I’ve found that a lot of the outdoor cooking books that I’ve collected over the years are filled with elaborate recipes, and assume I have a large camp kitchen, when in fact I’m either cooking on a tailgate or huddled around a small BBQ.  So it was a nice surprise when last month I received the Camping Soul Food cookbook, crammed with recipes that are not only easy to read and understand, but they’re aimed towards camp cooking with limited space.

Created by the Buggans family, Malachy, Carrie & their daughter Easkey, who over the last few years have taken countless trips around Ireland in their VW camper van, and as a result have learned so much about cooking with limited space.

When they first started camping they would bring way too stuff that just got in the way (does that sound familiar?).   After a couple of trips unloading boxes that were never opened they realised just how little equipment is actually needed to enjoy the great outdoors.

Oh, and there is plenty of soul, hence the name of the book!

Let me explain....

The Buggans’ believe, and quite rightly so, that creating meals and enjoying them is doubly pleasurable when ‘linked’ with music, which is why each recipe is paired with a playlist of Soul music (there's a handy QR code on the recipe page that will take you straight to the Spotify playlist).

With 65 great recipes, handy camping & cooking hacks (what we oldies call 'tips') and a section to write your own notes & recipes, the Camping Soul Food cookbook is a treasure trove of delicious meals, so good that after a long day I’ve ended up making some of the meals at Muddy Towers (a.k.a. home). The great thing is it’s full of meals that you can cook on one gas ring or on a BBQ

price: €20 (£17)

more at » campingsoulfood.com