Kit out your kitchen!

---

Whether you’ve recently bought your first caravan, are awaiting delivery or still in the deciding stages, one thing’s for sure: kitting out your new caravan kitchen is sure to be top of your list of priorities! It’s one of the most exciting parts of preparing for your first trip in your new van and there’s so much to choose from!

You could also be an experienced caravanner simply looking to refresh the content of your kitchen; it’s nice to update these things once in a while with a change of style or colour. Whatever your circumstances, there’s a lot to consider before you start choosing your new kitchen essentials. Read on to make sure you’ve considered everything...

What are the top 15 caravan kitchen essentials?

Plates and bowls

The best options when it comes to plates and bowls is either metal or melamine. These two materials are unbreakable, hardwearing and pleasant to use, all of which are important for value and enjoyment reasons! Make sure you get enough of each item for your family and any guests and be sure to go for ones you can stack to save space.

Glasses

Although it would be lovely to have real glasses for drinking, it’s an accident waiting to happen in a caravan that will often be on the move and with people (kids!) bustling around. Acrylic glasses are the next best thing; they’re much nicer than plastic glasses, better quality and nicer to drink from, plus they’re shatterproof and easy to stack so they’re an all-round win!

When it comes to wine glasses - a completely different ball game if you’re a wine-lover - polycarbonate is the way to go. They’re sturdy and nice to drink from, plus they’re stylish and there are many different designs and colours to choose from. If you absolutely have to have real glasses for wine, don’t get expensive ones - just in case - and invest in a caravan wine glass holder to keep them safe and secure during transit.

Mugs

Like glasses, we’d all like to drink our cup of tea or coffee out of a ceramic mug whilst caravanning. Travel mugs or metal cups are simply not nice to slurp from! So why not buy some good value mugs that if broken, won’t break the bank too? If you’re not fussed about china, the next best options are melamine or insulated plastic mugs, both of which are hard wearing whilst providing a pleasant sipping experience.

Cutlery

Go for a standard cutlery set - why not! It’s much nicer to eat with metal cutlery than plastic and they’re easy to store in your caravan, especially with a cutlery tray.

Cookware and serving bowls

It’s hard to know what extras you’ll need when you’re caravanning, but have a think about what meals you’re likely to cook on your trips and the things you often use at home, such as oven and microwave dishes and serving bowls. Can you double up and use one dish for several purposes? If you’re not sure, take your existing ones from home the first few times and see what you use - you can always buy a second set later once you’re a few trips in.

Quick dry tea towels

You’ll need towels for drying hands and dishes. Go for quick dry towels to avoid heavy, soggy towels hanging around the kitchen, which are good for nothing! Also consider a compact washing up liquid dispenser for the worktop - it’s handy and can double up for hand washing purposes.

Collapsible Tupperware

If you think you’ll need tupperware, why not consider a collapsible set to save space when not in use? When you go overboard on the spaghetti bolognaise you’ll be pleased to pull those from the back of the cupboard - that’s tomorrow’s dinner sorted!

Oven trays, gloves and trivets

You’ll need oven trays to cook things on, but be sure to measure your caravan oven carefully - it may be smaller than your oven at home and you don’t want to find your trays don’t fit as you attempt to slide your pizza in! Don’t forget the oven gloves and expanding trivets are great too - they fold down tiny but are ideal for placing hot dishes on the table for self serving. Remember that your hob can double up as a place for hot trays and dishes too!

Chopping boards and sharp knives

These are often forgotten but greatly needed! You’ll need a couple of chopping boards and sharp knives for food prep. Make sure your chopping boards will fit in the sink for easy washing up and that you choose knives that can be used for a variety of purposes to avoid having to take too many with you.

Tea, coffee and sugar caddies

Having a good cuppa in the morning is essential! Go for lightweight, durable caddies such as tin or melamine. These will be hardwearing and won’t break during transit, making them ideal all round. Consider also taking a compact spice rack - a great way to keep the essential spices altogether in one place and less likely to spill or get mislaid.

Utensils

There are so many possibilities when it comes to utensils that it would be easy to get carried away! Try to think about the absolute must-haves - tin and bottle openers, whisk, peeler, scissors, spatula, rice spoon and a couple of stirring/serving spoons. You could also go for a flat grater that would fit in the utensil drawer and would be much appreciated by any cheese-lovers!

Measure up

If you like to follow recipes, mix sauces or maybe even bake while you’re caravanning, a measuring jug and scales are essential! There are a range of lightweight, compact and even folding scales on the market, so shop around to get the best space-saving ones for you. Measuring jugs come in collapsible form, which is a great space saver too and well worth considering.

BBQ tools

You can’t go caravanning without having at least one BBQ - make the most of the great outdoors with a little alfresco dining! You’ll need BBQ tools including tongs and a spatula as well as any cleaning items you may require as well.

Pots and pans

Try to keep the number of pots and pans that you take to a minimum as they can take up a lot of valuable space. Consider camping sets that will be space efficient - by being stackable and having removable handles for easy storage. If you opt for regular pans, start off with four - again, perhaps taking your home ones to try out before purchasing - but one large and one medium frying pan plus a large and a medium saucepan should be sufficient for most family meals.

Appliances

It’d be nice to have a kettle, toaster and coffee maker of course - but consider the space they’ll take up. Think about the size of your toaster (2 or 4 slice), whether a travel kettle would do and if you want to go for posh coffee or instant. A caffetteria could be the middle ground and they come in compact sizes so won’t take up much space.

Caravan kitchen tips

• Wrap and pack the more delicate items in your microwave and oven for safety whilst on the move.
• Plan where everything will go before you purchase and don’t buy anything that’s too big for the cupboards!
• Collapsible stuff is great for caravanning!
• Don’t get anything that is hard to wash up, it is a holiday after all!
• Keep payload weight in mind and avoid buying heavy kitchen items.
• Think versatility - can you do multiple things with one item?
• When you’re towing, things can move around, so opt for hard wearing items that won’t be too noisy!

Check out our online shop; we have a range of caravan homeware available. We have thousands of items in our on-site shop too, so please pop in and take a look when we reopen, or if it can’t wait, get in touch to find out if we stock the item you’re after and we’ll go from there. Follow us on social media to be the first to know when we’re able to reopen!

---

‹ All press releases