The earth beneath your feet, the fresh clean air, the wildlife, the fun of pitching your tent and being right in the thick of it – what could be better than camping? Actually, there’s one thing that could make it better, and that’s creating a campfire feast that goes far beyond a can of beans and some sausages on sticks. You can enjoy roughing it in nature and eat like royalty, especially with these six tips for whipping up amazing meals while camping:

1.  Equip Yourself For The Mission

One of the easiest ways to cook properly when you camp is by ensuring you have some great gear with you. By making it as easy as possible to cook (and cook well), you’re setting yourself up for delicious success. An induction stove in your RV or a great portable grill, high-quality cookware, and a thick freezer box will help ensure you’re totally equipped to get the job done right.

2.  Try To Use Local Ingredients

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There is something about using fresh, delicious, local ingredients when you camp that makes the food you create so much more delicious. Fresh farm eggs and garden herbs for an omelet, foraged mushrooms from a knowledgeable expert, edible seaweed from the shore – it’s so easy to create something delicious when you have delicious ingredients. Just be sure to never consume mushrooms or anything else you’ve foraged unless you are 100% certain they are safe to eat.

3.  Get Into One-Pot Cooking

One-pot cooking is one of the easiest ways to prepare a feast for the whole family with minimal effort and clean-up time. You can make chili, curry, soup, rice, pasta, and more. The best thing is, there’s minimal washing up and mess, so you all get full bellies without having a full load of washing up to do as well.

4.  Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

To save time and effort, you should cut and prepare as much as you can before your camping trip. Cut all your veggies up and place them into bags or tubs ready to use. Do the same with fruits, herbs, spices, and anything else that can be portioned out. You can even pre-make s’mores packs, with individual s’mores made up ready to roast over the campfire.

5.  Plan Your Meals Ahead Of Time

Whilst spontaneity is central to any adventure, it makes sense to plan your meals for a camping trip. This helps you avoid food wastage and utilize space well, especially in the freezer box. Having your meals and snacks pre-prepared also gives you more time and freedom to enjoy spur-of-the-moment adventures while you’re out in nature.

So, instead of chucking in every spice and packet mix in case you fancy something (and probably forgetting everything you actually need), create a ‘camping menu’ so you can have everything prepared.

6.  Take Your Special Secret Weapons

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Sauces, jams, chutneys, or even marinated meats and pickles, can be the difference between a bland meal and a fantastic one. For this reason, you should take your special secret weapons with you. Freeze up that backyard smoker meat and take some with you. How about that homemade chili sauce you love? Pop that into your camper kitchen to spice up your meals. It isn’t cheating to take some homemade or bottled magic out on the adventure with you.

“There’s no wi-fi in the mountains, but you’ll find no better connection.” – Anonymous

There’s nothing better than a full belly of delicious food after a day in the wilderness getting all up in Mother Nature’s face. With the six tips above, you’ll be ready to cook up a storm in preparation for the next day of adventure.