Food on the hoof

We’re just back from our longest Bessie trip so far.  Three weeks living in a campervan.

When we booked our ferry tickets from Southampton to Le Havre and mapped out the logistics, it made sense to drive south from Scotland a week before and spend a working week in London before the holiday.

We booked into The Caravan Club site at Crystal Palace and while I kept camp and scribbled about Colin commuted to work in central London every day until the time came when we could put on the ‘Out of Office’ and head for France.  

Camp Crystal

But more of that later. This blog is all about preparation.

As a keen gardener I was nerdily excited at the prospect of using my own produce to cook meals with limited preparation and cooking facilities.

Normally we holiday in June and July; weeks before the main crops harvest when there is only a few bags of salad and spinach ready to take with us.

This year, not only did we holiday in August, but the good weather in March and April meant the crops were early.  My garden was groaning with good grub.   My single courgette plant was already giving me a glut problem.   

The week before I left I had to pick all the blackcurrants to make jam.  Thankfully the garlic and onions had been lifted and plaited earlier in the month.  On the morning of our departure I lifted some potatoes and carrots, pulled more courgettes, picked broad beans, French beans, peas, spinach.  Not forgetting to choose some prime red and brown onions from the store.

Even the greenhouse plants were bearing fruit early so I chose the largest green peppers, a bag of chillies and bag of cherry tomatoes and even some green tomatoes to ripen in a brown paper bag.  Last of all a snip of salad and herbs; parsley, mint, thyme and basil. Bessie’s wee fridge was bursting at the hinges.

Tatties

In the kitchen the courgette bread was working its way through the bread machine programme but as well as the bread I had two other things in preparation. 

From past experience I know France means never missing out on fresh baked croissants for breakfast, but we oat eating Scots aren’t used to too much white flour so homemade granola and muesli made a good addition. It’s easy to make and delicious served with soya milk, yogurt and fruit.  The granola is slow cooked and the muesli only requires chopping and mixing.  I made enough cereal to last the whole three weeks.

Also getting up early to commute into Central London required a quick nutritious breakfast.  So these two breakfast recipes, written into my personal recipe book about thirty years ago, were happily resurrected and from now on will be a staple for all holidays.

A post script to this was the return.  While I was away my neighbours watered the garden and helped themselves to any crops that ripened. It's just a pity they don’t like courgettes.

Courgette anyone?