Easy and versatile

Wok, griddle and stove – all in one. But is it a jack of all trades?

PARTY GRILL 400 CV GAS STOVE

CAMPINGAZ, £119.99 When a barbecue is just a bit too much hassle, this gas stove makes a camper or picnicker’s life much easier.

It’s highly versatile – giving you the flexibility to cook in various ways. There’s a wire grid for cooking with a pot or kettle, a griddle for searing meat or veg – it’s reversible, with one smooth side and one corrugated (pictured above). And the lockable lid doubl es up as a wok. I am fussy about woks, and sure enough found that cooking with this needs more constant care and attention than my battered old steel wok at home, but works fairly well on a medium heat.

It’s all pleasingly self-contained. Unclip the lid and inside you find all the components, including the detachable legs, which screw on easily. When packed, the Party Grill 400 is

portable over short distances – it all zips into a carry bag, and that 5kg weight (plus a 700g gas bottle) is fine for taking down to the beach, or carrying from your car to a picnic spot.

You’d expect a product like this to rapidly get pretty greasy and soot-stained – but there is one useful feature to help you keep it clean. Pour some water into a little container beneath the burner, and much of the cooking grease will collect inside, where it’s easy to drain and

clean off with a cloth. Finally, as ever, if this appeals to you, do shop around, as the Party Grill 400 CV seems to be widely available at a price of around £90 – well below the RRP.

01275 845 024, campingaz.com