Whether you’re just camping for one night, or you’re off on a longer adventure, here are some tasty and easy recipes that are perfect for car camping. 

The Basics

Don’t forget to bring a few kitchen basics: vegetable oil for frying, salt, pepper, water for cooking and drinking, and, of course, snacks! 

If the campsite that you are staying at has the option of an electrical hook-up, you may wish to also bring an electric cooler to keep fresh food. If not, consider bringing fresh food for your first day and eating non-refrigerated foods for the rest of your trip.

Breakfast Fry Up

Can be made either from fresh foods or almost entirely from a can! Consider adding fresh eggs and sausages or bacon (or meat-free alternative) if you have them. Potatoes, onions, tomatoes and spinach all make a great addition to a fry up and are tasty both fresh or from a can! Canned baked beans are also a great option and are convenient at any time. Finish off with some bread heated up on a dry frying pan or, if you’re feeling fancy, some slices of fried bread.

Avocado on Toast

Avocados keep easily outside of the fridge for a few days. Using a fork, mash avocado in a bowl and mix with your choice of lemon or lime juice, tomatoes, chilli flakes, salt, pepper, coriander and red onion. Warm some bread on a dry frying pan and top with the avocado mixture for an Instagram-worthy camping breakfast.

Salad

There’s nothing like a bowl full of nature to make you appreciate being surrounded by nature! This recipe requires fresh ingredients so is best served the day that the ingredients are bought (either the day you arrive or later if you decide to go grocery shopping during your trip). A large salad is also a great meal for sharing as it ensures that no fresh ingredients go to waste. Go for a base of leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce or kale. Mix with any vegetables or fruit of your choosing, such as tomato, carrot, cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, broccoli, berries, peaches, and pomegranate. Add some extra toppings to make it exciting – raisins, cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes, croutons, meat pieces or meat free alternatives all make great choices. Top off with a simple salad dressing of oil and vinegar and, if it takes your fancy, add in your choice of dried herbs, mustard, honey or maple syrup. 

Stir Fry

Stir fry is great for using up whatever leftover ingredients you might have from throughout the day and is a great evening meal. Start by boiling some rice in hot water. Whilst the rice is cooking, fry your vegetables on a high heat. Vegetables that don’t spoil easily include onions, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes, but feel free to get creative with it, using any vegetables that you’ve brought with you, or anything you can find in a can! Add some chickpeas or beans for protein and fry all the ingredients until well cooked. Drain the rice and top with your cooked vegetables for a healthy and easy dinner.