Cath – The Art of Camping

10 tips for camping with kids

In my time, I have taken three different babies to festivals, to well-equipped campsites and bare fields, and I took them by planes, trains and automobiles. And buses. Here’s how:

cath-and-math-with-two-baby-backpacks — Two baby backpacks with rain cover and rain suit

1. Sleeping
Where will they sleep? Tiny babies who can’t roll over go in Samsonite pop-up cots and then their larger bubble cot, which accommodates them until they are 18 months old. Vaude and Little Life also make good travel cots to use from birth to about two years old.

Keeping children warm at night is crucial. Each of my babies slept in a double-layered sleeping bag with zip-on sleeves. Doubling or tripling the number of children in one room also keeps them warm – like gerbils. I take small sheepskin rugs to go under the cot for extra insulation. For older children, thermarest trail mats suffice. They do not require as much puff as a standard blow-up bed.
Tents are hot places in the day, making afternoon naps a problem; I often wheeled the baby around in the buggy, letting them nod off as and when. A sun shade for the buggy is essential.
The worst part of camping with babies is traipsing around a tent in the middle of the night in your long johns looking for clean nappies, wipes or bottles. Try to keep the tent tidy and these essential items close to hand. Glow sticks make good night lights for toddlers and will give you enough light to change them by without startling them. Head torches are not just for pot-holers: a small head torch means you can keep both hands free if you need to change or rock an infant back to sleep again.

2. Eating
Breast milk is by far the most convenient food for a baby on holiday. There are no storage or hygiene issues to take care of.
Cleaning bottles and keeping enough milk is particularly troublesome at festivals; when I went to Glastonbury, I planned ahead and breastfed my youngest daughter, only knocking it on the head (breastfeeding not the baby) when I returned.

One top tip is to freeze the milk before you leave and then put it in a coolbag. The frozen bottles act as ice packs, keeping your other provisions cool.
At other times, I have nagged stall-holders for hot water to wash baby bottles with, and Math has even bought a glass of milk from them when required. For older, weaned babies make sure you arrive at camp with a couple of meals already prepped. Give them something to munch on while you pitch camp. They have no patience when it comes to their bellies, and will not wait while you struggle with the tent, so it’s up to you to have foresight.
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3. Weather
It will rain and your baby will want to crawl out of the tent to play in the puddles; waterproof suits (Muddy Puddles and Bush Baby make these) and waterproof booties (Bush Baby, Togz and Barts all make these) are good protection. If it is sunny the usual sun-cream, hats, full body coverage applies. Wellies for everyone.

4. Playing
Babies love the outdoors: they love the sounds of birdies singing, moo cows mooing and the wind blowing through the trees. They are quite interested in sticks they find on the ground and they like pulling grass up in their chubby little hands. Let them; dirt and the fresh air is why you took them camping.

5. Pitching
It’s hard to pitch a tent and look after the baby at the same time, especially if your tent requires two pairs of hands to erect. Arriving late at night is always pretty tough. Try your utmost to get there in daylight hours. Do a dry run and practise pitching any new tents before you travel, even if it means pitching it in the local park.

More >>> 6-10 Tips for Camping with Kids

Download a camping packing list

I never used to be the kind of woman who made lists.

But trying to prep for a camping trip while being mithered by small children has changed me.

The only way I can be certain that some crucial item is not forgotten has been to put together an Excel spreadsheet of our required gear.

Having gone to this effort, Matthew suggested other campers might find it useful. If only as the basis for their own packing list. Ours is designed for two adults and three small children and by no means do we take every item on it every time we camp.

The spreadsheet has tabs divided into pantry, bedrooms, living room, clothes, bathroom, First Aid and Other Stuff.

Not that our tent has a pantry.

Packing list on Google Docs

Download camping packing list

Caths camping gear packing list

Cooking at festivals

I went to many music festivals in my twenties. Planning involved little more than a trip to the cash point so that I would have enough money to spend on cocktails, beer and fast food.
Now I travel with three children and a freezer bag of food.

This change is due as much to convenience as it is for economic reasons; it is as quick to whip up a pan of pasta pesto than it is to queue for five meagre plastic plates that have to be consumed standing up, three portions of which may not go down well with the children, who accept or reject dishes with their tiny group mind.

I have eaten well at festivals over the years; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s mackerel burgers at Port Eliot and Leon’s veggie platters at the Big Chill were real treats. And I have eaten poorly, sampling under-salted vegetarian gloop from every corner of the globe.
So here we are packing and prepping for festivals. I plan for three days’ worth of dinners. Festival breakfast is a more chaotic affair than a normal camp breakfast due to the large amounts of ale downed the night before; we pack plenty of chocolate croissants so that the children can help themselves while I attempt to rouse Math with a cattle prod.

Day 1: Family festival pie
When Math compered a day at the Free University of Glastonbury, he had to interview the writer, campaigner and comedian Mark Thomas. During the conversation, Math admitted that his family had been – for two days – dining off an enormous Glastonbury pie. “I really hope that is true,” said Mark Thomas. It was.

For festival pie to be the perfect one dish meal, it needs protein and a portion of vegetables to go along with the carbohydrate pastry case. Hot water crust pastry is my favourite type of pastry as it is so easy to make and can be rolled out pretty thinly, because I am not keen on a pastry-heavy pie.
Recipes
Beef pie with slow-cooked onions and greens recipe
Sausage rolls recipe

Day 2: Quesadillas

Quesadillas don’t leave much washing up, which you should always be mindful of at festivals where there is only ever a stand pipe. Many festival goers break out the bacon and eggs but it’s not easy or pleasant to wash up after such a greasy meal.
The quesadillas should be spicy with grated cheese, but other than that, choose your favourite fillings. This is how I like mine, with spiced black beans (made at home), grated cheese, olives, avocado, spicy tomato salsa (shop bought or made at home) and if you can store it, Greek yogurt or soured cream.
Warm up a frying pan on the stove. On a tortilla, spread some black beans then add olives, spicy tomato sauce, avocado, a squeeze of lime, yogurt or cream and a handful of grated cheese. Roll the tortilla up and warm it in the dry pan for a couple of minutes, turn it over and cook again on the other side.
Recipes
Quesadillas
Pasta pesto
Super quick and something I know will fill the children up, and it won’t spoil when the ice packs lose their cooling power.

Day 3: Stew from tins
It’s day three at the festival. Let’s open some tins. If you make the spice mix at home this is a simple recipe to make even at a festival and will probably save you £6 a head.
Recipe
Moroccan chickpea stew, serves two

Hot chocolate dippers

After a full day of parenting, I just want the children to get into their sleeping bags and go to sleep, so I use this campfire treat to coax them to bed.

To make ten hot chocolate dippers, you will need two large bars of milk chocolate and ten lolly sticks.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Fill a silicone ice cube tray with the melted chocolate, and stand a lolly stick in each compartment.
Refrigerate.
I pack them into separate bags and keep in a freezer bag to transport.
Stir them into hot milk for a bedtime hot chocolate.

Gingerbread

Treats that mix sweet and spice work best around the campfire, the sweetness satisfying your craving for energy, the heat of the spice matching the fire and woodsmoke. Gingerbread satisfies both tastes.

Ingredients

250g plain flour
100g soft light brown sugar
125g unsalted cold butter, cubed
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch of salt

For the topping

1/4 tsp ground ginger
20g soft light brown sugar

Method

Set the oven to 160oC (gas mark 2, 310oF).
Line a swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper.
Rub the butter and sugar together until they look like breadcrumbs.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger.
The dough is too short to roll out, instead you have to press it into the swiss roll tin, making sure it is evened out on the top.
Mix the topping and sprinkle it in the dough.
Cook for about 20 minutes, but check after 15.
It should be light brown in colour, but not too dark.
As soon as you take it out of the oven, mark it out into 16 rectangles with a sharp knife. Prick each one a couple of times with a fork.
Leave it in the tin to cool a little and then finish off cooling on a baking tray.
Gingerbread will keep well for about four days in an airtight container.

Moroccan chickpea stew recipe

Ingredients

1 tin of drained chickpeas
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 handful dried apricots, chopped
1/2 handful sultanas
Olive oil for frying
Spice mix: 1 tsp dried ginger, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsp ground coriander seeds, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat up the oil and gently fry the carrots, onion and garlic until soft. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, spice mix and dried fruit. Simmer until the chickpeas are soft, but still intact. Season with salt and pepper, serve with harissa and flatbread, cous cous or rice.

Quesadillas

Day 2: Quesadillas

Quesadillas don’t leave much washing up, which you should always be mindful of at festivals where there is only ever a stand pipe. Many festival goers break out the bacon and eggs but it’s not easy or pleasant to wash up after such a greasy meal.
The quesadillas should be spicy with grated cheese, but other than that, choose your favourite fillings. This is how I like mine, with spiced black beans (made at home), grated cheese, olives, avocado, spicy tomato salsa (shop bought or made at home) and if you can store it, Greek yogurt or soured cream.
Warm up a frying pan on the stove. On a tortilla, spread some black beans then add olives, spicy tomato sauce, avocado, a squeeze of lime, yogurt or cream and a handful of grated cheese. Roll the tortilla up and warm it in the dry pan for a couple of minutes, turn it over and cook again on the other side.

Black beans

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 handful raisins
1 tbs cocoa powder
Salt and black pepper
1 chilli, chopped
1/2 bunch coriander, chopped
Juice of a lime
Oil for frying
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 star anise
1 tsp caraway seeds, ground
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Gently cook the onions, garlic and chilli in some oil. Add the spices, beans, cocoa and raisins, a little water and cook until the beans are soft. Remove the star anise and make a paste by mashing the mixture. Add salt and pepper, lime and coriander leaves. This will keep for a few days in an airtight container until you are ready to use it in your quesadillas.

Spicy tomato salsa

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
A handful coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbs cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
Salt

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and keep in a sterilised jar for a few days to use in your quesadillas.

Sausage Rolls recipe

My children like sausage rolls and so I always prepare some veggie ones and meat ones. These will mainly be eaten while travelling to the festival, then during and after setting up the tent. The chore of preparatory baking is minor compared to the disappointment, expense, and diminishment of soul that comes from chowing down at a motorway service station.

Ingredients

1 portion of rough puff pastry
1 packet of veggie sausages
1 packet of organic bangers or 250g sausage meat
1 beaten egg
Tomato ketchup

Method

On a floured surface, roll out half the pastry into one long strip about 15cm in depth.
Spread a layer of ketchup down the middle and lay a veggie sausages or meat sausage on top.
Brush the nearside edge of the pastry with egg wash and fold over.
Pinch the edge with a fork, cut into large or small rolls.
Cut two little slits into each roll, brush with egg wash and cook in a hot oven (200oC) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Beef pie with slow-cooked onions and greens recipe

Ingredients

Hot water crust pastry

80g butter, cubed
100ml water
1 egg, beaten
225g plain flour
A pinch of salt
Pie filling
500g minced beef
2 eggs, beaten
3 onions, finely sliced
1/2 pointed cabbage, finely sliced
1 handful of breadcrumbs
1 handful coriander leaves chopped
Knob of butter
Vegetable oil

Marinade

1 star anise
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lumps of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp brown rice vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce

Method

To make the pastry

Melt the butter in the water in a small pan. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the middle and drop in the egg. Once the butter is melted, add to the flour and egg and briskly mix with a wooden spoon. Once it has come together, spread it out on a dinner plate and leave to cool. Then roll it into a ball, cover with cling film and refrigerate for half an hour or so while you make the pie filling.

To make the pie filling

Heat the oven to 200oC.
Mix together the minced beef in the marinade ingredients.
Cook the onions in a few tablespoons of oil on a medium heat until they are soft and browning, this should take longer than you expect.
Drain them in a sieve and sprinkle with salt.
Saute the greens in butter for a couple of minutes.
Split your pastry in two and roll out a piece to line your pie dish, I use a loose bottomed tart tin, as this is quite a shallow pie.
Add 3/4 of the egg, breadcrumbs and coriander to the beef mixture.
Layer the pie filling, first with the cabbage, then the beef and top with onions.
Top your pie with the other half of the rolled out pastry, pinch it all the way around, cut in two air holes and glaze with the rest of the beaten egg.
Decorate the pie with a pastry shapes before you glaze it.
Cook in the hot oven for about 20 minutes.
A metal skewer should come out very hot from the middle of the pie when it is done.

Sweet and spicy harissa almonds

I like to pack a few treats for passing around the campfire. These harissa almonds go well with real ale and deliver three intense flavours – spice to match the heat of the fire, sweetness to satisfy the craving for energy that comes with living outdoors, and the saltiness of a good beer snack.

Ingredients

For the spice mix:
1tbsp caraway seeds
1tbsp coriander seeds
1tbsp cumin seeds
1tbsp chili flakes
4tbsp demerara sugar
3tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
200g unblanched almonds
2tbsp vegetable oil

Method

Making the spice mix
Gently dry fry the cumin, coriander and caraway seeds until they release their fragrance. Crush in a pestle and mortar along with salt, pepper and chilli. Add the sugar. You can keep your spice mix in a sealed jar until you need to use it.

Adding spice mix to the almonds
Set the oven to cool (140oC, 275oF, Gas mark 1). Mix the almonds with 1 tablespoon of spice mix and 2 tablespoons of oil. Spread them evenly on a baking tray and cook for ten to fifteen minutes. Keep a close eye on them as sugar burns very easily. Once done, store the almonds in a sterilised jar and they’ll keep for a couple of weeks.