Duchess of Cambridge braves weather with campfire

THE Duchess of Cambridge stayed true to the Scout motto – “Be Prepared” – as she mucked in around the campfire at an activity centre for youngsters in the snow-bound Lake District.

Wrapped up against the biting cold, Kate arrived wearing a fleece, green parka-style jacket, dark blue jeans and wellies with a Scout’s red, white and blue neckerchief, tied in a friendship knot.

Siting around an unlit campfire with other volunteers, she was given tips on how to create fire using a flint and cotton wool. There were cheers and claps as the instructor, despite the wind and snow, managed strike a light.

Lesson over, the volunteers split into groups of five, with Kate learning how to make “twisters” or “dampers”.

In the freezing temperatures the Duchess plunged her hands, still wearing her sparkling wedding and engagement rings, into a squidgy mixture of flour, water, oil and sugar.

She kneaded the dough in a bowl for several minutes before she made elongated twists out of the pastry by rubbing blobs of the mixture between her hands.

After washing the dough mix off her hands, Kate wrapped a twist of the messy mixture around a twig stripped of bark, which was placed over the open fire ready to toast.

The volunteers’ efforts had mixed results.

“I’m not sure if these are going to look particularly edible,” Kate laughed.