PACKING YOUR COOL BOX OR ESKY

One of the biggest joys of camping is that it allows you to get back to basics and live a simple lifestyle for a while. The drawback of this, however, is that you can’t just reach into the refrigerator when you want cheese for your sandwich or an ice cold beer.

Plus, you need to give careful consideration to how you will store your food to prevent it going off. The cool box that you use for drinks at your Sunday afternoon barbecue isn’t going to cut it for a three- or four-day camping trip, as the walls aren’t sufficiently insulated. Invest in a proper cool box, or esky, and ice packs, which are all available from a camping or outdoor store.

Giving a little consideration to how you pack your chilled food before you go will not only help to keep your food cold, but also make finding things and keeping them in good condition easier.

• Freeze any milk, juice and bottles of water you’re going to take with you – these will double as ice packs and defrost over the first day or two.
• Freeze packets of bacon, sausages and meat before you leave. Not only does this make them last longer without going off, but the frozen packets also act as additional ice packs.
• Put any snacks or meals you are preparing in advance (see chapters 1 and 2), into airtight containers, then freeze the meals. Takeaway containers work well for this and can be stacked neatly in your cool box – they will also do a similar job to an ice pack for the journey. Don’t forget to remove the one you want to eat for dinner so it defrosts in time!
• Pack cheeses into shallow storage containers to prevent them getting squashed. Do the same with packets of meat. Keep things well wrapped to prevent crosscontamination.
• Many butchers will vacuum pack meat for a small charge, so ask about this when buying your meat. Although the meat will still need to be stored in a cool box, it should last for an extra three to four days longer than un-sealed meats. If you have some fresh meat that isn’t going to last another day, cook it then chill it and eat it the next day for lunch.
• Use good-quality ice packs and leave room at the top of your cool box for a layer of them, as the cold air will sink down.