Campervan Recipe Ideas

There is nothing quite like cooking in the great outdoors and with Freddie you have a number of options available to you to cook your favourite meals wherever you fancy parking the van, be it near the beach, in a country park in one of our beautiful National Parks or any other place you may choose.

Our VW Campervan is fitted with a twin hob and a grill powered by the onboard gas bottle or you can hire our Cadac Safari Chef BBQ for a more al fresco meal https://www.cadacinternational.com/uk/safari-chef-lp/      

With our many years of camping experiences and love of outdoor cooking we have put together a list of some of our favourite recipes that we have enjoyed over the years for you to try.

A little tip, consider making the required herb mixtures up before you head off on your travels so you don’t take to much with you.

Burgers with The Works

• 500g low-fat mince meat
• 1 egg
• A small onion, finely chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh Basil, finely chopped
• Tomatoes
• Slices of cheese
• Beetroot
• Bacon
• Lettuce
• Pineapple Rings
• White rolls/Hamburger Buns

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, using your hands shape into equal sized patties. Cook on the BBQ, along with the bacon & pineapple rings. Fry one egg per pattie and once everything is cooked, place it all on your hamburger bun and enjoy. You may need to keep a napkin nearby.

*This recipe works equally well with turkey mince and for an added kick, try adding a finely chopped fresh chilli or jalapeno pepper.  

Brazilian Steak Salad

• 500g Sirloin or Rump Steak
• 1 tbsp honey
• 5 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
• 4 mixed peppers
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 300g baby spinach
• Olive Oil

Mix together the honey, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, garlic and ginger, coat the steak well with the mixture and allow to infuse in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

BBQ the pineapple and peppers until they begin to char, and then transfer to a plate and cut into bite size pieces.

Make the dressing by mixing together the lime juice, orange juice and zest, the remaining soy sauce, rice vinegar, the red chilli and the olive oil and set aside. 

BBQ the steak to your liking, allow to rest for 5 minutes and then slice into thin strips.

Toss all the ingredients together, along with the dressing and baby spinach, season to taste.

Meatball & Mediterranean Vegetable Kebabs

• 500g mince
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp Chopped fresh basil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 2 Courgettes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 red onion
• ½ lemon zested, plus wedges to serve
• Olive Oil

To make the meatballs, mix together the mince, egg, basil, salt and pepper and make into 15 meatballs.

Mix together the lemon zest, rosemary and olive oil and set aside to infuse.

To make the kebabs place 3 meatballs and pieces of veg onto each skewer, brush all over with the lemon and rosemary marinade.

Cook on the BBQ or grill for 12-15 minutes, turning often until the meatballs are cooked through and the veg is tender.

*If using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before use.

Lemon & Yoghurt Chicken Flatbreads

• 2 chicken breasts cut into strips
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• Zest and juice of a lemon
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 flatbreads
• 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• ½ red pepper, finely chopped
• Lettuce

Put the chicken in a bowl, along with the lemon zest, half of the lemon juice, mixed herbs, garlic, cinnamon and olive oil. Mix well, cover and chill for an hour.

On the BBQ cook the chicken thoroughly, season with salt and pepper.

Warm the flat breads on the side of the BBQ or under the grill for a minute or so, transfer to a plate and spread each with a small amount of the yoghurt. Add the chicken to the flatbreads, dab on the remaining yoghurt and sprinkle over the lettuce and pepper. Fold the flatbreads to eat.

Herbed Lamb Chops

• 8 lamb chops or cutlets
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano or basil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp olive oil

To make the marinade, mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl and add the lamb chops, coat the lamb thoroughly in the marinade and allow to marinate for 30 minutes, turning once.

Cook the lamb on the BBQ for 10 -12 minutes turning occasionally until cooked.

Serve with a green salad or vegetables.

Spicy Chicken Wings

• 12 Chicken wings
• 6 tsp mild curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Chicken stock cube
• 60 ml water

Score the chicken skin with a sharp knife

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well, pour the marinade over the wings and leave for 1 hour.

Cook on the BBQ for 12 minutes, turn and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes or until cooked

Barbequed Scallops

• 12 Scallops
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 Spring onions
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Red Chilli

Wash and clean the scallops. Mix together the remaining ingredients and stir in the scallops. Marinade for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Cook over a moderate heat on the flat plate for 5 minutes until they turn white.

*Do not overcook otherwise they become tough and rubbery 

Firecracker Prawns

• 1kg large fresh prawns
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tsp blackpepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Peel the prawns leaving their tails on, skewer six prawns on 8 metal skewers and brush with olive oil.

To make the dry mixture, combine all of the ingredients and sprinkle over the prawns.

Grill on the BBQ for 4 minutes each side or until the prawns are pink and tender.

Chargrilled Haloumi

• 200g Haloumi cheese cut into thick slices
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp fresh chopped oregano
• 2 tsp fresh sage or parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh chives
• 1 red pepper
• 4 tomatoes, halved
• 1 courgette, cut into thick strips
• 1 tsp caster sugar

Coat the haloumi in the flour, heat the BBQ flatplate  until moderately hot and add a little olive oil. Cook the cheese for about 3 minutes each side or until golden brown all over, sprinkling on the chopped herbs. Remove, cover and keep warm.

Add a little more olive oil to the flatplate, add the red pepper, tomato and courgette, sprinkle on the caster sugar and cook, turning regularly for 5 minutes. 

Place the vegetables on a plate, top with the haloumi and serve with toasted French bread or focaccia.

Hawaiian Toast

For each sandwich you will need: –

• 1 ciabatta
• 2 slices of ham
• Pineapple rings
• Cheese
• Salt & Pepper

Cut the ciabatta in half and lightly toast the outer sides. Turnover, and layer the ham, pineapple and cheese, add salt and pepper if desired and put back under the grill and cook until the cheese has melted 

Gourmet Beans

• 1 tin of baked beans
• Knob of butter
• Grated cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Bread for toasting

Empty beans into a pan along with butter and cheese, gently simmer until all butter and cheese is melted add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on toast

Spiced Halloumi & Pineapple burger with zingy coleslaw

• ½ Red Cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 Carrots, grated
• 100g radishes, sliced
• A handful if chopped fresh coriander
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• Pinch of chilli flaked
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste
• 4 Halloumi burgers
• Slices of fresh pineapple
• Burger Buns or 1 little gem lettuce divided into cups

Heat the barbecue. Put the cabbage, carrot, radish and coriander in a bowl. Pour over the lime juice, add ½ tbsp oil and the chilli flakes, then season with salt and pepper. Give everything a good mix with your hands. This can be done a few hours before and kept in the fridge.

Mix the remaining oil with the chipotle paste then coat the halloumi slices in the mixture. Put the halloumi slices on a sheet of foil and put on the BBQ with the pineapple. Cook for 2 mins on each side until the cheese is golden, and the pineapple is beginning to caramelise. Brush the buns with the remaining chipotle oil, then put your burger buns, if using, cut-side down, on the barbecue for the last 30 seconds of cooking to toast.

Assemble your burgers with the lettuce or buns. Start with a handful of the slaw, then add halloumi and pineapple. Serve with the remaining slaw.

Thai Mussels

Ever since I was the knee height of a grasshopper and going on family holidays with my parents to Cornwall, one of my favourite pastimes was spending time foraging in the plentiful rockpools catching fish, crabs, shrimps and of course mussels.

Mussels can be found on rocks in their thousands, they are free to pick and most importantly easy to cook and are delicious

There are many recipes for cooking mussels but my absolute favourite is Thai mussels. Why not give it a try. Get the kids to pick the mussels, or if you want some time out from the kids head off for some peace and quiet and pick them yourself.

• 1 kg mussels , remove the hairy beard, discard the broken or open ones, clean in plenty of clean fresh water, remove any barnacles that are attached and finally discard the floating ones. 
• 4 spring onions 
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• ½ a bunch of fresh coriander 
• 1 stick of lemongrass 
• 1 fresh red chilli 
• groundnut oil 
• 1 x 400 ml tin of reduced fat coconut milk 
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce 
• 1 lime

1. Wash the mussels thoroughly, discarding any that aren’t tightly closed. 
2. Trim and finely slice the spring onions, peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick and set aside the coriander leaves, then finely chop the stalks. Cut the lemongrass into 4 pieces, then finely slice the chilli.
3. In a wide saucepan, heat a little groundnut oil and soften the spring onion, garlic, coriander stalks, lemongrass and most of the red chilli for around 5 minutes. 
4. Add the coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to the boil, then add the mussels and cover the pan.
5. Steam the mussels for 5 minutes, or until they’ve all opened and are cooked. Discard any unopened mussels. 
6. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice, then sprinkle with coriander leaves and the remaining chilli to serve.