Spending time outdoors is what we look forward to most over the summer.
The lighter mornings and longer evenings make the days stretch out to feel as though we’re getting the most of our time off. The best way to soak up all that much-needed vitamin D without a plane ticket is by packing up and vamoosing out of the maze-like capital - be it for a weekend or a longer spell. For those who want to do it cheaply, you can’t beat a laidback camping trip to help you reconnect to nature.
Londoners are lucky enough to have the whole south-east and coast to search for a campsite, while those willing to go the literal extra mile can find campsites in Somerset and Devon after a few short hours on the right train. For your efforts, you’ll be rewarded with wide open spaces, clean air, country pubs and - fingers crossed - cloudless blue skies. If ever there was a low-cost antidote to city living, a camping break is it.
As well as all the essentials - a tent, camping chair and sleeping bag - you’ll want to take some creature comfort with you too. Some pans to fry up breakfast, a push-down cafetiere for wake-up coffee or a BBQ for grilled morsels before twilight.
For proper al fresco feasting, the right camping kit is essential. There’s not just stoves to take into account - although this is the obvious first step - but cookware, utensils, plates, pots and pans to consider too.
Your checklist should include:
- Size: they must be compact, offering maximum usability for minimal space.
- Cleaning: easy to return back to spotless for the journey home. This means wipe clean, non-stick items.
- Dual functionality: a gadget that does only one thing has no place in a camping kit. Find options that work harder for your money.
- Robust: look for hard-wearing metals that will stand up to wear and tear. The better they look, the more you’ll want to use them.
- Cost-effective: It’s fine to pay more for investment pieces, but consider how often you go camping to determine your budget.
Good food and the great outdoors - it’s a recipe for success. We’ve put together a crack list of the best cooking equipment to take on your next trip into the wild.
Shop the best cooking kit for your al fresco adventures here
BioLite Campstove Wood Burning Electricity Generating & USB Charging Camp Stove (CampStove Complete Cook Kit)
Best for: light, compact design with a kitchen’s-worth of functions
Simply calling this BioLite kit a ‘stove’ feels like a gross underestimation - in truth, it can do so much more. It burns wood, wood scraps and pellets without generating any smoke, so no more shuffling around trying to avoid the plumes. Burning also generates electricity, which you can use to power your devices via the USB port.
There’s a medley of accessories too, including a portable grill (with space for four burgers) which comes with a rubber lid for clean and easy transportation, a KettlePot which can boil a litre of water in less than five minutes and in which the stove can neatly fit (saving packing space) and CoffeePress attachments so you won’t have to go without your morning brew.
Midnight feasts are covered too - there’s a FlexLight with ChromaReal LED technology included to illuminate the cooktop, letting you cook even when night falls.
Grill, boil, cook and charge all in one. You’ll wonder how you ever camped without it.
Also available at BioLite and Millets
Buy now £213.57, Amazon
Kitchen Gadgets 5 Pieces Space Saving Kitchen Accessories
Short on space, but not on culinary ambition? This space-saving set of utensils has the most popular pieces in one bundle, from a veg peeler and mini grater to a bottle opener. Perfect for small spaces like motorhome kitchens or taking with you on your next camping trip, they’re made from robust ABS plastic and have been designed with lefties as well as righties in mind.
Buy now £14.39, Amazon
ProQ Flatdog
Best for: ultra-compact storage
- Cooking space: 30 x 38cm
- Fuel type: charcoal
- Weight: 4.65kg
As more supermarkets move to ban the sale of disposable BBQs, ProQ has launched the perfect compact grill for summer 2024. Its portable design, Flatdog, is built to last and is the ideal accessory for all sorts of outdoor adventures thanks to its flatpack mechanism.
It springs from laptop-like flat (25mm when properly folded) to ready-for-action like a magic trick in seconds, and boasts a 30 x 38cm cooking surface that will allow you to cook for up to a dozen people in one go.
Buy now £69.99, Amazon
M&S Set Of 4 Summer Resort Picnic Dinner Plates
Give your culinary efforts the right settings to shine with pretty plates created for outdoor living. This stackable set of four has an Anthropologie aesthetic at an M&S price tag.
Buy now £12.00, Ocado
Summit Stainless Steel Tiffin Camping Cook Set - Set of 6
The humble mess tin has had a makeover since your DofE days. This layered set from Summit comes in shiny stainless steel, all packing in on itself in the style of a tiffin so as to take up as little room as possible.
The layered cook set comprises two sizes of mess tins, a lid that doubles up as a plate, a knife with a bottle opener, and a fork and spoon, all nestling together with a secure clip closure so they don’t spew out inside your bags. It’s light too, at just 600g.
Perfect for one or two diners.
Buy now £15.00, Argos
ElectriQ Portable Smokeless Charcoal BBQ
Best for: city dwellers
The saying ‘there’s no smoke without fire’ is put to the test with this Lotus grill. Small and sleek at under 4kg, it can cook feasts for up to five, making it an ideal cooker for small groups. It runs on charcoal and can be ready to go in less than five minutes thanks to the built-in battery-powered fan which does away with the smoke, leaving behind nothing but that delicious chargrilled taste. The double-layered construction means the outer stays cool to the touch - handy for the forgetful or if you’ve got curious kids around.
This deal comes with a pizza pan as well as a grill, giving you even more options come dinnertime. Perfect for camping or outdoor cooking in your garden, balcony or the park it comes with a strong zipper bag so you can take it anywhere. Requires four AA batteries for the fan, not included.
Buy now £63.97, Amazon
Milestone Camping Whistling Kettle Teapot Coffee Pot Indoor Outdoor Camping Hiking Picnic
If you’re the sort of person who simply cannot function without their early morning brew, a kettle is non-negotiable. This bright orange one will be easy to spot in a tent without upending all your things and works well for boiling water for instant noodles and hot water bottles too. Fill with sauce sachets and seasoning packets on the way to your pitch to maximise your packing space.
Buy now £11.99, Amazon
Outsunny Cunninghamia Board Folding Camping Picnic Table Set
Forget eating off your knees all weekend; grand outdoor feasts require a proper table to set the scene.
With enough room for six diners to get around, this folding wood-style camping table is a must-have for laidback camping trips with friends and family. Not only is it a compact design once folded, but it comes with a carry handle for easy transportation and four swivel-out stools that pack up inside too.
Granted, it’s not the most polished thing to look at so throw on a nice tablecloth and add a cordless lamp, and you’re in business.
Buy now £52.99, Amazon
Auntie Morags Purely Home Re-usable Rio Medallion Melamine Salad Servers
Why did the salad blush? Because it wasn’t dressed. While we may forever delight in telling corny dad jokes, no one will be embarrassed when you plate up obligatory greens with these colourful salad servers.
Made from high-quality melamine, they’re particularly robust for camping and offer the look of ceramic without the fragility.
Buy now £13.07, Amazon
Portable Camping Table Outdoor Folding Picnic Tables with Cup Holder Lightweight
More of a snacker? Sip and graze your way through the trip in style with the help of this genius folding table. Complete with its own carry bag, it collapses in on itself for travel and folds out to offer two shelves to store your food and drink. The top ‘shelf’ even has drink holders to minimise spillages.
Buy now £87.72, Amazon
Travel Cutlery Set with Case, 4 Sets
Hygiene aside, endless fingers grappling for the best olive in the bowl feels incredibly uncouth.
Feel more refined with a cutlery set in bold hues - you can get four sets complete with containers for just over a tenner, a worthy investment for those who camp often or want to curb their dependency on single-use plastic.
Dishwasher-safe and reusable, they’re a practical buy for anyone planning to eat the lion’s share of their meals under open skies this summer.
Buy now £8.88, Amazon
Robens Leaf Meal Kit
This neat six-in-one meal kit covers the essentials of outdoor dining, with a fork, spoon, shallow bowl, mug, and a bamboo lid that serves as both a colander and chopping board.
Whereas some camping meal kits can be quite tricky to pack away correctly after use, this one offers plenty of leeway, with ample space between the lid and bowl for the other parts. This is despite the fact the whole meal kit is small, light and convenient to carry. Its hexagonal shape is particularly well-suited for stuffing inside a trekking backpack.
Buy now £25.68, Alpine Trek
Dunelm Collapsible Washing Up Bowl
No one likes washing up, but then, no one likes feeling like one of Roald Dahl’s Twits either. Keep your camp and cooking gear neat and tidy by stuffing dirty plates and cutlery into Dunelm’s washing-up bowl. Complete with two side handles for easy carrying to the water point, there’s a twist plug at the bottom to keep water locked inside - turn to the right to drain the water. The best thing about this washing-up bowl is that it’s collapsible. It folds almost completely flat making it a dream to pack.
Buy now £5.00, Dunelm
Kitchen Silicone Tongs
Opt for a trio of colour-coded tongs for use when cooking meats, veg and fish. This set of three 9-inch tongs is made from sturdy stainless steel and can be used for air frying, barbequing or simple everyday oven use.
Buy now £12.98, Amazon
