Keeping food chilled in the car all day; possible?

[Epictantrum]

We're soon to take a trip to Cornwall (will be an 8-9 hour journey including some nice stops) and I was hoping to bring some food from home to eat in the evening, but we won't have any cooking facilities (but will have a fridge) on arrival. I could bring a picnic and pack it with lots of ice packs, or I thought of freezing something and letting it defrost during the journey; but what could I freeze that would be safe to eat without reheating? Or is the whole thing a recipe for food poisoning??

With a big sealed cool box you'd be fine.

yes it's possible products like YETI claim to do exactly that.
my son has one that's said to keep food cold for 3 days in the back of a pick up truck.

Can you take a camping gas stove and cook when you get there?

Sure, cool bag and ice packs

You can buy coolboxes that run off the car's cigarette lighter (or whatever they are called these days) rather than relying on ice packs.

Honestly I'd buy it /stop to eat en route at last stop or when you get there. It's uk, supermarkets familiar or same price . Def pack up snacks for journey . If had cooking facilities could take a frozen Bolognese but if don't then just eat out on way or pick up a pizza

We often have an antipasti salad with crusty bread in the summer, you might not want to keep the lettuce next to the cool pack but we have jars of antipasti, salami, mini mozzarella, olives, should be fine in a cool bag. Salami keeps for a year or so out of the fridge!

Yes, I frequently keep a cool box cool for 20 plus hours whilst working during the summer. Including a pint of milk being cold! The trick is layering your ice packs and having no free space - I pack poly bags into the top and any gaps.

Thanks all. Jars and crusty bread sound like a great idea with some cool bag goodies.

Frozen quiche? Buy from supermarket when chilled and then freeze and let it defrost in a cool box. It wouldn't then need to be heated?

I usually make a couple days worth of food for adult daughter when she visits, and pack it up with ice packs and newspaper. I don't have an ice-box, but if I did use one, how much fuel would it use up on a cigarette lighter for a 4 hour journey? Daughter is very frugal with her money and wouldn't want to "put her out" if I did buy the ice box.

They run off the electricity so no impact on fuel really. It's no different to charging your phone on a journey.

Thanks, @MaryBoggintonTrotterSmyke for the quick answer. I'll think about whether it's worth the investment, or can a non-electric ice-box be just as good?

I've taken big casseroles chilli, meatballs etc on similar journeys to do 1st night on self catering hols. Had them frozen & popped in cool box for journey, they slowly defrosted, ready to warm up on arrival- stuck them straight onto warm while unpacking car.

Sorry just noticed no cooking facilities so in this case wouldn't work, unless a microwave is available?

I have an electric cool box. It was my parents' from years ago.
I got a mains adapter for it, so I turn it on for a few hours, plugged in at home. Transfer chilled food to it and put in the car, plugged in to 12v port. Can add in ice block too.
Works brilliantly. Not as cold as a fridge, but definitely safely cool for a car journey.

Power use is minimal. Don't leave it on without the engine running though

If course you can. Our non electric cooler bag (Arctic Zone Titan) keeps ice frozen for 3 days. You don't need anything like a top quality cooler to keep things cold for only 8 hours.