If you’ve chosen an RV rental in New Zealand for your holiday, there are a few catering tips you’ll need to keep in mind before you travel. Your workspace will be smaller, you might not have an oven and the equipment available could well be smaller or older than the equipment you have at home. Your fridge is also likely to be much smaller and you may not have a freezer, and so your cooking style is definitely going to have to change! Here are our top tips for catering on your New Zealand camping holiday.
One Pot Meals
One pot meals are a great choice for camping holidays as they’re quick to cook, low on washing up and you take up hardly any space on the stove. Meals like bolognese, chilli, curry, stews, hotpots etc. can all easily be cooked in one pot – just brown off your meat and veg, add some tomatoes or stock along with some herbs and spices, simmer until tender and then you’re done!
Reinvent Last Night’s Meal
It’s always a good idea to cook double portions so that you can reinvent last night’s meal today. As an example, if you cook something like bolognese, you can serve it with pasta and a little grated cheese and the following night over a baked potato or with potato wedges. A fajita mix can be reinvented into a pizza topping, or a nacho mix can be served with potato fritters. Use a little imagination and you can easily transform last night’s meal into todays.
Make the Most of Fresh, Local Produce
One of the major benefits to camping and travelling the beautiful countryside of New Zealand is that you get to sample some of the best fresh, local produce that the country has to offer. Make the most of grocery shops and local farmer’s markets and your meals will not only be tastier but cheaper, too. Plan your meals around the produce that you buy in store for the freshest, tastiest flavour.
Catch Your Own Produce
If you can, and if local authorities permit it, why not catch your own produce? In most coastal locations, you’ll be able to borrow fishing gear and catch your own fish and if in season, you could pick berries and fruit to eat as snacks or to bake into pies. Remember that each person has a fishing quota so you need to be careful not to take more than your share – and make sure that the shellfish that you take is safe to eat.
Buy Packets, Not Jars
Packets take up much less space than jars and bottles, so try to fill up your cupboards with packets so that you can buy more stuff! If you do have to buy jars, boxes or bottles? Decant them into extra-strong freezer bags once opened so that you can keep them fresh and so that they take up less space in your cupboards.
Have a Night Off
Once in a while, why not have a night off from cooking? Dine at the local restaurant, or, if your budget is a little smaller, try a takeout meal such as fish and chips and dine al fresco on the beach.
