Caravan, camping and holiday cookery

BAGGY

I always take a premade spag bol sauce. By the time we have unpacked and made beds we are ready to reheat the sauce and bung the pasta on. That's first night sorted. I take a loaf, butter and jam and cereal. That's first breakfast and with a pack a meat or a tin tuna packed lunch too. Evening will be a meal out. I also take sausages and a tin of beans for the next breakfast with left over sausages for sarnies in the car on the way home.
I generally pack a collapsable crate with things like oil, s&p, ketchup, fruit buns, crisps, emergency meal ingredients (it has been vile weather and we have not wanted to go out to eat or the kids want to watch the show) so things like an onion, tuna, tinned toms, herbs and puree will make a pasta bake. Also a cool box with yoghurts, juice boxes, milk and butter. tea bags too.
Take a large glass and a mug as the caravan ones are normally small and I like a large glass of sqaush (wine) or tea. I always take my own chopping board and sharp knife too.

angelpye

I am going on one of these soon so I too need to get my head around it. Haven't been in a caravan since early childhood so looking forward to it but then I am seeing it as glamping and I love camping so own toilet and not putting up a tent is exciting!

I am taking on the advice and already thought would take first nights dinner with us ready cooked and a frozen casserole for 2nd night with budget for meal on site for last night (going for long weekend). Because I cook from scratch I don't enjoy fast food and only eat happy meat so would prefer not to eat out anyway. Snacks and drinks I see as main expense especially in clubhouse but as dd2 so little we won't be out late. I refuse to buy hiked up prices unless is genuine local business and not chain so will be taking lots with me. I do accept however that the point of holiday is to kick back and enjoy so I will do my preparations and then accept the cost of everything else.

VJsmum

Caravans are pretty well stocked equipment wise these days. You are likely to get a full size fridge (with small freezer compartment - bag of peas, block of ice cream size) a full oven and a microwave. It will have heating. And..... They do let you out you know and there is likely to be a "big 4" supermarket nearby in the town.

For meals when caravanning, we do keep it simple. Pasta bolognaise with fresh mince but dolm!o sauce, pie with mash and frozen veg, fish fingers and oven chips, you could buy a ready cooked chicken from supermarket with potatoes and salad, pizza, sausage and supernoodles, quiche and jackets, curry from the supermarket - or chicken breasts and a cook in sauce. Few of these things I would eat at home, or at least in this format but they are quick and easy. I do these in my somewhat smaller touring caravan so they should be no trouble in a static.

Have a lovely time.

BAGGY

We have been on loads of caravan holidays and the above format works for us. The boys are only just 5 and we like to keep to their normal bedtime or they get the grumps the next day. Like another poster already said there will be supermarkets nearby but if you have the stuff at home take it. We normally buy c@pri sun drinks and put them in the freezer if the weather is hot so the kids can have a lolly.
(I am just fussy about glass chopping boards - they make my teeth itch - and I think bendy, blunt knives are dangerous. Having said that, I have also been to caravans that have everything you need in them and then some.)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

A caravan holiday isn't fine dining.

Hotdogs, chips, ham sandwiches, takeaway from the chippie and suchlike are perfectly normal cuisine for the circumstances.

You will need teabags/coffee, milk, small tub of sugar if you use it (take your own teaspoon, as they regularly get nicked/accidentally packed), a box of cereal, sliced bread (no decent breadknives in caravans), butter and ham/cheese.


I have wanted to go home on the basis of the company :cool: or the general crapness of the beds. But on a whole, caravans aren't that bad, as long as you aren't crammed in like sardines with kids, dogs and annoying relatives at every turn.

angelpye

Should also say we have lots of allergies in my household with fish being dangerous so I am super cautious as well as being anti junk food.

I think if we walk through a day in our lives we can make a list of essential non food items ie bedding, towels, extra blankets for cold nights, tea towel, washing up liquid, iPod dock, chargers for tooth brush and phones etc, tin opener....

Actually it's exactly like packing for camping minus tent and door mat for me as I have also refused to upgrade therefore no bedding and limited heating - I go in the summer though and preparing for cold nights - only heater in main room but upgrade would be over £70 for 3 nights. To me that's a lot!

suzybloo

We usually get a box a few weeks before and buy odds and ends in the run up to the holiday. Things like cereal, fruit juice, tea, coffee, sugar, couple tins soup, couple tins pudding or angel delight, biscuits, treats , then fresh foods of cheese, butter, eggs, milk and bread, along with loo roll, washing up liquid, cling film etc. that way it gives you a little extra to spend while away. I always take a toasty maker, really handy for lunches or suppers. The day before we go is baking day too, even being a granny now it's not the same without millionaire shortbread, malteaser cake and Victoria sponge filling the cake tins! Have fun, oh and remember to take the dominos and playing cards!

Tink_04

I asked this last year when we went on our first holiday to h@ven, the best thing we took was a £5 toastie machine

Barneysmom

We usually take a cardboard box with brew stuff/cereal/pasta/tins of beans and toms for breakfasts, anything I can think of.

Then a large cooler bag with butter/bacon/sausages etc - anything that needs to be cold. I've even taken a bag of stewing meat.

Tinned chilli is ace - with spuds or rice, either will do

Take a sharp knife for peeling veg, they're usually rubbish in caravans.

Peggybabcot

We go camping a lot in a tent so still self catering but with more limited facilities. The one thing I always take with us is the slow cooker. I pop some meat and a cook in sauce in in the morning and leave it on low and it's ready for when we get back at tea time then it's just a case of either some rice, pasta or tinned veg to go with it and hey presto you have a cheap nutritious meal that took about ten minutes to prepare, after all it's my holiday too. At lunchtimes we always take a packed lunch which I prep at the same time as the casserole, usually whilst everyone else is in the shower. Take basic foods with you like salt, pepper, oil, tea bags, sugar etc etc and then either do a weekly shop when you get there (as my sister does) or like us (with only a cool box) we shop of an evening for the following days meals. That way you only buy what you need. Another thing I do is whenever there's a BOGOF offer on I put one tin/packet etc away for my camping stash so it doesn't hit my purse quite so much on holiday. I also save my nectar points to use whilst I'm away.
For when we arrive I usually have a ready cooked chicken, a bag of salad and some crusty bread so it can be on the table in no time as well as the stuff for breakfast the following day as well as lunch which means we're self sufficient until at least the following day.
I also raid the fridge just before we leave for everything that'll go out of date before we get back so nothing gets wasted. I also try to bake some goodies the day before to take with us x