COOKING AL FRESCO

If you don’t live on beans and tinned potatoes at home, says RobshawBryan, there’s no reason to do so when in the field. “I always cook from scratch and that certainly doesn’t change when we go camping. We make curries, stir-fries, lovely fresh food.” But this does require both equipment and foresight.

As well as decent camping pans, “one of my must-haves is a goodquality two-burner camp stove,” she says. “A good cool box is also a must.” Not the little plastic ones – “they generally only keep food cold for half a day if you’re lucky”. Invest instead in a “passive cooler” such as a Coleman Xtreme Cooler. “They’re like a camping fridge without the need for power. They have thick doublewall insulation, you whack some ice blocks in there and they will keep all of your meat and fresh food cool for five days without any power.”

Warner Smith also swears by a good cooking stove (don’t forget the fuel) and a Swiss Army knife. If he’s camping just for the weekend, he says, “I’ll often pre-make a bolognese, then freeze it. Then you can use it as an ice pack in your cool bag. The next day, I’d have a barbecue. If you’re allowed campfires, you can just put a grill over the fire, cook, and you don’t need plates, knives and forks. You just put a burger in a bun.”

Plan meals in advance and attend to detail. “Mix your herbs and spices at home and bring them in one little pot,’ says Warner Smith. “The more you can do before you leave, the easier it is. Don’t forget salt and pepper.”

Ridgway advises: “Take toasting forks for marshmallows, which are an essential part of the fun. And if you’re going all in, a cast iron pot.”

And don’t even dream of going camping without a supply of tea or coffee.

Toasting marshmallows is essential while camping, says Stan Ridgway