In our small sleeping only tent the last two years we stuck to one pot meals on the gas, like sausages with herbs, chilli etc. Now having bought a bigger tent, we are considering getting a slow cooker, though will end up cooking the same sort of dishes, but tbh, on a holiday don't really want to do anything too complicated. We took the recipes with the tins and herbs needed (tins of pulses, chopped tomatoes etc as well as the herbs and spices, that saves a lot of shopping time) and just shopped for the meat required daily. Everywhere we stayed at has a fridge, so we didn't need a coolbox. It's only me that needs milk for one coffee in the morning, and long life is fine for a few days. The porridge pots that only need boiling water are great and being generally out walking at lunchtime, a simple roll, cereal bars and fruit was enough. We don't overthink stuff. Actually, the wine is more important!
We have a slow cooker and it's very useful.
I do really miss my oven when I'm camping though. I love baking and haven't really managed to do anything close while camping. Pancakes is about as good as it gets for us!
Some great suggestions on here especially taking away frozen meals. I'll try that too!
My first couple of trips last year we took a 12v coolbox I've had for years. At 24l I must admit I found it too small, even for 2 of us. Having to get fresh freezer packs each day can be hit or miss. One site charged 50p per block per day, adding £14 to our bill over a week. Some sites have free freezers, some charge. Sometimes the free freezers are full, sometimes they have a fridge with a freezer compartment and sometimes are poorly maintained and the ice compartment is full of ice. I like to be prepared and to know what is happening. Also, having to buy a small pint of milk every day is lot more expensive than buying a larger one every few days.
At the end of the year I looked at getting a larger coolbox with 240v capability. Good ones are very expensive - over £100. Instead I took the plunge and bought a proper 3 way camping fridge. It came in handy in the house over christmas for storing wine and drinks too!
Currently Aldi have a small tabletop fridge in at £60ish. If you dont want the expensive of a 3 way fridge that is a great way to get sorted and cheaper than a coolbox. The 3 way camping fridges are big and bulky.
Eating out is expensive and can soon cost more than the campsite itself. For this reason I also splashed out on a Kampa Roastmaster cooker. On those days with poorer weather I know I can do spanish chicken, cook pizzas or any normal style meal. This was prompted by the fact that the 3 knobs on my small campingaz hob/grille disintegrated despite only being used 3 times (however it was several years old) and campingaz wanting to charge me £25 for the 3 knobs on a £35 cooker!
I'm not a wild camper. I like the peace and quiet, I like to see the countryside and to relax. I dont like roughing it so for me these purchases are (hopefully) long term peace of mind. But - they do take up a lot of space in the car!
I tend to take a small range of herbs, spices and dried ingredients with me (buying a couple each week you dont notice the cost) and then take some frozen bacon for first breakfast. I research ahead as to whether there are supermarkets locally and adjust what I take with me accordingly. On smaller, more remote sites I take more, on a site with a major supermarket nearby I'd take less.
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Topic: First Time Campers -food spending money?
