Camping with no fridge/ pans/ cooker/ kettle

[SwordPlay]

Hello,

We're planning to go camping with 2 dc (8 year old and 18 month old) in July in Cornwall, only for a weekend (so 2 nights). This would be our first foray into camping so we're not sure that we'll all enjoy it and whether or not it will be something we'll do regularly, so we don't want to spend money on stoves/ cookers etc. at the moment.

Any ideas on what meals we can have? So with literally no electricity/gas. We will have a cold box though (so can keep stuff cold for 8-10 hours I guess..) We're not particularly fussy eaters. Obviously baked beans and bread comes to mind.. Does anyone have any other ideas?

Much appreciated xx

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How do you intend to cook beans with no gas, electric etc etc?

You will either need to eat out or live on sandwiches and snacks for the weekend.

Please don't suggest bbq's as they are very dangerous around a tent both for fire risk and for carbon monoxide posioning

A bluet stove costs £20 please don't try to camp without one, will be miserable.

Ideas:
Yy to baked beans
Also pasta in just enough water, then add packet soup to make sauce.
Instant noodles
Fried sausages (beans in same pan)
Bacon and egg sandwiches

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Something like this

Get something like this. It will sell on if you decide damping isnt for you, and make life much more pleasant.

Cold beans on bread doesnt sound great!
If you can heat - tinned beans, hotdog tinned sausages, soup, pasta, those just add hot water flavoured rice/couscous things. Plus sandwiches - tinned fish/meat, primula cheese.

I thought cold baked beans..? Is that a total no-no..?

@traumatisednoodle Ok, I didn't realise camping stoves are so cheap, maybe I'll rethink that..

Don't really mind living off sandwiches and snacks as it's only a weekend. And thanks for the note about bbq, @Terminallysleepdeprived - i am aware how dangerous they are xx

@SwordPlay

I thought cold baked beans..? Is that a total no-no..?

@traumatisednoodle Ok, I didn't realise camping stoves are so cheap, maybe I'll rethink that..

Don't really mind living off sandwiches and snacks as it's only a weekend. And thanks for the note about bbq, @Terminallysleepdeprived - i am aware how dangerous they are xx

Just buy a cheap camping stove. Get a kettle in a charity shop or some old pans.

thank you for your suggestions, @DancesWithDaffodils and @traumatisednoodle - I will look into these :-) I guess it would make it easier, especially with 2 dc in tow.

Thanks so much xx

Cereal and long life milk for breakfast. Sandwiches and snacks for lunch. Eat out for supper, or order a pizza! If it's only a couple of nights and you may never do it again you could waste £20 on a camping stove and gas when you could have ordered Dominoes!

When we first started camping, we didn't cook, except a disposable barbecue one night or even for breakfast.

We used to have a cool bag, have picnics. Bring lots of snack foods. Long life products like pain au chocolat for breakfast, with milk from the site shop.

Go and buy fresh picnic foods daily. Then have easy to camp takeaways or pizza etc.

Worked great for short weekends.

I would not bother with a cheap camping stove, as it'll take ages and the gas bottle cost makes it expensive. If you enjoy the weekend, then get a proper stove and grill.

Titchy that makes no sense as dominoes is the same / more as a £20 stove plus you can either get 2nd hand for less or sell it on if you don't get on with it

We happily camp for a couple of nights without cooking stuff. If you have a cool box, it will keep cool (or buy a pint in the morning if there is a camp shop) and have cereal for breakfast. Sandwiches/picnic stuff for lunch. For dinner either a takeaway, family-friendly pub or barbecue. Just don't take it in the tent and if you get a disposable one make sure you put it on bricks so you don't burn the grass.

Honestly if it's chilly overnight you will want a hot drink at least!

One of our easy camping meals is a packet of flavoured rice, pre cooked chicken, tin of sweetcorn, couple of handfuls of carrot sticks (precut) all fried up together in a pan.

Eggy bread is a simple but filling breakfast... mix up eggs with a bit of milk like you were scrambling eggs, soak bread in mixture, fry.

Take glow sticks. They are fun.

If you want smores or toasted marshmallows without hassle of campfire (esp since most places ban them anyway... Fire and campsites don't mix that well really) take a big candle!

Pans, cutlery, plastic plates can just be home ones. Or buy a picnic set.

For two nights I’d do what @BusyLizzie61 says.

We frequently do weekend camping trips and I only take our little stove to make coffee in the morning. If this is your gasket camp then just have your morning tea/coffee as take out.

Our treat on these types of weekends is fish and chips with champagne sat outside enjoying a great view.

Gasket camp = practice camp

I found those little stoves last ages and yoy can have tea/ coffee in the morning, but horses for courses.

We camp a lot, we don't always take cooking stuff if we're going for a weekend, or a festival, we have juice, fruit, croissants for breakfast, eat out for a big lunch, have snacks and sandwiches for tea. Depends how near you are to civilisation!

@FusionChefGeoff

Titchy that makes no sense as dominoes is the same / more as a £20 stove plus you can either get 2nd hand for less or sell it on if you don't get on with it

You have to factor in the effort of cooking, buying the food, washing up, and taste of end result ! And kids' enjoyment.

We've never had a fridge when camping - just a stove, camping kettle and pan. Cooking on the camping stove is part of the fun. If it's just two nights, though, you could get away with eating out/takeaways supplemented with 'snack' type foods, assuming you don't mind a not particularly healthy diet just for an odd weekend.

Personally, I love cold baked beans out of the can - it's the only way I ever eat them!

You can take some fruit with you - apples, oranges etc. will be fine in your cool box.

Tinned salmon/tuna would be a sandwich option. As would fish/meat paste (the kind in glass jars) if you used it all in one go. DairyLea triangles would be OK in a cool box.

You could take Ryvitas, rice cakes or crackers.

If you were camping for longer, or you plan to go again, I would definitely recommend getting a cheap stove.

Barbecues can't be used inside a tent due to carbon monoxide - and not all sites allow them. You can buy a camping barbecue that packs up small - we've got one, but we've only used it once because it takes so long to heat up and when we're camping we want to be out and about doing things.

yes to a simple gas stove, the kind that clips onto the gas bottle, and a pot.
you can also get a rack thingy to make toast on it.

wrt coolbox, they can keep cool for a lot longer by filling it with frozen stuff like milk and water, ham and cheese slices.
on a warm day cover the coolbox with a wet towel.

having tinned ravioli cooked on the camping stove at least once on a camping trip is The.Law.

I would not bother with a cheap camping stove, as it'll take ages and the gas bottle cost makes it expensive.

We have trailer tent with a built in cooker. We use one of those Camping Gaz stoves as an extra ring. It is very good, despite the price. The bottles last ages and can be bought for just over a pound.

Disposable BBQ for sausages etc is easy but not being able to heat water for coffee etc is a pain. Can you borrow a stove and kettle from someone if you're just trying out camping?

@Dunlin, @BusyLizzie61, @user1495884211, @Aroundtheworldin80moves - great tips, thanks so much for contributing. I just want it to be easy and stress-free and enjoyable for everyone. So really just thinking about my options here.

Judging from all the comments I feel like it is perfectly doable without cooking, however if the weather lets us down (as it's always likely) then it would be great to be able to have a hot meal/ drink.

@titchy - it's all about prioritising :D and who doesn't love Dominoes?!

also, @Dunlin - champagne with fish & chips..! I will be trying that for sure.. :D

@allpurplesequins - thanks for advice regarding cool box!

Good luck. I remember the days we used to go camping with a two man tent, roll mats, sleeping bags and a disposable BBQ.
Now we have a trailer full of equipment, plus roof box (if we don't take the canoe, otherwise we have to squeeze everything into the car and trailer )

Other tips... Fleecy pyjamas (not a onesie if your 8yo is a girl, taking them off the toilet is a pain!) Croc style shoes and blankets. Get your toddler used to a shower. Take more clothes than you think you need for a toddler... Just double it. Mine always found puddles to fall in.

It depends on the weather tbh. If it's really warm, then eating cold food will be ok (not cold baked beans though ). But it can get pretty chilly at night. It could be a bit of a false economy if you choose not to buy a stove (which isn't very expensive) and then spend lots on takeaways etc!