A cooking challenge - please help!

[badger2005]

So. The plan is an overnight stay with some extended family (all lovely!) in a 'camping barn'. It is about 4-5 hours drive from home and we will go for a walk on arrival 3-4 hours before we eat! There is a wood burning stove but that is just to keep warm. Any cooking has to be done on a camping stove (we have one with 2 hobs).

There will be 4 adults - one of whom is extremely low/no carb. I am pescatarian but honestly happy to eat the edge parts of a meal and fill up on whatever. Also 4 children/teenagers - not particularly fussy but not totally gung ho either.

I can cook something and bring it up with me... something that will stay fresh enough to eat over all that time though... a piece of brisket slow cooked? With bread (for some) and some salady bits? Or chilli with wraps (for some)? Would either of these work? Any other ideas?

Just to avoid drip feeding, the only lighting will be candles. The barn has no electricity.

Of course the meal is not just my responsibility, and giving up and all just eating crisps is a possible option! But I just quite like the idea of the challenge and thought mumsnetters are bound to be able to help. I'd like it to be a wonderful feast if that were possible...!

Wood burning stove keeps ourselves warm - not for warming any food.

Casserole in a hotbox. Or we've been out to the chippy on arrival previously. If feasible.

Will you up for a 3 hour walk after a 5 hrs drive? ?

can you cook outdoors?
barbecue, bread rolls, pan of premade soup.
cake.

It seems unfair for you to miss out on the main if you're cooking it.

I'm vegetarian so not sure if there's any sort of fish dish that would keep for that length of time. Probably not...

Otherwise the chilli would probably work. You could do a vegetarian one, though I guess that would be higher carb. Maybe with jacket potatoes rather than wraps as you can keep those warm for hours.

Ooh - what's a hotbox? Is it a coolbox?

Yes I know the 3 hours walk sounds ambitious! May be less, but would be good to get out. I think I mentioned just because it won't just be the drive but also some more time between leaving home (and cooking/heating things) and eating) .

Cooking outdoors an exciting idea... but it will be very dark... do you think it would be safe/possible?

I love chilli! But I wonder whether for really low-carbers even kidney beans are out?

Can you take a filling soup with you to reheat then take crusty bread, cheese, meat crisps, nuts etc

Are filling soups also low-carb? The filling soups that come to my mind are all hearty with rootveg/pulses!

I guess I could do a kind of beef stew without root vegetables or flour and then heat this up? (And maybe another lentil or bean stew for me!). Then crusty bread for those who want it, cheese, crisps etc... how does this sound?

What do low carbers eat for pudding in the winter? All my first thoughts for a winter pudding while camping (sort of thing) are stodgy... Christmas cake, parkin, hot chocolate...

I guess I could do a kind of beef stew without root vegetables or flour and then heat this up? (And maybe another lentil or bean stew for me!).

Yes.

Beef, shallots, cabbage, carrots, peppers, veg all shredded small. Cook before hand and reheat. I'd use beef stock, wine and mustard on the stock.

You could take take bread, cheese, desserts to accompany.

Add the beans to the chilli once you've reheated it at the barn? That way you could syphon off the low carber's portion before the beans are added.

You could also do a hearty lentil and ham soup as well as the casserole.

Nah. I'd do a slow cooked gammon & carve it, take cheeses, other meats & crackers, bread & chutneys & have a lovely time!

Mmm seems a hotbox isn't QUITE what I thought... There are different types of hot box
Look at insulated hot box. You heat up the food until it's piping hot then wrap it up in a duvet for hours, or bury it in the ground. Good luck!

Is this in the UK, op? Sounds fabulous.

Can you take a disposable BBQ?

I would go for several small courses with extras that can be omitted for you and your low-carb relative.

If you want something Christamassy, how about:

Starter
Chestnut soup - served with optional shop bought croutons and pre-cooked cripsy bacon bits
or
Tomato soup - served with cheese bread/parmesan shortbread/cheese straws

Main
Honey roast pigs in blankets (use large chipolatas, honey glazed veggie sausages for you) cooked on disposable bbqs served with salad and rosti or colcannon potato cakes (colcannon made into a giant potato cake that fills a frying pan and is fried on top and bottom, like a giant hash brown). Pre cook them then you can reheat them in a frying pan.
or
No-cook poached salmon with salad, rosti or colcannon potato cakes or a hot puy lentil salad (use the Merchant Gourmet pre cooked pouches). Bring the water to the boil, place salmon fillets in the water and cover, remove from the heat. The salmon will poach while you reheat the potatoes or lentils. Or just serve with salad...
or
Wild mushrooms in a garlic and cream sauce. Make the sauce on one hob, then use the other burner to sauté the mushrooms so you can do several panloads of mushrooms, adding them to the sauce to keep warm. Or just make it at home and reheat. You could add chopped pre cooked bacon, crispy fried onions, herbs, pre cooked chestnuts to this too, depending on dietary requirements/which starter you go for.

Dessert
A selection of mince pies/Christmas cake/low carb Christmas cookies. I recommend the peppermint and chocolate stars, walnut and cardamom snowballs from here:
alldayidreamaboutfood.com/make-ahead-low-carb-holiday-cookies/

Cheeseboard with figs and grapes

You can get a thermos that will keep soup hot for 8 hours (most can't) or just reheat the soup. You can probably use the wood stove as a "hot plate" to keep the soup warm while you cook a main (they all take under 10 mins).

A hotbox looks like an interesting possibility!

Have never done a gammon... maybe I could do this? What recipe do you use? Am thinking hot food would be good though (given the weather etc).

Any pudding ideas for low/no carbers? Or should I bring cake for most of us plus nuts and cheese?

Thank you all for helping - this is great.
Yes it is in the UK, and it is fabulous - in summer! I know because we've been there a couple of times. First time trying it in winter though...

Oh wow newname a whole menu - that's amazing.

I love the sound of the mushroom dish - but what should I serve that with?

Also the low carb treats look delish...

Oops! I forgot that. You could serve it with fresh pasta (for quick cooking time) or rosti or rice (boil in the bag sachets for ease) or just crusty bread if you aren't already serving bread for one of the other courses. I think pasta works best though. I guess you could try it with cauliflower rice or butternut squash/courgette pasta to be low carb but I'm not sure how nice that would be! You could make smoked paprika or Italian herb cloud bread at home and reheat it in a frying pan or warm it wrapped in foil on top of the wordburner for just your low carb relative. It would probably be too much like hard work to do that for 8 though...

Simple pudding is Jamie Oliver's sliced pineapple marinated in mint & brown sugar-yum. You can also use it in cocktails!

I do gammon in the slow cooker & finish in a hot oven with a honey mustard glaze. Sainsbury's be good to yourself is my fave.

You could do home made meringues & take fruit & cream for pavlovas