Just because you are camping, doesn’t mean you can’t eat well. Or at least that was always my family’s motto, and Viola Lex and Nico Stanitzok, authors of The Campfire Cookbook, 80 imaginative recipes for cooking outdoors ($22.99, DK), obviously agree.

The pair have come up with a variety of delicious sounding (and looking – thankfully, each recipe in this cookbook has a picture) recipe including Indian-Style Sandwiches with Tahini and Tomato; Strawberry Salad with Mozzarella; and Cod in an Herb Vegetable Broth, among others.

In addition to pictures, many recipes include tips including ways you can change the method of cooking, storage tips and camping ideas. Throughout the cookbook, the authors focus on one aspect of camping – coolers and stoves, for example – and offer tips for packing or purchasing.

If you are car camping, in that your car holds your food so you don’t have to worry about marauding raccoons eating all the good stuff  – yes, this is from experience – there are recipes for cooking meals on the barbecue or stove. One of my favourite camping recipes is what we called the Girl Guide dinner – potatoes, vegetables and some meat, often chicken, butter and seasoning, wrapped in tinfoil and cooked on the coals. Camping doesn’t seem complete without this make-your-own meal.

The authors have provided a number of tinfoil package recipes, which they cook on the barbecue but there is no reason why they can’t be cooked right on the coals – it may take longer, but it’s delicious, and fun.

The authors also offer recipes for backpacking campers, those who carry everything they need on their backs. These meals tend to be freeze-dried, cooked when you add hot water. They aren’t often very good and get boring. The authors’ recipes, however, sound pretty delicious – Instant Couscous with Apricots and Macadamia Nuts and Creamy Instant Noodles with Mushrooms and Pine Nuts.

So whether you are a Luxury Camper or a Wilderness Camper, there are a variety of unique recipes you can make on the barbecue, on the stove or right in the coals including Chocolate Cake Baked in an Orange.

Happy camping.

A copy of this cookbook was provided by DK for an honest review.
The opinions are my own.