The Kelly Kettle
I’ve been meaning to try one of these out for ages and my recent fishing trip to Ireland proved to be the perfect setting.
A Kelly Kettle is made from aluminium so it weighs next to nothing. It is tough and well made and should therefore last a lifetime. It’s so basic, there’s nothing to go wrong!
Simply fill the kettle with water before leaving home and secure the spout with the cork stopper. Before lighting the fuel, remove the stopper. Place a bit of waste paper and a few twigs or dry grass, etc, in the separate firebase and set fire to it through the hole in the side. Add more fuel if required by dropping it down the chimney. Five minutes later impress the hell out of your mates by pouring them and yourself a welcoming hot cuppa soup or coffee. What could be easier?The Kelly Kettle is made in Co. Mayo in the west of Ireland. It has been around for nearly a century or so and it is still made to the same basic design. Originally ghillies used them for making the tea for their guests so it has a long angling tradition too. I particularly liked the way of making fire from whatever I could find lying around at the time. Dry grass and leaves, tree bark, sprigs of heather, pinecones, or even the wrappings from sandwiches will do. I’m told it runs particularly well on dried camel dung but we didn’t find any of that in Dingle!
Many travellers heading for remote isolated areas around the world pack a Kelly. No need for expensive bulky gas cylinders or hazardous liquid fuels and it’s Eco friendly too!
The kettle is basically a two-skinned chamber. The water occupies the outer skin and the inner skin forms the combustion chamber/chimney. Aluminium, being a superb conductor allows rapid heat transfer from the fire to the water; hence it is possible to boil a couple of pints of water within 5 minutes or so.
You use the handle and stopper chain to help pour the water out. Don’t put your hand over the chimney though or you may get burned!
There are two sizes available: The larger model holds 2.5 pints and the smaller, 1 pint. There’s even a gadget obtainable separately, which holds a set of cooking utensils including a frying pan, saucepan, etc, that fit on the top so you can cook a hot meal whilst the water is boiling.
The Kettle will work in even the highest winds. In fact, the more draft the better but take care when lifting the kettle off the base. It is possible for glowing embers to be blown out so make sure that the fire has died down a bit before lifting the kettle off if it is windy or, better still, find a sheltered spot out of the wind before lighting up.
