Annual hangi pit forest feast

On the 31st of May 2025, the Woodland Warrior Programme hosted it’s annual hangi pit event, cooking pork over heated granite stone with the traditional Māori hangi method, using techniques that have been refined over the last decade. Blue light workers and armed forces veterans came together to make and enjoy a feast in the woodland. As it is an all-natural cooking method, using rocks to cook the food in a hole in the ground, the group effort it took helps to build teamwork, bringing people together and closer to nature. 

A hangi pit is typically dug 50-100 centimetres deep, to accommodate the rocks and food, and then logs and earth are placed over the top of the pit during the cooking process, which typically takes about 3-4 hours. It allows for large amounts of food to be cooked without the use of modern cooking apparatus, as it is a centuries-old method developed by the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand.