Camp catering

catherine89, Sep 13, 12:32am
Hi Guys Ia am organizing a family camp for around 35 people. half kids half adults. Does anyone have any recipes that can be done for this many people cheap! Its for four nights. Thanks
shop-a-holic, Sep 13, 12:47am
These are the items I take when "Glamping":
Kitchen Blow Torch - Great for top grilling/or melting cheeses on crayfish.
Masses of Tin Foil - Wrap whole potatoes or croissants to heat on BBQ. Feta goes in there too.
Smoker - Now $30 from Hardware stores - Roast split chickens; fish and sausages; lamb and other big joints. Soak manuka chips in Stones Green Ginger Wine for lamb; chickens and beef. Soak manuka chips in a can of beer for german flavoured sausages. Use the smoker for capsicums; tomatoes; courgettes, onions. Whole roast garlic and squeeze into your mashed potatoes; lashings of olive oil, instead of butter and milk. You may have chillybin space issues due to beer cans.
Happy Camping!
shop-a-holic, Sep 13, 12:54am
PS: Despite being in the fridge at Supermarkets; processed cheese slices do not require refrigeration and a godsend when camping :-)
greerg, Sep 13, 1:26am
When my boys were still swimming competitively our club had a well-oiled system for catering for 30-60 when we were staying in boarding school hostels, disused nurses homes, etc.One of the large size tinfoil rosters was sufficient for ten swimmers (or many more people with ordinary appetites).Everyone filled one and froze it then we transported it wherever we were heading in large polystyrene boxes.It made things very easy on camp.Popular meals that froze well were chicken lasagne, mac cheese with bacon, a cheesy chicken casserole, curry (rice cooked at the time) and meatballs in an Italian tomato sauce.It got to the stage where longtime swimming families had their special dish and my recipe box still contains ****'s chicken casserole, *****'s sweet curry, etc. and the boys still love them.They were very happy times.
cgvl, Sep 13, 1:39am
we go camping a lot, our standards are these: just multiply by number going. will you have access to a kitchen for reheating/cooking!
Sausages, burger patties (pre make), mince/beef stew, bacon and egg or mince pie.
1st night is pie generally a cold bacon and egg one ( get each family to make one) can have with salad. or if a camp kitchen is available maybe meat pies.
2nd night Hamburgers: meat pattie, salad etc.
3rd night sausages with vegies if so desired but we usually do them in bread with a side salad for adults.
4th night mince stew or baked beans and meatballs on toast.
Lunches are usually salad and either cold meat or fish or just bread and butter.
breakfast is often cooked so eggs or spag with or without bacon. or just have cereal.
Don't stress about vege as its only a few nights and for me the fun of camping is eating whatever I fancy and not haveing to worry about a lot of cooking, dishes etc.
catherine89, Sep 13, 2:05am
Thanks for that. This camp has a full kitchen with everything you would need in it! Those ideas are great for when we go camping at christmas though! Thats sort of the ideas of what I was thinking of. Just trying to suss the cost of it too. Doing it on a tight budget. have got everyone bringing baking and fruit to keep the costs down.
nik12, Sep 13, 2:18am
I did this last year for about the same amount of people.
First night two roasting dishes of my 'cheat' lasagna.ie mix the cooked pasta into the tomato mince then tip cheese sauce all over the top.With salad and bread.
Second night
Roast Chicken, potatoes, carrots, corn and peas
Third night, we cheated and went to the food hall :-).We were in Queenstown.
We only stayed three nights. but my next option would have been sausages, mashed potatoes, peas and gravey.
Lunches were salad rolls with belguim that the kids made themselves each day, a piece of fruit and some baking (we also got everyone to bring a container of baking, that was supper as well with a milo).
Off the top of my head I think it cost $20 per head (plus they bought their one meal at food court) for the 3 days.
cgvl, Sep 13, 10:35am
you can buy large trays of meat pies/shepherd pies or make your own (in tin foil trays at s/market)
BBQ stuff goes down well buy the breakfast sausages, dont take as long to cook.
work out a menu and then get each family to bring an item eg meat for bbq and a salad etc.
Look or ask re catering size tins of fruit, spaghetti and baked beans usually can get at supermarkets, easier than lots of little tins.
pog_mo_thoin, Sep 14, 9:08am
massive pot of chilli , healthy filling and a good warmer .forget rice . just bring lettuce , grated cheese ,sometomatoes , sour cream and tortillas and make wraps or buritos .

for the chilli
fry in a dutch oven ,chopped onion , diced carrot andpeppers until softened . add prime mice beef cook till brown . add a cup of beef stock two tins of tomatoes .tomato paste(or watties sauce) as much chilli and herbs as you please . salt ,pepper and just let it cook away stirring every now and then while you go to pick retrieve the frisby or rugby ballor something . when it's reduced down nice and saucy (about 30 mins) and at the last ten mins of cooking ,add a tin of mixed or kidney beans and heat through .set everything out on a table and let everyone help themselves . done