I have to admit, the camping kitchen has to be one of the places I have sunk SO much money, and it’s not because the stuff is particularly expensive (although it can be) it’s because there are SO many gadgets to get!
The good news with such a great selection is that the prices have come down a lot and there’s always something for every budget and every situation, and I’ve pulled together a list of my favourites here across the price ranges to get you going.
A quick note on safety: please buy a fire extinguisher
and a bucket of some description to keep in your camp. Fires can start so easily, it’s best to be prepared and hope you never have to use them.
Gas Stoves
I’ve split this list into gas stoves, cooking accessories, and other accessories. Most people on UK campsites will be using a gas stove to cook on, as most campsites ban campfires.
Portable Gas Stove
These stoves are a great option for most campers, especially if you’re travelling by car.
They can be bulky to pack, but they aren’t too heavy, fairly cheap, gas, and really reliable. They’re also easy to use, even for responsible younger kids (with adult supervision).
You can pack these up from mostly anywhere during camping season and the quality doesn’t change much.
Campingaz Portable Gas stove
Around £20+ from many places (link to Amazon).
Compact Gas Stove
This type of gas stove is really common and again you can pick them up in most camping and outdoor shops all year round.
These are great for hikers and backpackers, but I wouldn’t recommend children be allowed to use them as they burn very hot.
There are two versions, the EasyClic version and the screw version, make sure you get the right one for your gas cartridge (or get one of each to cover you!).
Campingaz Trekking Gas Stove – EasyClic Top
Around £15 from many places (link to Amazon).
Odoland Camping Stove with Fuel Can Stabiliser – Screw Top
Around £15 from many places (link to Amazon).
JetBoil Minimo Stove
These stoves are fantastic for hikers and backpackers, and those travelling by public transport.
In the kit you get the stove burner, the pot, lid, sleeve and the gas cartridge stand (very important).
The JetBoil stove is specifically designed to be lightweight and VERY fuel-efficient, even in windy conditions, because of the proprietary stove that protects the flame.
This is highly recommended for anyone wanting to keep their kit light.
The JetBoil Stove Set (without gas)
Around £125 from Amazon
Double Burner Stove
This type of stove is a bit bigger, definitely only good for car camping, but it’s great for families.
This Campingaz double burner takes the larger butane gas bottles and even comes with a grill (great for cheese toasties).
You’ll probably need to put this one on a table rather than directly on the ground and definitely not on your groundsheet.
Campingaz Elite Camping Chef Double Burner and Grill
Around £50 from Amazon
Cooking Accessories
Cook Sets – Pots etc
You can buy your cooking pots and pans separately, but if you’re just starting, getting a kit, to begin with, is a great idea.
Each kit contains enough pots and pans, plates, cutlery, and drinking cups for the stated number of people.
They are incredibly good value for what they are, and really good quality too!
Gonex 4 person Camping Cookware Kit
Around £45 from Amazon
Jetcloud 2 Person Camping Cookware Kit
Around £35 from Amazon
Fambasics 1 Person Cookware Set
Around £12 from Amazon
Plates and Bowls
I am absolutely in LOVE with this set!
I love wheat straw stuff anyway because it is strong and durable (just like standard plastic) as well as lightweight, but it’s biodegradable and made from leftover wheat straw.
This set is a great choice for anyone looking to get a picnic set that will be suitable for use with the kids.
Love it!
ECO Viable Wheat Straw Dinner Set
Around £33 from Amazon
A Foldable Kettle
Let’s face it, the British basically run on tea, so a kettle is vital!
I love these collapsible kettles because they’re really lightweight and don’t take up a lot of space in your bag. They also come in 6 different funky colours, if you’re into that kind of thing!
A kettle is probably a bit of a luxury if you’re hiking and worried about weight, but personally, I always camp with a kettle in tow!
Goldenbridge Portable Foldable Silicone Kettle
Around £17 from Amazon
Other Kitchen Accessories
A Wind Shield
These lightweight aluminium windshields are a must if you have any kind of gas stove.
They work best with the cartridge style stove, but some are suitable for the binner portable stoves.
Protecting your flame will make sure you don’t go burning more gas than you need to.
Gas Stabiliser Stand
If you’ve caught any of the videos we’ve made for our YouTube channel, you’ll have seen me recommend a stabilising stand for your gas cartridge.
These stands are fairly inexpensive for what they are (in my opinion), but they are honestly so useful because those stoves just aren’t that stable!
These solve stands can be used on almost any size gas cartridge or aerosol.
Mug for Warm Drinks
Most camping cook sets only come with mugs that are like tumblers. While these are ok for hot drinks, nothing beats a mug with a handle for your morning tea or coffee.
I LOVE wheat straw mugs as they are very durable (stronger than bamboo) and eco-friendly.
I have one of the mugs from the set of 4 above and it really is super useful for camping and makes a great cup of tea and coffee.
- Wheat Straw Mug with Handle – 1 mug
- Wheat Straw Mug with Handle – set of 4
Fire Safety
I’m really hot on fire safety in camp, mainly because I’ve seen the problems a lax attitude to safety can have.
Always pack a fire extinguisher, fire blanket, and a red bucket, and teach kids of all ages how to use them or at least what to fetch when it’s needed (in an age-appropriate way).
Here are the fire safety things I recommend:
- Dry powder fire extinguisher and blanket
- Bramble Collapsible 5 Litre Buckets – set of 3, one of which is red
NB: Always leave a red bucket outside your tent filled with water, this way other campers can see it and grab it easily in the event of a fire
Cleaning Supplies
We spoke about using earth-friendly cleaning products in our blog on how to minimise your environmental impact when camping.
It’s really important to use earth-friendly supplies when camping, here are a few of my favourites:
Knives &Utensils
There’s nothing wrong with taking your own knives and utensils with you from your kitchen at home, but personally, I prefer to have purpose-designed bits that are with my camping stuff ready to go.
In the case of knives, having a set with covers (sheaths) on them is a really good idea for safety!
Here are the ones I recommend:
Cool Boxes
Camping without a cool box is fine, but keeping things like milk cold will be difficult, especially without an electric hook-up.
Here I’ve recommended two coolboxes, the Coleman Xtreme for when you’re camping without electricity, and the Explora 2 in 1 electric cooler for sites that have EHU.
Both cool boxes are great and an excellent choice to avoid curdled milk in your morning coffee.
Food Storage
There are many different food storage options when you’re camping, but in my experience, it’s better to go with lightweight and watertight options.
I love these silicone zip-lock bags because they can store practically any food (warm or cold and in liquid form) and they’re easy to wash and reuse.
You can even freeze water in them and use them as a makeshift ice block.
- Reusable Silicone Sandwich Bags – set of 12