trains.

[@joesmntt]

You are out often and cover allot of ground can you remember the coolest bird and mammal you have ever seen in your'e travels i always have my eyes peeled for interesting wildlife

[@barryconway]

You had me at “in a ditch “. Ssh, I’m watching…

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Barry - you are a man of great taste!

[@VenomousMart]

Meant to say I can't wait to you start camping out again maybe the springtime

[@annenewton5403]

Another wonderful video , Fondue in a ditch, how brillisnt😊

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Anne! It's really well suited to outdoor cooking and was great on a surprisingly wintery day as this one was.

[@SepticWhelk]

That is a nice meal , I am going to give that a go ! well done Mr Tweedly '

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks SW! I think it's relatively straightforward as long as you get the ratio of cider (or wine or whatever) to cheese about right, something like two parts cheese to one part booze in weight. I assume that's part of the reason most recipes suggest to add cheese gradually like this - you can basically keep going until you get the consistency you want.

[@Micktyb]

Excellent video 👏never cooked a fondue but it looked nice haha when you need to get away into the wilderness you just got to go 👍😁😁thanks

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Mick! I've only ever done a fondue a few times myself but if you love cheese as much as I do it's a great meal.

[@Micktyb]

@ I had cheese on toast yesterday that’s close 😁😁

[@Michael-v3z1s]

A ditch very interesting

[@MartySulls]

Fabulous. I enjoyed that.

[@jameshudkins2210]

What! No sleeping out? It's a picnic not a Stealth Camp without a night out. I enjoyed it anyway. Thank you.

[@jackstand7028]

This video makes me want to make some fondue in a ditch.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Jack! I promise I don't work for the Milk Marketing Board (or whatever its modern day successor is called) nor the Ditch Tourism Association!

[@jumpinallans]

Come for the fondue, stay for the ditch!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

I miss that ditch now!

[@juleswombat5309]

I wish I had a favourite ditch

[@Misty_Bottom]

There's a fair selection of Norfolk ciders. Orchards certainly aren't a recent addition (compared the newly planted vineyards). Crone's have a really nice selection and are actually very well priced for a small producer.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

I had no idea! I always think of cider as a West Midlands / West Country thing with a bit of a presence in Kent and perhaps Sussex... but I suppose it probably has existed anywhere in the UK where apples are grown.

[@EpicureanHikers]

I've had fondue made with beer so cider isn't that strange to me

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Interesting - I had assumed somehow a bit of acidity was important (for some technical reason I hadn't fully understood), but it's starting to sound like any booze will do! Perhaps Campari might be a bit weird.

[@ismellfearonu]

I will now attempt this with 101 proof bourbon and dairylea

[@deborahevans189]

I made the mistake of going to see the new gladiator film instead of watching this, lesson learned

[@tweedyoutdoors]

😂 This is also about two hours shorter so would have given you all that extra free time!

[@billyhicks7026]

Amazing vid once again Tweedy, ignore the bots...not worth it..

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Thanks Billy!

[@albert2395]

Tweedy! Are you a lover of the works of Tolkien?! The books I mean, not the lesser, pale impressions of the films!

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Yes, but it has been a long time (25 years or so?) since I read any of them. I even had a go at the Silmarillion and The Book of Last Tales, but to be honest I found both of them hard going. I think I recall the Malvern Hills were quite a formative area for Tolkien, and it's a part of the country I had visited a few times long before I started this channel. I really must get back there!

[@albert2395]

@tweedyoutdoors sounds good ! I have never been to the Cotswolds or Mendips, Malverns, Quantocks or anything else north of there, except once to the Peak District many, many moons ago! I did find the Peaks quite bleak though. Mostly the North and South Downs myself. Need to go further afield before I snuff it of old age, or incapacitated through injury!

[@jimwulstan8592]

I know we need plenty of fat to insulate against cold weather, but that fondue makes Big Mack and chips look like a meal from Jenny Craig.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Nutritionists seem to completely change their minds about once every five years over what the worst possible food you could be eating is. I think right now they've got a bee in their bonnet about "ultra processed foods", having previously demonised carbohydrates for a while. I think based on that cheddar might actually be considered comparatively healthy!

[@jimwulstan8592]

@@tweedyoutdoors. Very true, but you are a super long distance walker, I am not.😊

[@infoscholar5221]

Come vacation in Alabama/Tennessee border country, Tweeds, old man. I'll show you some real country, where you can set up camp, and not see another human for...as long as you like. We'll have to outfit you with bear spray, and a few other bits and bobs, though. Good mountain air, too.

[@Michael-v3z1s]

Don't let the Chinese get there hands on our ditches

[@AllotmentFox]

That was way too short.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Very kind of you to say so! The first rough cut of this was about 35 minutes but I felt it was a bit self indulgent to expect anyone to sit through a video of that length. The bits I dropped were mostly irrelevant tangents. E.g. I spent a couple of minutes talking about the fact it was snowing in Sussex in November in Hilaire Belloc's The Four Men. It seemed a bit of a stretch for a video in Wiltshire!

[@AllotmentFox]

@ I would’ve enjoyed that. I have been filling my notebook with all sorts of titbits like that for a while for just such ocassions. Including the odd bit of Greek poetry. Dare I?

[@tweedyoutdoors]

@@AllotmentFox I think your audience is better prepared than most for parts of the narrative being in something other than (modern) English! Although perhaps it might be prudent to first test the water with something relatively brief rather than going straight for an entire recital of the Dionysiaca...?

[@AllotmentFox]

@@tweedyoutdoors Oh no, in English, one dead language is enough. I was thinking some short bits of the Greek Epigraph Anthology, which is sometimes profound and sometimes sheer smut.

[@davidberlanny3308]

​@@AllotmentFoxκαλά, είμαι έτοιμος για αυτό

[@Michael-v3z1s]

Sort of like Macdonalds. Better cheese.

[@tweedyoutdoors]

There has never been a fast food chain centred around celery!

[@albert2395]

Please, please, Tweedy! No Americanisms!!!😮 No mre" Back in the Day!" In the past, ages ago. Let's keep it proper English.😊

[@tweedyoutdoors]

Oh dear - I don't even realise I'm doing it sometimes. There are some aspects of American English I do find a bit grating - e.g. the overuse of the word "awesome" - but a former American colleague of mine pointed out we commit fairly similar crimes of hyperbole with adjectives like "brilliant". I suppose what I was trying to say here was "in its heyday"...?