By Ren Behan
More and more of us in the UK are being lured by the great outdoors. A recent study even suggested that camping for a week can help us to reset our body-clocks and re-establish a more natural pattern of sleep. Camping also exposes us to more sunlight and we’re more likely to take long walks while exploring the surroundings. After a night under the canvas, you’ll be ready for a hearty start to the day. Here are some ideas for camping-friendly breakfasts that will make sure you get off to a flying start each morning!
It might take a little while to get a small campfire started, so start off with a fresh and zingy bowl of Simplest fruit salad. I love the addition of poppy seeds and sliced almonds, which are easy to take with you in little jars. You can use any fruit you fancy and might even be lucky enough to find a few blackberries along the local hedgerows.
Another no-cook camping breakfast idea would be to take along some fresh bread to serve with slices of dry-cured meats, such as Parma ham or Spanish cured Serrano ham and some fresh tomatoes – which would all be fine if you didn’t have a fridge. Or, take along some homemade jam and some croissants for a continental-style breakfast. If you do manage to get a fire going, wrap your croissants in tin foil and place them near the heat to warm up a little for an extra treat.
Eggs make the perfect camping food, as you don’t necessarily need to store fresh eggs in a fridge, and the low heat of a camping stove or camp fire will be strong enough to cook them. Take along a medium-sized frying pan and start with some Sunny side up eggs. Add a slice or two of fresh bread into the pan to lightly toast alongside the eggs.
French toast is another of our breakfast favourites and it’s quite easy to make on a one-pan stove or over a fire. It’s also good if you’ve got any bread to use up, which might be a day or two old. Simply dip your bread into some lightly whisked eggs and cook in a pan on a medium heat, then flip over to cook on the other side. Serve your French toast with a little maple syrup or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. If you’ve got an open fire on the go and pack a griddle pan, you could also try Jamie’s recipe for Charred eggy bread with strawberries and honey for a simple summer twist.
If you’re really hungry, a great big one-pan breakfast is the way forward. Light the stove or fire, grab a large pan and add some smoked bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs. Or, try a version of the Best morning-after breakfast adding cooked potatoes, red peppers, chorizo (also great for camping as you don’t need to store it in the fridge), tomatoes and fresh eggs.
Hopefully, planning ahead a little and trying one or two of these camping-friendly breakfast ideas will soften the blow of losing your home comforts – with no tins of cold baked beans in sight!
