camp food for the family...

[sobnad]

Hi all. In June we'll be off on a family camping (tent) trip to France for a couple of weeks. I know we'll have lots of BBQs, baguettes and cheese, but we need more than that! Has anyone got any tried and tested one- or two-pot meals that would be good for family camping? We are 2 adults and 2 toddlers (1.5yrs and 2.5yrs) and eat anything tasty! Thanks a lot xx

[thereistheball]

French campsites often have places nearby that sell frites, so you just need to cook your steak/burger/mussels etc and get some 'barquettes' in as a side dish. Ditto markets or butchers that sell rotisserie chickens, so you just need salad and bread. I try to keep the cooking to one ring - so I might fry some chorizo and make a salad with chickpeas, red onion, cherry tomatoes, parsley and balsamic vinegar - but if that's too adult its hard to go wrong with proper baked beans (or Heinz if you must - bring them yourself though); bacon and sweetcorn pancakes; tuna and white bean salad (like chorizo and chickpea above); frittata and salad. It helps to bring a few basics with you: salt, pepper, vinegar, chilli sauce, oil, mustard - but only if you have space and dont want to shop the second you arrive. Generally food is more expensive here but anyway when you're camping you need to shop carefully to avoid waste, and wine is much cheaper. Things that can be ruinous here include nappies and baby stuff - get these before you leave or from a supermarket rather than a pharmacy.

[sobnad]

Thanks thereistheball - I was hoping to take along a few bits so we don't need to rush to the shops so thanks for the suggestions. I'm now day-dreaming about mussels and frites with cheap french wine - mmm!