I have a double gas ring and grill and and actifry and will be my first time camping kids will be 1 and 3 so and was looking for great meal ideas and easy as I want to cook and not eat out to get the full camping experience
Pasta meals. Such as Carbonara - fry off some lardons/bacon and muchrooms. Tub of pasta sauce heated on the hob. Pasta boiled in a pan. Sliced garlic bread grilled. Serve with salad.
I use cook in sauce for chicken pieces and serve with savoury rice and salad/veg.
Chilli con carne (if I am being lazy I serve mine on nachos instead of rice and with some grated cheese/Bolognaise.
I take a slow cooker and cook a whole chicken and do a chicken dinner - gravy granules and veg boiled on the stove.
Slow cooker is also fab for curries and casseroles and even rice pudding.
Tinned hotdogs - with fried onions.
BBQ food and salad.
We dont always have a cooked breakfast. Some mornings it cereal and others boiled egg and soldiers. Now and again I may do a full fry up.
Lunches tend to be sarnies, wraps or something on toast (if onsite for the day). The above are our main meals.
Depending where you go but sometimes we buy the local speciality and have that for example in Cornwall we would have a pasty or a take away cream tea.
We dont often do desserts but I have on a few occassions bought a frozen Pavlova or similar and defrosted it during the day - as no freezer in the tent or do strawberries and cream/low fat yogurt.
------------- I used to be emvid then a Little Lemon but now I am Emvid again!
Curry- One saucepan with a simple sauce from jar (or coconut milk with spices), onions, chillies and a bit of meat. Boil in the bag rice. Job done! (add beer for refreshment!)
Risotto- V. easy peasy one pot. Good with fresh veg and chuck any old odds and sods!
Croque monsieur/madame great for breakfast, or even simpler, grilled cheese.
Eggy bread w/wo peanut butter
Pancakes- savoury or sweet
Smoars- V. sweet!!
Wraps- So easy!!!
Coffe, bread, cheese and ham for breakfast
Hot dogs/burgers nice and simple
Steak and new potatoes can't be beat!! So simple.
------------- 11 Hendra
12 La Croix du Vieux Pont
13 lCdP+The Quiet Site
14 Park Cliffe Cote D'Argent
15 Park Cliffe Le Pearl
16 Eskdale
17 Skelwith Fold
18 Skelwith Fold
19 Skelwith Fold
20 Skelwith Fold
As above, Pasta sauces with added items of your choice - mushrooms, peppers, etc.
On the very rare occasion that we have a cold chilly day (), we have a stew for dinner. Tinned meat, potatoes, carrots (and whatever else takes your fancy), some mixed herbs all bundled into one pot and stirred often - served with crusty bread and butter is always a warming favourite.
------------- You have to be cruel to be unkind.
Kinky is using using a feather; wierd is using a whole damn chicken!
As above, pre-made sauces either jarred, packet or homemade are great. Just fry off the meat, poultry, or grill the fish etc and add to sauce, reheat sauce and include the carbohydrate component, such as the rice, cous cous, pasta, bread or potatoes.
I don't normally do packet foods, but we take things such as instant mash with use because it's easier than boiling the mashing potatoes.
Remember to also premake and freeze a spag bol, curry or chilli before you go, they will defrost over a few days so you will have the first few days main meals made and ready to reheat.
Breakfasts are easy, just do what you do at home.
A tip I read in this very site was to make the lunch option after breakfast before you wash up and keep it in the coolbox, especially for the children, so they have all the bits you would like them to eat throughout the day and it is just there ready and you only 2 tidy up sessions a day, one after breakfast and one after dinner.
I will defiantely do this with my DD who is 5, I willmake her lunchbox up and she can take what she likes when she wants rather than coming to me to ask for a sandwich, then an hour later coming to ask for chopped fruit etc. Its not a bother at home, but getting out the chopping board etc and washing every 5 minutes is not my idea of a holiday, especialky when it includes a walk to the wash up or to boil the kettle for hot water.
Good recipe suggestions above but I'd just like to add one piece of advice, especially since your kids are very young. Cooking while camping always seems to take twice as long as it would take at home. The prep area is smaller and less convenient to use, the items you want are always underneath everything else and the cooker itself is less powerful and thus things take longer to come to the boil etc.
So give yourself plenty of time and start cooking the meal well in advance, give yourself twice the time to make even a simple meal. Don't wait till the kids are getting grumpy because they're hungry, there's no such thing as "whipping up a quick dinner" on campsite, not in my experience. If you're not under time pressure then cooking on site is fun.
(You'll soon get sick of it though. Full camping experience it may be but on a drizzly night when you're tired the chip shop or local takeaway is a lovely experience too.)
I agree with all of the above, jars or pre made sauces. I went out (actually stayed in an ordered it online!!!) and bought a JML FOOD SEALER, this has so far proved invaluable, as if you vac pac it, it does last longer in the fridge. it's also great for home use as well, our food now lasts a lot longer using this. I vac pac 4 or 5 meals for when we go away, and have never had any problems.
We have traditional "camping con-carne" my 8 and 5 yr olds cringe whenever I do the "camping con carne" dance when I am reheating it........but they like it really. Just re-named chille con carne!
Cheers
Dan
------------- April - Derbyshire
May - Cromer
May - Clipsby Hall
July - Kelling Heath
August - France
September - Clipsby Hall
October - Brecon
As Val said, cooking whilst camping takes longer than at home so its good to be prepared. We used to have healthy nibbles nearby for when the littles (and big ones) start moaning that they're hungry.
Mine are now 11 and 14, but they were tiny we used to have just a twin burner & bbq. Spag bol with salad & bread, curry or chilli and those quick cook rice packets, cheesy or tomato pastas, hamburgers, hot dogs, kebabs, grilled meats.
We do quick pizzas using torila wraps, tomato puree and grated cheese, bit of ham or whatever else you like. Wrap in foil and pop on the bbq for a few minutes until the cheese melts. Your 3 year old could help prepare these I'm all for child labour.
Have fun, keep it simple and know where the nearest tke away is just in case
i have found i can cook most things i cook at home i now have an electric halogen hob and mini oven but had 2 ring grill gas cooker for many years i usually take something ready made for the first night and something made at home and frozen for the second. Things like curry chilli and rice pasta bolognese or any other pasta sauce are great for cooking on camping stove things like sausage chops steak can all be cooked on a grill or bbq and served with salad or potatoes and veg a steamer pan is good as you can cook potatoes and veg on one ring but if not cook potatoes on one ring a fresh veg on the other then have a tinned veg that will only take a few minutes to warm at last minute. you can buy cooked chickens and serve with potatoes and veg. stir fries or fried rice dishes can be cooked on one ring.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: family meals while camping
), we have a stew for dinner. Tinned meat, potatoes, carrots (and whatever else takes your fancy), some mixed herbs all bundled into one pot and stirred often - served with crusty bread and butter is always a warming favourite.
I'm all for child labour.
