Cool boxes, camp food & water questions!

[PolkadotRosa]

Following on from my previous post and the brilliant advice I've been getting, I've got a few camping quandries I'd be grateful for your help with (apologies if silly, but tis all new to
me)

Cool boxes/bags.. Recommendations? What should I be looking for, for a weekend camping? Is a 'standard' cool box ok rather than a plug in type? Don't want to/can't spend alot.
Do I need ice block thingies? What kind are best? What foods are ok in a cool box and what's not?

We've got a single ring gas stove and was thinking of taking disposable bbq's. I'm doing the evening 'meal' for 2 adults and 4 kids one night, any suggestions for an easy meal and other tips on food that's good to take with us?

Finally, water - have seen a £1.99 collapsable water cannister in home bargains which I was thinking of buying - should I bother? What do you all do for your water??

Thanks:)

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MNHQ

Water: just buy the huge bottle at Tescos (it has a handy handle) and use that.

Simple supper, pre-cook spag bol sauce and then use fresh pasta as it cooks quick so uses less gas.

Standard fridge bix is fine - mine does s better job than our plug in as long as stuff goes in cold. Freeze milk & fruit juice to use as ice blocks and buy a bag of ice from supermarket when these have defrosted

Look for a coolbox with thick insulated walls and lid, the very cheap ones tend to be thin with no insulation on the lid. Ice blocks are useful, especially if you can refreeze them at the campsite, but you can also freeze bottles of water, cartons of juice or milk, meat or cooked meals to use instead.

Pasta and rice can be brought up to the boil and then put to one side while you cook something else like curry, chilli or bolognese on the stove. Cook and freeze meals like casseroles in advance.

We have the collapsible water carrier from Home Bargains, it won't last forever but is good for the price.

I have a campinggaz coolbox which works well and cost about £30. Ice block thingies are much of a muchness I think, but make sure you have enough that some can be re-freezing while others are in the box. I tend to change the blocks in the morning and after dinner to keep things cold enough.

I buy a bottle of supermarket water and refill that once its gone. I don't buy a huge bottle as I prefer to top it up regularly to keep it fresh.

Water thingy is good, but when half filled it gets floppity so I tend to perch ours inside a washing up bowl and use that water for rinsing hand cups or boiling for tea etc. drinking wise I buy 2 litre water bottles (or fill them) and freeze, and put those in your coolbox as a coolant too and slot food around them. Once defrosted, use, fill, re freeze (lots of sites have a freezer and use your freezer blocks too) ad infinitum. Cool packs are always better at the top of your box, and a cold wet tea towel or cloth over the closed box helps too.

As Salome says, I buy a 5l flagon of spring water from Tesco for about £1 and then keep re-filling it. IME the soft opaque plastic water carriers make the water taste plasticky.