Settlers' Food Storage

Submitted by Ian and Hilly on

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General Discussion

Hi folks. Long time Green Manner but first time Settler here. Am wondering about food storage for the week. Are there any freezers etc available for ice-packs, etc?

Thanks v much.

Ian

Elizabeth McEvoy's picture Elizabeth McEvoy replied on

Hi Ian,

I suggested on last year's questionnaire that a freezer option for coolbox ice packs would be a good idea for Settlers.

There has been no facility for this in past years.

I freeze milk, bacon and bottled water etc to create an even colder environment in our pathetic cool box....they also keep fresh for longer.

To keep costs down I generally make a couple of one pot meals and freeze those beforehand, so theyre good for Monday and Tuesday, defrosting gently in the coolbox...this is a bit OCD on my part, but cost effective considering the rate at which my greedy lot plough through the provisions.

Haven't tried freezing alcoholic beverages - too worried that the alcohol content might be compromised!

I'd appreciate any other clever tips other folk might have too. 

 

Elizabeth McEvoy's picture Elizabeth McEvoy replied on

Wow, that looks impressive! Puts my weedy little coolbox to shame.

I suppose the only consideration is size and whether it's portable to the campsite, but looks like it would do the job.

Carnie replied on

Coleman cool boxes are pretty good, freeze whatever you can like Elizabeth suggests.  Buy a few bags of ice, but don't split the bag.  Drain regularly so water doesn't build up.

i find the colemens will last for about 3-4 days.

fill 2 litre plastic bottles with water and freeze, they are great at keeping things cool if you have the space.

ray_rad's picture ray_rad replied on

i thought that was a perfectly reasonable suggestion

however, since i posted it, sam shepard has died

so i am now in a foul mood

Mikey's picture Mikey replied on

The Coleman cooler looks 'the dog's' to me but a bit too big and pricey for a single traveller (but I now want one so much).  

My tip is a plastic box to hold water, covered with a wet towel or use a cloth bag to hold contents in.  Should keep a bottle of milk bought on thursday fresh until Monday morning.  Worked well at Womad, although not such a hot weekend, but also at Tolpuddle which was a scorcher (anyone else remember that glorious summer we had in 2017?)

Ian and Hilly replied on

Thanks for all the replies. We went and ordered a 50L Coleman Xtreme. It's turned up and is huge. Am considering camping in it.

Kathryn replied on

We have the same, but there are 5 of us so we need it that big to last 8 days . Freezing alcohol does nothing to its alcohol level , freeze away. We went to Aldi and stocked up on woo-hoo cocktails to use as ice packs , long life milk for teas. It was very handy because it was so hot the first part of last years settlers, we stuffed everything in there, bread and fruit and choclate, just to stop it turning into goop in the hot hot tent :) 

You have to pre-chill the ice box for ot to last its longest.

Ian and Hilly replied on

Just to follow up on this in case anyone else is wondering how it went, the 50L Coleman Xtreme was perfect. We packed it full of frozen milk, bacon, bolognese, etc just before we left for the Settlers on Monday morning. There were still ice crystals in the milk on the following weekend. Not the cheapest but worth every penny for the ability to make proper cups of tea all week long.

Janebanns replied on

thanks for comments on keeping stuff cool, is there a shop nearby or stall near camp that sells basics,like bread and milk? 

Thanks everyone,first time visitor in a campervan x

Mikey's picture Mikey replied on

There is a large Waitrose just outside Abergavenny.  They might sell ice In The freezer section which would be worth a quick trip to buy.  

RachJBurns's picture RachJBurns replied on

Re. freezing booze: Aldi do a nice perry in a box (same size as wine boxes) which freezes perfectly. Very nice as a post-tent-putting-up toast.