AIBU to wonder what you eat when camping or glamping?!

[kravestix]

Arranging a family holiday. Accommodation for 7 nights is a safari tent. Comes with a one ring portable gas hob, a BBQ and an Electric Cool Box. What are we supposed to eat for the week? There's 7 of us.

I don't fancy a BBQ every single night. Chances of rain are probably likely at some point too. We can't eat out every day. That's too expensive for 7 of us. We'll be lucky if we can eat out once during the week. So, what are sort of things can we eat? Really looking forward to the Holiday but very much panicking about the food situation and lack of fridge or oven!

If you camp or glamp what do you eat? Any suggestions?

For meals only using the gas ring you could do
Stir fries with straight to wok noodles or boil in the bag rice
Sausage casserole with pasta
Pasta, tinned tomatoes, tuna etc
Pasta, Philadelphia with cooked meat or veg
Curry with a jar and meat & veg
Fries fish with couscous & salad

Take a mixture of tinned food and take the labels off, eat cold
This is only thing I can think of we are going camping and have no stove. I have no idea what to do

Campfire stew! Big pan, sausages, onions, pepper, mushrooms, tin of tomatoes, tin of beans - add chilli, garlic and paprika. Cook it all up and serve with crusty bread.

We also take something for the first night and something frozen for the second. Often a curry first night and chilli/bolognese the next.

One night pasta and sauce from a jar

BBQ the rest. One traditional sausage and burgers, one night fish ....

Pre make and freeze a couple of meals of one-pot things like chilli or stew - these will be your dinners on nights 4 & 5 and will help keep your big coolbox cold on days 1-3 (invest in a really good big coolbox). Things that can be just heated through on a saucepan and served with bread or sachets of pre-cooked rice heated by just having boiling water poured onto them.

Night 1 is always takeaway - you may not have had time to finish unpacking and sorting the campsite by the time hunger sets in.

Likewise night 7 is always either eating out or takeaway so that you don't have to be dealing with leftover washing up on the last morning.

Night 6 tends to be bbq with stuff bought locally as the coolbox can't be expected to keep stuff brought from home cold all the way through the week anyway

For nights 2, 3 one of them can be bbq obviously, with stuff brought from home that were frozen prior to the holiday but may have defrosted a bit by the time we get to them, without having had a chance to get too old, and the other usually a pasta dish with fresh tortellini - I buy from the fridge section but then freeze at home. Make in one pan cook up a big pan of veg, tip in a jar of pasta sauce then add the tortelloni (which have probably defrosted but will still be reasonably cold).

Lunches we focus on things that don't need to be kept cold at all, like tubes of sandwich spread and cans of tuna, and buy small amounts of fresh stuff locally if needed.

My advice is similar to most others’ but I just wanted to add, take a couple of packets of pre-grated cheese to add to meals like pasta as it bulls them up but cheese gets everywhere during the grating process!

There's an article here with other suggestions: www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jul/13/what-food-to-pack-for-a-rainy-camping-holiday

We’d eat rice and stir fry veg most nights. Maybe get fresh fish or chicken when on way back from day trip to camp site to add to it once a week. Easy to take pre made sauces and put in cool box.

We just did a week glamping - I cooked for 2 nights - first night I had made a big tomato chicken and chorizo stew the day before leaving and then heated it up over the campfire and heated up flatbreads to go with it. 2nd night did hot dogs but also served salad, pate, cheese, bread etc. No need for BBQ's every day.

One gas ring for 7 people is ridiculous! If they allow it I would buy a double ring camping stove, or see if you can borrow one, they aren't too expensive.
Take something such as chilli or spag bol from home for the first night and a second one frozen for the 2nd night that will defrost in the cool box. Use the packs of microwave rice and fresh pasta so the cooking time is less. Or noodles that only take a few minutes to soak in boiling water.
Couscous that only needs boiled water, ready cooked chicken or BBQ kebabs & salad.
Hot dogs with proper sausages on the BBQ and baked beans.
Tuna & pasta with cheese sauce
BBQ burgers

I would take premade pot of chilli or pasta sauce for one night, then just cook pasta on the ring, drain the pan and stir in the sauce and heat it a few mins etc.

I would barbecue at least 3 times, different things. I would also plan to eat out the other evenings, wouldn't have to be fancy stuff but might buy fish & chips etc.

If you can afford posh glamping I think there's maybe an assumption you are willing to spend on meals out

Chilli or curry to reheat the first night

Bbq a few nights, different things so burgers, sausages, kebabs, pork steaks, marinated chicken, even salmon - serve in buns or with rice, salad, pasta, vegetables, new potatoes

Cheese board

Quiche, pork pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches etc

Eat out
Takeaway

My family used to camp a lot and I went at least twice a year every year with the scouts. Now the DC have started to go with the scouts and I'm the one who has to supervise since DH won't camp!

Breakfasts were usually cooked breakfasts. Sausages, bacon, eggs, fried bread. Not healthy but very filling. Cereal, oatmeal, fruit also showed up. Sausage or bacon sandwiches, occasionally. French toast is also fairly easy, as are pancakes if you have a good pan.

Lunch depended on what we were doing. Often it was just cold sandwiches or something like a ploughman's lunch. Sausage sandwiches, on occasion, if the grill was ready. Our camping trips were often fishing expeditions with my father so lunch had to be portable and we weren't out near places to buy lunch!

Dinners had the most variation. Standard BBQ of course. Foil packet suppers -- usually some combination of chicken, beef, and some vegetables wrapped in foil and cooked in the fire, served with baked potatoes. Grilled sweetcorn or roasted sweetcorn is also a favourite side. Chili and stews, if the weather isn't too hot and someone would be at the camp to keep an eye on the fire, are also pretty easy. Those could be served in a hollowed-out loaf (this was a staple for one group and I miss it!). Kebabs with grilled meat & veggies. Fajitas in the cast iron skillet are also terrific, as are tacos.

Desserts are also terrific, you can do a lot in a cast iron skillet! Crumbles, apple crisp, grilled fruit, banana boats are all staples.

There's a lot you can do -- depends on what your dishwashing setup is like, too! How complicated you want to be might depend on how much hassle it is to wash up afterwards.

Oh reminded by the suggestion of grated cheese (great suggestion!) is pre make a load of jacket potato's and individually wrap in foil and freeze. (Put in cool box)

You can beat them on the bbq one evening and have with salad and cheese , tins of beans etc.

Make a good load of frozen meals. Just to heat up.
Batch of bolognaise - goes on pasta or pizza.
A few curries.
Marinate different Meats - for the BBQ or for wraps/mains
Bake and freeze breakfast muffins, regular muffins.
batch of chilli con carne- for jacket potatoes/ tacos.
There's loads you can do ahead and just reheat.

We go camping quite regularly, and cook a whole range of foods.

We have a (good) camping stove, a single ring burner and there is a gas BBQ on site.

We do baked Camembert on the BBQ, moules frite using the 2 rings, paella, fajitas, steaks on the BBQ served with chips and sweetcorn, spanish omellette with salad and rice, basic BBQ, BBQ fish, stir fries, curries etc.

One ring, I think you will struggle with as a family of 7, so I'd definitely advise you buy a second.

We take :
lots of fruit and veg than can be cut up - like apples, watermelon, carrots, red, pepper, bananas, cucumber etc great as sides or for snacks.
quick cook pasta or tortellini, pesto, tomato sauce/paste
Sausages - can go in with pasta or be hotdogs, chicken on skewers ( ready made or marinate in a ziplock bag & Bring) Salmon for barbie
Quick cook rice - useful for all sorts of meals
Noodles - the type that just need heated through
Spanish tortilla - you can get ready made ones
potatoes in foil cooked in the fire are delish, corn on the cob grilled,
then lots of cheese, crackers, ham slices, falafel, homous to snack on
eggs - great for brekkie or snacks
and it's really easy to make a cheese and/or ham toasties in a pan.
take bread, baps etc.

I would also go and get one of those single ring camping stoves that Halfords do - just to speed it all up a bit.

One pot recipes are great for camping...

Assuming you have a coolbox etc

Fruit
Veg sticks with dips
Breadsticks
Pre made kebabs kept cold and eaten on day 1/2
Roast chicken drumsticks for day 1
Tins - sweetcorn, beans, tuna etc
Boiled eggs
Scotch eggs
Pork pies
Cocktail sausages
Flatbread/ wraps
Ham / salami etc
Croissants
Cheese and crackers
Olives
Noodles
Instant porridge - just add hot water type
S’more ingredients
Bag of salad
Premade pancakes or waffles
Pasta and pesto jar sauce
Pasta and tomato jar sauce

Take batch cooking for a couple or nights. If you freeze them they should be fine in the coolbox.

Things like a marinated pork frying steak on the hob and then some cold cous cous from the fresh section in the supermarket would work well.

Or you could buy a cheap suitcase style stove to take which would give you two rings to cook on.

We eat porridge pots for breakfast, topped up with dried fruit/berries, seed and nuts.

BBQ dinner - and a chippy tea now and again to take a break from cooking.

As others have suggested:
We freeze a meal or two.
Chilli, curry etc
Take packet rice which heats up quickly.
If you don't want to take pre-cooked stuff, I actually think those tins of stagg chilli are alright.
Fresh pasta and sauce.
Couple of BBQs.
Chippy chips one night with bread and butter.
Hot dogs cook quickly.
Salad, cheese, various cold pastry things and crisps. Houmous and dips.

Have plenty of fruit, cereal bars etc for snacks.

Anything you can cook in one pan - risotto, chilli, spaghetti bolognese (serve with nice bread), stew served with potatoes done on the bbq. There’s loads you can do!

Yabu.

With the equipment you've got wed have, risotto, paella, maybe pasta of some description, chilli with nachos, bbq lamb or beef koftas with pitta bread breads and green salad, chicken fajitas (roll wraps in tinfoil and heat on pan/bbq.

Lots of options.

Also toasties in the frying pan! We always have toasties when we camp !

I'm a scout leader and creating meals for large groups whike camping is fun 😁
Yes, I am weird!

So I do similar to what a few have said - taking first 2 meals frozen. They also double up as ice packs for your cool box.
Chilli, bolognese, curry, stew etc all freeze well.

I've also done macaroni cheese at camp - make a batch of cheese sauce and freeze in advance. Let it defrost and add to your boiled pasta and warm through.

Soup - I either take veggies all grated in a freezer bag, and cook whilst there, or jjst take veggie soup pre made.

Fajitas - easy to do on one ring, as is a stir fry with straight to wok noodles.

BBQ 2 or 3 nights - burgers one night, maybe chicken/prawn skewer the other. Think someone suggested cous cous - great shout.

Pinterest has loads of one pot camping meals.
Our scouts had a go at pizzas on the BBQ. They weren't bad and good fun for kids to try.

All day breakfast one night? Sausage, bacon, mushrooms, eggs etc all done in one pan?

Fish parcels with veg done on the bbq? Wrap salmon or whatever in foil with lemon, herbs, leeks or something? Fish cooks nice and quickly.

Buy a cooked chicken or two, crusty bread and salad from the shop to habe a night off cooking.

Takeaway or eat out one night.

Lunches I'd just do sandwiches or rolls with banana, crisps, nutella etc

Breakfast - big pot of scrambled egg, pot of porridge, take ready made pancakes or croissants, crumpets are ok in the frying pan rather than grill or toaster too.

If really worried, Go Outdoors have 1 ring burners with 4 cans of gas for about £15-20 just now.

Hope that helps