Camping food that somehow becomes better in the caravan

“Isn’t it mostly processed food and canned meals when you travel with a caravan?”

A lot of people seem to think that about camping life and cooking. But for us, it has almost become the opposite. When we are away with the caravan, there is a calmness that allows cooking to actually take up some space. The pace is slower, the kids run between the playground and our pitch, and somehow everyday life just feels easier out there.

It almost makes me cook more and better food in the caravan than I do at home.

Of course, you have to adapt a little. The kitchen counter is smaller, the cupboards do not hold endless amounts of ingredients and you quickly learn not to buy groceries for five completely different meals at once.

But honestly, that is not really a problem. Quite the opposite.

You remove the unnecessary parts and focus on good ingredients and simple dishes that actually taste great.

And there is something special about standing outside under the awning cutting vegetables in the evening sun. How often do you really do that at home?

At home, you usually stand under a kitchen fan trying to get dinner ready between work, activities and everyday stress. At the campsite, cooking becomes part of the experience instead.

I have never really seen the gas stove as a limitation. Sometimes we even bring an extra gas burner outside so we can cook everything outdoors. Just that small detail somehow makes everything feel freer.

My best tip is actually very simple: cook with good ingredients, but do not make the dishes too complicated. You do not need twenty ingredients to make something genuinely good.

Grilling is probably the stereotype we happily live up to, but honestly, it is hard to beat.

Grilled chicken or meat, a fresh salad with crisp vegetables, maybe some cheese, potatoes or pasta on the side and something cold in the glass while the family sits together under the awning. That feels like real vacation to me.

And many vegetables and salad ingredients do not even need to stay refrigerated all the time, especially if you plan to eat them within a couple of days. That makes caravan life much easier than many people think.

In our caravan, meals like that happen often. One favourite is grilled chicken thigh fillets with just salt and pepper together with a really good Caesar potato salad.

Simple, summery and perfect camping food.

Caesar potato salad with grilled chicken thigh fillets

This is the perfect camping dinner. Easy to cook, simple to prepare and incredibly good to eat outside under the awning while the evening sun still gives a little warmth.

Ingredients

• 1 kg new potatoes
• 1 romaine lettuce

Dressing

• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tsp anchovy paste
• 2 dl light crème fraîche
• 1 dl mayonnaise
• 1 dl finely grated parmesan
• flaky salt
• black pepper
• juice from 1/2 lemon

To serve

• around 700 g chicken thigh fillets
• salt
• black pepper

Instructions

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain and let them cool slightly.

Trim the romaine lettuce and cut it into smaller pieces.

Finely chop the garlic and capers. Mix together with anchovy paste, crème fraîche, mayonnaise and finely grated parmesan into a creamy dressing. Season with salt, black pepper and lemon juice.

Cut the potatoes in half if they are large and gently fold the potatoes and lettuce into the dressing.

Place the salad on a serving plate and top with extra parmesan and croutons if you have some available.

Season the chicken thigh fillets simply with salt and black pepper and grill them outside the caravan or motorhome until nicely coloured and fully cooked through.

Serve with something cold in the glass and enjoy camping life.