Gourmet dining when camping can be hard to achieve, not simply from an ingredients point of view but also from an equipment point of view and, after a long and tiring day hiking or backpacking, it may be the furthest from your mind. But, don’t think your every meal has to be beans on toast (unless of course you love beans on toast)! We have found some great recipes that will feed a family with few ingredients and very little equipment; all you need is a campfire, barbecue or stove, and maybe some tin foil!
Potato and egg scramble
A great breakfast option to set you up for the day, this wholesome meal can be made in one pan and will serve 4. It also makes a great evening meal that’s hearty and sustaining.
You will need:
2 medium potatoes – sliced thinly or diced
8 eggs – whisked
1 onion and 2 peppers – chopped
Knob of butter
Method:
Melt half the butter in the pan and add the potatoes, onions and peppers. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Next, add the rest of the butter and allow it to melt before adding the eggs. Cover the pan with a lid or tin foil until the eggs are cooked through thoroughly. Serve with crusty bread and/or a salad.
Bacon, beef and beans casserole
This is a simple to make, one-pot meal that is perfect for cold evenings. Add dumplings or sliced potatoes on the top for a really substantial meal for 4.
You will need:
1 casserole pot or 1 deep frying pan
375g bacon
375g minced beef
1 large can baked beans
120g barbecue sauce
Method:
Grill the bacon, remove from the heat and chop. Cook the minced beef and then add the bacon, baked beans and barbecue sauce. Stir well and bring to the boil. If you are using a campfire, remove the pan from the direct fire at this point, or turn the heat down on a stove to a low to medium setting. Then, layer with sliced potatoes or add dumplings if desired. Cover and cook for half an hour. Serve with foil baked jacket potatoes.
Grilled chicken with vegetables
This is a great meal idea that can be prepared earlier in the day and kept in a cool box until you are ready to cook. Needing no pots or pans, the chicken is cooked with the vegetables in tin foil parcels. This recipe feeds 4 but can be adjusted for as many people as required.
You will need:
4 chicken breasts
Barbecue sauce
4 red peppers - sliced
1 large red onion - sliced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Tin foil
Method:
Place each chicken breast in the centre of a large piece of tin foil and surround with an equal portion of red onion and peppers. Brush the chicken breast with barbecue sauce and drizzle the vegetables with olive oil. Season to taste before enveloping in the tin foil, making sure the ends are scrunched up securely. The packets can be baked on a barbecue until the chicken is cooked thoroughly, or on a campfire, turning half way through the cooking time. In a conventional oven, they take around 30 minutes at 200°C (180°C fan oven).
Corned beef hash and fried eggs
Perhaps the meal we all think of when we think about the old spaghetti westerns, corned beef hash is a real camping classic that can be eaten at any time of day. Cooked in just one deep frying pan, this recipe will serve 3 to 4 people and can be served with baked beans.
You will need:
Frying pan
1 tin of corned beef – roughly chopped into small pieces
1 medium onion - diced
3 medium potatoes – diced (the smaller the chunks, the quicker the potatoes will cook)
Butter or oil
Method:
Add your oil or butter to the pan and cook the onion until soft. Add the diced potato and cook until soft, stirring regularly. Add the chopped up corned beef and stir through the potato and onion mixture until it is completely warmed through. Serve and use the same pan to fry the eggs to serve. Add baked beans on the side. Alternatively, add the baked beans to the mixture at the same time as the corned beef.
Finally, not forgetting the sweet-toothed amongst us, here are a couple of recipes that can be served as dessert.
Banana boats
With no cooking pots required, banana boats are the simplest dessert ever.
You will need:
1 banana per person
Toppings of your choice that will ideally include something to melt (chocolate), something sweet (marshmallows or strawberries) and something crunchy (walnut pieces)
Tin foil
Method:
Leaving the skin on the banana, cut down the length of the banana, and then gently pull the skin apart to reveal the flesh. Add the toppings down the middle of the banana, before wrapping the whole banana in tin foil. These are best cooked on a campfire without lots of flames as you want to melt the toppings without turning the banana to carbon, so placing them on a grate above the fire will be sufficient. If your fire is dying down, the foil parcels can be placed directly in the embers. The parcels will need only a couple of minutes to cook until the banana feels squishy when squeezed with a pair of tongs. Be careful of trapped steam as you unwrap the foil.
As an alternative, and strictly for the grown-ups only, you can forego the toppings and simply drizzle the banana with some honey and rum (or other alcohol of your choice). Cook as above.
Chocolate with marshmallows
The easiest sweet recipe in the world that even the youngest children can have fun with!
You will need:
Marshmallows
Chocolate chips
Strawberries - quartered
Tin foil
Digestive biscuits
On a 12” square of tin foil, layer sliced strawberries, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Wrap the foil parcel securely and place on a grill or on a grate above a fire. Leave for 4 minutes until contents have melted. Cut open straightaway, being careful of any trapped steam, and serve as a dip with digestive biscuits.
