Food

Food is one of the genuine pleasures of van travel, and the UK’s food landscape – particularly at the local, independent level – has improved dramatically in recent years. Farm shops stocking produce from the surrounding land, small bakeries in market towns, harbour-side fish and chip shops, independent delis and street food markets in city centres: travelling by van gives you access to all of it in a way that staying in hotels rarely does.

Cooking in the van is part of the pleasure too. A simple meal made from fresh local ingredients – picked up from a farm shop or market that morning, cooked on a two-ring hob as the sun goes down outside – is one of the small joys that makes van travel particularly satisfying. The van kitchen sets the constraints, and constraints often breed creativity.

The food posts on this site cover specific food experiences from real van trips – places worth stopping at, ingredients worth seeking out and occasional thoughts on cooking in the van. The focus is on the kind of food culture that rewards exploration: independent, local and specific to the place where you find it.

Whether you are planning a route around good food stops or simply looking for ideas for what to cook in the van on your next trip, the food posts here give you something worth reading.