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The Free From Fairy

The Free From Fairy

Home » Gluten Free Tips & Support » Gluten Free Camping Food & My Free From Camping Survival Guide

23rd July 2014 ·

Gluten Free Camping Food & My Free From Camping Survival Guide

Gluten Free Tips & Support

In this article I’m going to outline some good gluten free camping food along with my top tips for camping on a ‘free from’ diet.

This post contains Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


A guide to gluten free camping food.

So it has reached that time of year once more and we are preparing for our annual camping trips.  I can’t quite bring myself to mention the weather because I know it will jinx things!

Having a child with coeliac disease and an intolerance to dairy means that we have to plan our trips a little more carefully than most.

I would imagine that when most people camp they cook a few meals but visit local pubs and restaurants to eat most of the time.

When it is hot it can be tricky to keep food cool and when it is windy and raining it is hard to cook.

Gluten free camping tips

1) Stock up on Ilumi meals

This is my number one tip.  This year I will get a break from cooking and we will be eating healthy nutritious tasty food that doesn’t need to be kept cold and can be re-heated in minutes.

2) Do your research

Find out where the nearest supermarkets are (the chances are you will need to make a few trips, because your food won’t keep). Also check out any cafes or restaurants that serve free-from food.  You never know you might just get lucky.  It is at least good to know of somewhere you could sneak off to get a piece of cake and a cup of tea.

healthy tuna pasta bake

3) Invest in a big tent

This will make things much easier if you have to do cooking inside (with plenty of ventilation of course) because of the weather.  It is inevitable it will rain at some point, or be too windy to cook outside.  If you have a big tent you will have the space to cook inside (providing you place the stove on a safe, non-flammable surface).

4) Invest in a stove

We have a Campingaz Camping Stove which is fantastic.  It has two ‘rings’ and a grill so you can do most things you could do at home.  At under £40 it is well worth the investment.

5) Plan simple meals that won’t take too long to make

It is much easier for everyone to eat the same thing so that no cross-contamination can occur.  You also need to consider ingredients that don’t need to be kept chilled. See below for some ideas.

6) Ideally invest in a camping fridge

This makes things much easier in terms of keeping food cold. However, if like us, you don’t camp often enough to warrant the expense then follow steps 1 and 5.

Gluten free camping food guide

7) Make sure you have lots of staple food items

Things like gluten-free bread and dairy-free milk.  Buy the long life/vacuum packed varieties for longer shelf life. After all, you’re unlikely to find these things in the campsite shop!

8) Bring lots of foil and sandwich bags

You will need them for packing up a lunch if you go out for the day.

9) Have a packet of baby wipes or anti-bacterial wipes & kitchen roll

I know, not environmentally friendly but the only time we use them. There will be inevitable food spillages. You’ll also find them handy for wiping things down before preparing free-from food (if you are cooking separate things).

10) Cook a meal before you leave home

Make a big pot of vegetable chilli, or curry or spaghetti bolognese, freeze it and keep it in the cool box to keep all the other food cool until it’s defrosted and you eat it.

Gluten free camping food ideas

Pasta bolognese served in a bowl with a bay leaf on top #glutenfreedinner #coeliacfood

I always try to plan meals in advance of going camping. It removes the stress of having hungry, tired children and not knowing what to feed them.

Here is some of my favourite gluten free camping food along with links to recipes.

  1. Make a simple tomato sauce with a can of tomato passata, chopped onion, garlic and dried herbs. Serve with gluten free pasta.
  2. Make the above sauce into a bolognese using my recipe for gluten free spaghetti bolognese using dried soya mince, tinned lentils or sunflower mince
  3. Make a simple vegetable curry with my fantastic curry sauce. You could even make some roti to go with it.
  4. Make a vegetable chilli (using tinned vegetables) and serve it with gluten free nachos or tacos.
  5. Pasta and dairy free pesto is always a firm favourite. Serve with some tinned veg or salad.
  6. Make my healthy tuna pasta bake. Just grill it to melt the cheese if you’re using that.
  7. Have a BBQ on the first night when your cool box is still cool
  8. Make pizza. Yes you did read that right. I developed a special recipe to make pizza in a frying pan.

Do you have any tips you can add?  I would love to hear them if you do.

I shared this with:
Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com

Previous Post: « Another Glutenfree & Dairyfree Birthday Cake…
Next Post: Gluten-Free Plum and Almond Tarte Tatin Cake »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Honest Mum says

    30th July 2014 at 1:21 am

    Fab tips, I’ve never been camping but bet it’s fun! Enjoy! Thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts

    • The Free From Fairy says

      31st July 2014 at 7:57 pm

      Wow! I can’t believe you haven’t been camping! Great fun…especially if you are lucky like we have been with the sunshine!

  2. Franglaise Mummy says

    25th July 2014 at 10:59 am

    Some great tips here – I love camping but tend to be very lazy when it comes to the cooking side of things, maybe it’s time to invest in decent cooking equipment….??

    • The Free From Fairy says

      31st July 2014 at 8:01 pm

      Oh yes it certainly helps to have good cooking equipment…but to be honest, if I didn’t have to cook and could go to a pub I would probably choose that, although it is fun to cook outdoors if the weather is good!

  3. Tom @Ideas4Dads says

    25th July 2014 at 8:58 am

    Have a wonderful time and hope you have some nice weather 🙂

    • The Free From Fairy says

      31st July 2014 at 8:02 pm

      Thanks Tom. The weather was fantastic!

  4. Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) says

    25th July 2014 at 8:48 am

    We have started camping since last month and we are continuously learning. Thanks for this as its really hard to store food on this temp. We are going to camp again tomorrow and the heat worries me. We only have a soft ice pack bag and I am not sure my meat would be safe there. A nice read thanks =) #BrilliantBlogPosts

    • The Free From Fairy says

      31st July 2014 at 8:03 pm

      Hi Merlinda, I hope you had a great trip. It certainly was hot wasn’t it!!?

  5. Shirley Wood says

    24th July 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Great camping tips. I especially like the foil, sandwich bags and baby wipes! If you are able to find a store nearby, the foil packet dinners cooked on the grill would be a nice camping meal.
    Stopping by from Brilliant Blog Post.

    • The Free From Fairy says

      31st July 2014 at 8:04 pm

      Hi Shirley, what are the foil packet dinners you talk about? They sound great!

  6. Steph @MisplacedBrit says

    24th July 2014 at 12:23 pm

    Haha! It was so funny to see your post right before my #brilliantblogpost …I would add to this list: LEAVE YOUR ONIONS AT HOME! 🙂

    • The Free From Fairy says

      24th July 2014 at 12:50 pm

      Got to read that now…although I can imagine! 😉

  7. Kim says

    23rd July 2014 at 1:05 pm

    We make a chilli if a bolognese and freeze it in a large pot, when kept in the cool box it keeps everything else chilled and is a great meal, ready prepared after the faff of putting up the tent! We also take a tub of gf flour with us and have a couple of recipes for rolls that can be cooked I a lidded pan, and can also be used to make pancakes for breakfast.

    • The Free From Fairy says

      24th July 2014 at 12:03 pm

      Great suggestions! I forgot to put that I make up sandwich bags of my pancake mix before going so that easy pancakes can be made each morning without taking all the separate ingredients. All you have to add is an egg and some milk! I love the sound of your roles. Any chance of sharing the recipe?

  8. Lisa Gibbs says

    23rd July 2014 at 12:36 pm

    Soya milk powder or almond milk powder can be brilliant for camping. You can make up just what you need for the day! Making it into a paste then gradually adding more water is the best way to not get horrible lumps.

    • The Free From Fairy says

      24th July 2014 at 12:02 pm

      Where do you get almond milk powder? What a fantabulous thing! I need some. NOW!!! 😉

      • Lisa Gibbs says

        24th July 2014 at 1:32 pm

        Amazon is the easiest place. Some taste better than others so if you try one and it’s not good, don’t let it put you off. I’m using Now Foods Organic Soy Milk Powder at the moment, I believe they have lowered the amount of sodium recently which is good as people complained about that on the product feedback. Plus I use much more water per spoon of powder than they recommend so it lasts ages. Its brilliant for bread machine recipes too!

      • Lisa Gibbs says

        24th July 2014 at 1:34 pm

        Organic Ecomil Almond Powder 400 g. Search for this on amazon and you’ll find it, it is gluten free 🙂

        • The Free From Fairy says

          24th July 2014 at 1:36 pm

          If only I had known before heading off!! Oh well…next trip! Thanks so much for the tip!

          • Lisa Gibbs says

            24th July 2014 at 3:47 pm

            You could put some in your pancake batter bag too so you only need water and egg to make it up. Lol if you ever need ideas or other tips I’m sure I can help. I’ve been df so long now and I’m always researching! Have a great trip

          • The Free From Fairy says

            31st July 2014 at 8:05 pm

            Thank you so much Lisa. We are just back and had a wonderful time but I shall bear in mind your experience. Thanks so much for all your help.

      • Steve says

        6th August 2016 at 6:57 pm

        A lot of campsites have microwaves, meaning I have my porridge for breakfasts and I take jacket potatoes for easy meals/snacks, just in case I don’t find that lovely gf restaurant. I take Heinz baked beans, tins of tuna etc etc and buy nice salad stuff, coleslaw and cheeses whilst out during the day. Great fun eh.

        • Vicki Montague says

          7th August 2016 at 7:36 pm

          That’s brilliant Steve…I’ve never thought to look and see if there is a microwave!

Trackbacks

  1. Low Carb Salmon Fishcakes - The Freefrom Fairy says:
    21st July 2015 at 1:24 pm

    […] I wrote my blog post last year about surviving camping on a freefrom diet the diet was only gluten-free and dairy-free for Roo.  This year, after suffering a big flare up […]

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Hi. I'm Vicki Montague, scientist and mum to 'Roo' (15) and 'Sunshine' (13). I'm a freelance recipe developer specialising in 'free from' food and spend many hours in my kitchen experimenting to create exciting healthy recipes that are all gluten-free & mainly dairy-free. In July 2016 I launched the world's first wholegrain, gluten-free and rice-free flour blends. In May 2018 I launched my first online programme to help people adapt to a gluten free life. I can be found at food festivals giving cookery demos and I love nothing more than teaching people how to cook and lead a positive wholesome life. Find out more about my story...

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