Breaking Bland as TV chef cooks in VW camper

Britain’s campers are tired of baked beans and instant noodles, according to a new survey from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

Two thirds of campers (66%) say better food would make camping more enjoyable and 60% admit the prospect of another tinned dinner is enough to put them off pitching a tent altogether.

Enter TV chef Matt Tebbutt, he of Saturday Kitchen fame and who will be the next host of Masterchef, who has decided to rescue the nation’s hungry campers from culinary despair with a new one-pot braised squash recipe, cooked not in a studio kitchen but in the gleaming confines of the new Volkswagen California campervan.

Gone are the days of battling with a single disposable BBQ in the rain while pretending that a half-charred sausage counts as dinner. Tebbutt has served up a recipe for a camping feast, cooking up in a camper van, but not like Walter White.

Tebbutt’s dish, costing a mere £7.57 per person, apparently, will be ready in 30 minutes. It makes use of the California’s fully equipped onboard kitchen, complete with gas hob, sink, pull-out fridge and three-pin socket.

In other words, it’s camping, but with knobs on (literally).

The survey also revealed that the nation’s current camping menu remains depressingly predictable. BBQs and grilled foods (69%), tinned meals (43%) and instant noodles or pasta (39%) dominate the campsite diet, while only 24% associate camping with freshly prepared food.

Volkswagen says the partnership with Tebbutt aims to prove that “camping food doesn’t have to mean compromise.”

More than half (53%) of respondents agreed that having simple camping recipes would inspire them to cook something fresher than a Pot Noodle under the stars.

Tebbutt himself seemed to relish the challenge. “There’s no reason why good food should stop when you zip up a tent,” he said while dishing up squash in a saucepan that probably cost more than most people’s tents.

So, the next time you’re reaching for a can of beans by torchlight, remember cooking real food is possible, and not just if you are a celebrity chef.

Recipe By Matt Tebbutt

Course: Main Cusine:Camping Difficulty:Easy

Servings

4 minutes

Preparing Time

15 minutes

Cooking Time

30 minutes

Calories

596 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1. 1/2 fennel bulb

2. 3 small yellow courgettes

3. 3 small green courgettes

4. 3 cloves of sliced garlic

5. 125ml white wine

6. 500ml vegetable stock

7. 150ml of double cream

8. 1 bunch of basil

9. 100g Parmesan

10. 100g torn crusty sourdough

11. Extra virgin Olive oil

12. 6 sage leaves

13. 1 sliced garlic clove

14. 1 small, soft, goats cheese log (100g)

15. 6 slices of prosciutto

DIRECTION

1. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan and fry 3 slices of the prosciutto until crisp.

   Remove and drain.

2. Sauté the torn bread in this olive oil, sage leaves and a clove of sliced garlic until crisp.

   Remove, drain and set aside.

3. In the same pan, sauté the sliced courgettes and diced fennel for around 15 minutes until lightly golden.

   Then add the wine and reduce, followed by the stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Ladle out half of the soup, then blitz using a hand blender and return to the pot.

   Add the cream and bring to a simmer.

5. Stir in three slices of the finely shredded remaining prosciutto, the basil and some Parmesan.

   Taste and season.

6. Spread some of the goats cheese over a few croutons and top along with the crisp sage and prosciutto.

   Serve

NOTES

Cook while in a camper van