The thing about going camping is that it’s meant to be a holiday, so easy meals are the ticket.

If you don’t normally buy prepacked food, give yourself a break and try out some. They are huge time savers and tasty too! Hungry kids are not happy kids, so here are some suggestions for easy and filling camping meals.

Camping meal ideas

Hamburgers – Cook frozen hamburger patties, then chuck them in a bun with some coleslaw.

Curry –  Make it at home and freeze in an ice-cream container. This then acts as a slicker pad and is ideal for your meal on the second night away.

Toasted sandwiches – Simply butter the bread on the outside, add a filling, and cook in the frying pan.

Mince and rice – Use a pre-made jar of sauce, fry some mince and add sachets of precooked rice. To heat the rice, put a little water and the rice in a pot with a lid and heat on the gas ring.

Wraps – Line up all the fillings, warm the wraps in the frying pan and get the family to make their own.

Chicken Teriyaki – Cook the chicken, add the bottle of teriyaki and cook the rice (as above).

Sausages and chops – With salad and mashed potatoes made from dehydrated potato.

Scrambled or poached eggs on toast – With bacon or sausages. A hard, plastic egg carton is ideal for storing eggs in the chilly bin while camping.

Vegetables

Fresh veges can go floppy and off very quickly in the heat – it’s amazing how quickly your lovely green broccoli will flower in the heat!

Don’t hesitate to take canned veges including corn, peas and beans. Packaged coleslaw that includes a sachet of mayonnaise keeps well for a few days while bags of lettuce leaf are easy to prepare and store. Carrots, cucumber, and courgette all keep fresh well.

Put tomatoes in a plastic container to protect them from being squashed if you’re storing them in the chilly bin.

Treats and nibbles

• Kids just love toasting marshmallows – add some chocolate wheaten biscuits for s’mores.
• BBQ Fondue – half and half cream and chocolate melted together in a pot for dipping fruit and marshmallows in. Tastes better in the fresh air!
• Pikelets or pancakes are great for supper, morning or afternoon tea. Make life easy and take the premixes that just require milk or water to be added.

Camping pantry

In addition to the components of the camping meals you are planning here are some items that you will need in addition to the basic ingredients:

• Cooking oil
• Salt and pepper
• Butter or spread
• Coffee, tea, Milo, sugar
• Salad dressing
• Spreads for toast and sandwiches
• Tomato sauce
• Milk
• Selection of fresh herbs in resealable bag for salads