I’m back in my camp kitchen for the last time this season. After Easter, it’s time to pack up the van and tuck things away for another year. My camp kitchen is always on the go, along with my daughter’s neighbouring van kitchen, feeding a fluctuating family of four generations. There is always a big pot of vegetable soup or a minestrone, simple casseroles for the kids who are always hungry, rice cookers and woks and jaffles for breakfast. This Easter weekend, there are hot cross buns, a Lentil shepherds pie for good Friday, and stashed chocolate eggs for Sunday.
I love old Chinese enamel ware, most of which was produced during the Cultural Revolution, that difficult period in Chinese history. This set of bowls with lids is so handy in my camping kitchen. Just for you, Nancy!
Last week we celebrated Mischa’s 18th birthday and these left over frozen pizza came to the beach to be reheated in the camp oven. Perfect for a cool day.
On Good Friday, hot cross buns in the fresh air, slathered in butter, is a tradition worth keeping. Have you noticed that the big supermarkets begin churning these out on Boxing Day? I refuse to buy any before Good Friday. As well as explainng the significance of these buns to the children, we also sing this rather odd nursery rhyme,
Hot cross buns, hot cross buns,
One a penny, two a penny
Hot cross buns.
If you have no daughters,
give them to your sons,
One a penny, two a penny
Hot cross buns.
I found this little pinch pot at one of the weekend markets in Mornington Peninsula. It now lives in the camper trailer kitchen.
This little corner of the van is used for drawing, writing and dining. This year we went with the cocky cushion theme: there are matching cups somewhere in my camping kitchen. 
Mr T has collected some styling props for my camping kitchen. The bees are drunk on Banksia flower mead, and so far, four children have been stung. Despite that, they still refuse to wear shoes.
Cooking for a big mob can be demanding at times. Mr T and I like to sneak off to a winery on occasion and sample the wares from someone else’s kitchen.
Happy birthday Celia. May the next decade be even more wonderful than all the others. This post forms part of Celia’s monthly event, In My Kitchen, at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.
ALMOST ITALIAN 
Wonderful memories and food being created in your camping kitchen Mrs I. I found a Chinese enamel pot in an op shop the other day and was well pleased.
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well pleased indeed. Now you must keep your eye out for more.
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Here here re refusing to buy hot X buns until easter!! It must be cold at night in your camper Francesca, hope you’ve got the flanny PJs and ugg boots too! Have a wonderful Easter, I hope the sun stays out!
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Just back, and have to report that the weather was fab down there and only broke up this morning.
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That makes three of us who do not buy hot x buns until the day before Good Friday (I don’t shop on Good Friday). Your camping kitchen looks and sounds like a delight. I have never known camping like that! I have known (and loved) many a round jaffle, however! Lovely post, wishing you a fun weekend with good weather.
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Thanks Ardys, the weather was perfect and only broke up yesterday. We have returned to some welcome rain- the poor garden is so dry.
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I’m with Sandra on the hot cross bun issue! They seem to be there year round in the bakery section of the supermarket. Have fond memories of camping kitchens in my youth. It is great to have (4!) generations of the family around you. Those jaffles are new to me. Are they an Australian thing? A take on waffles?
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Good to know that the hot cross bun plague is not just an Aussie problem. Jaffles are an Aussie thing and a very retro one at that. They predate the toastie- those funny electric gadgets and now the cafe toast press. The beuty of them is that they seal beautifully and the round shape makes them a little like a bread encrusted pie. Fab for leftovers, but cheddar cheese is a must.
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It surprises me each year…as you put your summer away, we are just dusting ours down.Never heard of a jaffle, but it sounds and looks very, very good:)
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Jaffle irons are an Australian thing I think. The old round ones are collector items. You butter two slices of bread on both sides, lay one in the iron, fill the cavity with anything you fancy- especially good leftovers- then put the other slice on top, then close the iron and remove the square left over bits of bread that are hanging out of the iron. It is then cooked on a gas flame ( or in an open camping fire) then turned. It seals perfectly and contains super hot filling, melting and unctuous…. a camping treat.
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I do love a camp kitchen Francesca and your kitchen looks particularly well organised and delicious! How good is that Chinese enamel ware? Even the most dedicated camp cook deserves the odd outing to a winery I say. Happy Easter x
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Happy Easter Jane, from one retro collector to another.
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I love your old jaffle iron Francesca! We had one as kids (I’ll have to ask mum and dad if they still have it) and prided ourselves on the skill required to cook one perfectly over an open fire – especially when adding raw eggs to cook inside 🙂
Debi, I think they must be an Australian thing – they’re a very special toasted cheese sandwich where the edges are sealed together by the metal edges and the fillings – cheese, meats, chutney, baked beans, eggs etc – combine in a delicious (and scalding hot) mixture.
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You must score that old jaffle iron. And, if it has the word Jaffle on it, and not some other brand, it is worth a pretty penny. I fill them up with left over bolognese sauce and the kids think they are special pies.
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great idea! I’ll ask mum where it is 🙂
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Oh, you have totally put me to shame because for the first time in months I have no new enamel ware to show off. Right I’m off to the market next week! It must be wonderful to have four generations together – although T’Gallant is a great place to escape to for pizza and wine.
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It is a wonderful thing- it keeps my 92 year old mother on the ball, with so many visitors. And she loves to eat my food. Now, back to the enamel ware hunt.
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Hi Francesca, have a wonderful Easter weekend… love, love, love that old enamelware, it takes me right back to my mother’s kitchen!
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Delicious!
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Can I just eat everything in your camping kitchen? My kind of food and atmosphere. Happy Easter
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Anytime Sally, come and eat it all. Happy Easter ( belated).
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Happy Easter Francesca! Nothing beats a home made hot cross bun on a Good Friday x
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Indeed, they are a treat.
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Your camp kitchen looks fab, hope we have good weather soon so I can get my own enamel ware in action outside. And very glad I have some hot cross buns left to toast for breakfast tomorrow, yours are tempting me!
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Thanks Andrea, enamel ware is my passion.
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Happy Easter and love jaffles and love hot cross buns too!
Thank you for this month’s kitchen view
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Thanks for popping in Joanne.
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I’m not a happy camper, but I admire those who are. Especially those who manage to eat so well in the great outdoors.
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Camping is one of those love/hate things. we do make sure we have many creature comforts.
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Love the enamel bowls. Metal bowls are surprisingly hard to find in Germany at an affordable price, I was lucky to pick one up at a flea market last weekend for 5 euros.
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only 5 euros- a bargain. They are now really hard to find here now too.
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Fra, you *almost* manage to make camping look appealing! 🙂 I can just imagine how wonderful it is to have the family around you though, even if they keep getting stung! Love the drawing nook with all the hippie prints! 🙂 thank you for the kind wishes, I’m officially old now! 🙂
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Nothing like a pile of old sarongs to hippify a tent. Officially old? Never!!
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You’ve probably got the best camping kitchen on the peninsula! Buona Pasqua!
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Buona Pasqua Miss Napoli. ( un po’ in ritardo). I’m just back. The kitchen down there is always flat out!
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Oh and hope the pear tarts went down well with i genitori e tutti… x
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I put them in a bakery cake box (so I didn’t have to worry about a plate) and everyone thought I’d bought them hehehehe
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Hey Francesca .. oh that jaffle sounds wonderful. T’Gallant used to make a yummy Pinot Grigio. What were you enjoying when you were there?
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Funny you should mention that- yes, we were drinking Pinot Grigio. And when we’re over your way, we drink lovely NZ Pinot Noir.
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😃
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I agree about the selling of hot cross buns. Did you know that in England during Elizabeth I reign, there was a law that banned spiced buns being eaten on any day but Good Friday, Christmas and at funerals.
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Interesting Ann.I think we need a few Elizabethans in charge of our supermarkets.
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I have two sets of really good friends who take off in their van all the time. I get so envious sometimes. What a wonderful bunch of stuff in your (camp) kitchen this month!
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You took me back to my childhood with that hot cross buns song!! Gosh, haven’t heard that for years 🙂 I’m with you on refusing to buy them until Easter – I don’t think they taste the same until you know it’s coming close to Good Friday!! There is something I envy about people who head off camping, we don’t do it but I’ve got my feelers out for a cabin at a camp ground next Australia Day.
Cheers, Jan x
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A Cabin makes it much easier- just take along the food without packing all the gear. I can’t camp for a short time- this camp is set up for three months and we ‘come and go’ each week as it is only an hour and a bit from home. Glad you remembered the silly song.
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I LUV the bright colors in your camp kitchen, and now feel an overwhelming urge to seek out some colorful enamelware for my galley. “It’s all Francesca’s fault” might be my excuse.
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Yes, just blame me. Any little enamel ware pots and trays could be very handy in the galley.
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Hi,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. LOVE your pictures. I like that camping cooking thingy, I am thinking it must make a great grilled cheese over the fire. We were just talking camping this weekend, we only have a tent. It has been a long very cold winter here so seeing camping pictures is a dream!
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Our weather is just turning back to cold, so no more camping for a while. Yes, the jaffle iron makes great toasted cheese and you can fill it with any leftovers too. Eggs, baked beans, etc.
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I’m with you on Hot Cross Buns. I buy the day before Good Friday and we eat them only at Easter, and only the traditional version… not fancy fake choc chip. The buns I bought this year were from a local bakery… of course I have forgotten the details and the lavbel but they were good enough to tempt the G.O. who’s usually not fussed!
Oh, the Chinese enamelware… not looking 🙂
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The bakery ones are definitely worth paying a little extra. And of course, Coles Supermarket is back in the news with huge fines over their falsely claimed ‘freshly baked’ breads. What is $3 million to a company this large?
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Loving that retro enamel-ware and oh my goodness that old jaffle press! Gorgeous!
Kavey (fellow IMKer)
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Thanks kavey- that old jaffle iron gets a good workout at the beach, where simple food tastes much better.
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Hello Francesca, what fun to have a big family gang on a camping trip! You have done such wonderful decorating to personalize your tent. I have to ask, what is a jaffle? I’ve never heard of it, sounds lovely. And that color blue in your bowl is perfect.
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A jaffle is a wonderful invention. It is a double sided iron- traditionally round- in which you place buttered bread, then fillings of your choice, the cook over gas or a fire. Simple camping food.
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Yes To banning hot cross buns until appropriate! Also Easter eggs, Valentine’s chocolates, Christmas anything and other hallmark occasions. Just call me the grinch 🙂
Ps I love your enamelware!
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