So, we’ve returned to school and work, any summer sunshine has well and truly disappeared, and I’m beginning to embrace the coolness of Autumn, with the cosier evenings. Having been spoilt with several holidays this year for one reason and another, we didn’t have a main week or two away this summer…for the first time ever. And, I have to say, it was really nice having weekends away, days out, time to rest and potter and just enjoy spending time with the family. So for this period, I’ve combined the meet and make, and the Munch is make-ahead camping related too!
Meet & Make… a weekend of it!
Be it a festival, a family meet up, or a weekend away with friends. Ours have mainly involved the tent and we’ve been super lucky with the weather! In between bouts of thunder storms and persistent rain, we’ve managed a night wild camping on the beach at Lowestoft’s first solstice festival, First Light. Brilliant fun, late nights, early mornings and loads to do for everybody! Just great.
Next was a camping weekend locally to celebrate the Mexican side of the family arriving for a few weeks! We camped at Barleylands (who knew?) and it’s not, strictly, what I would call a campsite, but it’s a super low price of around £10! There’s a large field, a stand tap and a very clean shower and toilet block…all your basics. And, of course, having Barleylands on your doorstep means you’ll never been bored for something to do. There was loads of grassy space to play cricket, football, etc. And with barely anyone else there, space to make a noise and run around. Off the ground barbecues are allowed too! There’s also a camping offer for two days at the farm park plus camping for, virtually, the same price as a day’s entrance and camping. Brilliant value. We followed it up with an outdoor, bring your own, Sunday lunch at Maldon Smokehouse. Delicious.
Our next camping weekend was with friends on the edge of the New Forest for a visit to Paulton’s Park, home of Peppa!
A brilliant campsite, Green Hill Farm, which has a play area for children, including a zip wire and a little splash park, all sorts of camping pitches including free-space camping in the fields at the back, (perfect if you go as a group and want an area to yourselves), a bar, a food van each night, award winning shower facilities and a laundry room and freezer. Everything was perfect, and only 20 mins from Peppa too!
We visited Bournemouth on the Saturday, spent a few hours on the beach, ate at Harry Ramsden’s and gave the children £1 each on the amusements! Their favourite thing of the weekend? The freedom of jumping in the waves!
Having no summer holiday booked, we also disappeared up to the Lake District to watch my husband participate in the Buttermere SwimRun. Don’t ask. Having left it incredibly late to book anything, camping, b and bs and hotels were all fully booked. We were lucky to find a static caravan at Low Briery which, as I’m a first time caravaner, I was very excited about.
It’s a lovely little park on the river, a kilometre from the centre of Keswick. Now, be prepared for rain…it literally didn’t stop from the second we arrived to the moment we closed our car door to leave!! The caravan was really lovely, spacious and clean. I took ready prepared meals in the coolbox that I could just heat up in big pans so I didn’t actually need to prepare anything when we were there. There’s loads to do for families in and around Keswick: indoor climbing, indoor soft play, a huge toy shop selling every jigsaw imaginable, delicious food at independent cafes and tea rooms, a Puzzling Place where nothing is as it seems…just loads of fun.
Not to mention beautiful walks and scenery. We had such a fab weekend, I’ve booked to go back next year, albeit further south in the lakes for a difference experience.
And, as a special treat, my husband also booked us, just us, a weekend in Lisbon for our 10th Wedding Anniversary.
Lisbon is brilliant…lots to see and do in the centre itself, good food, though you may have to search it out. Check with google reviews before you sit down and you’ll find some great little treasures. If you really love food, definitely try out the two large food markets while you’re there. We stayed at hotel Teatro B and B which is perfectly located to walk everywhere.
Our last weekend away was down at the River Cottage summer festival. 
We’ve previously been to Just So and Carfest but couldn’t face the crowds this year so opted for something smaller, and a lot less pricey. Tickets were only £95 per adult, for the weekend camping, including festivals tickets, and children were free. There was enough to do for a couple of days with two children, tractors and transportation was laid on to get your camping stuff from the carpark to the campsite and back again, and, for once, the weather held and we had a hot and sunny weekend.
Since it’s really a feast over fire food festival, and a small festival at that, no camping stoves of any sort were allowed, which made taking food slightly more difficult, but I packed a range of salad / picnic type food and we managed very well! The festival food vans were delicious, and the slow cooked whole lamb over the fires, just scrummy. We mainly did children’s activities: bubble man, arts and crafts etc, which were great, but there were also many talks for adults, walks and forages, etc.
Lots of packing and unpacking has certainly gone on in the last few weeks, but it’s all been great fun!
Munch:
On the camping theme, I thought I’d share some of my stand by, make on the hoof or before you go, family meals that you can take with you frozen to help keep the coolbox cool, leave to defrost and reheat there.
One-pot dinners like bolognaise (there’s a super quick 10 minute one here) or stew always work well (look over at Bon Appetit for some different ideas, there’s a delicious herby summer lamb one) and you can simply reheat and cook pasta or rice to go alongside. We usually have a bbq on the first night with a premade at home salad to keep it easy, thus also giving the other food time to defrost, although you may still need to take it out of the coolbox to defrost properly the next day!
Things that worked well this summer were chicken fajitas, easy to make while you’re camping or even ahead of time. I spice the chicken pieces, then freeze. Pre-chop the peppers and onions, make up the tomato sauce to add and freeze that separately too. Then it’s simply a case of frying it all together, serving with wraps, salad and sour cream. I now have a new favourite recipe for these which you can find here.
I also tend to do a curry which you can make totally in advance and just reheat. You can toast the naans on the bbq or over the gas quickly and cook rice to add. Again, I have a new favourite recipe for this which is super tasty, and comes from Gousto.
Phew…what a few weeks. Brilliant fun and it felt much more relaxed than our usual summers.
First Light photo credit to Fiona Paterson…many thanks Fi, they’re awesome!
I was lucky enough to be given a pair of tickets to Taste of London winter edition this year and couldn’t wait to get booked and go. We’ve been previously and seen the event grow and grow, the first year being quite a niche event and gradually becoming busier and busier. However, we’ve yet to be disappointed. The food is stunning, but, almost above that, it marks the start of the festive season. Tobacco Dock is decked out gorgeously, there’s a piano bar area for sitting and chatting, cocktail and gin workshops, lots of independent retailers with some of the bigger ones too and Firepits dotted around the outside covered area serving charred meat and fish to perfection. Click on the Bon Appétit tab on the top menu to find out more about what we ate this year or look 
The Chimney House 