I’m a caravan expert: Here are the best ways to cook Christmas dinner in a caravan!

Monday 1st December 2025

The Camping and Caravanning Club has revealed its top ways to cook a Christmas feast on the campsite; with learnings you can also put into practice when cooking at home. 

Ian Hewlett, the Club’s Technical Manager and occasional campsite cook, has shared the best and worst appliances based on taste, time spent and average energy consumption. He has also shared a score for faff factor from 1-10, with 1 being faff free and 10 being a chore.

Thumbs up

• Air fryer 
  Air fryers are popular with caravan and motorhome owners as they take up little space and are easy to pack and store. There’s no need for setting them to pre-heat and turkey (we would recommend a crown) comes out moist and succulent every time. 
  It’s possible to cook each part of your Christmas dinner in an air fryer, even the Christmas pudding.
  Taste: Air fryers receive rave reviews for their ability to lock in flavour, with the air fryer at the top of lots of Christmas wish lists. 
  Time spent: Some recipes claim you can cook a whole Christmas dinner in under two hours. We cooked a 1.2kg turkey crown in an hour, using our air fryer’s roast setting. 
  Energy use: Air fryers are not low wattage, but you’ll be able to run small ones from a 10amp campsite hook up – check the wattage of your air fryer before use to prevent tripping the campsite electric. If you plan on running appliances greater than 2300 watts you risk doing this.  Remember to turn off other electronic appliances while using an air fryer – if you like lots of trimmings you may need to use the gas oven in your unit. 
  Faff factor: 1 - Easy to clean and maintain. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you’re using your air fryer for the best results.
  
  
• Slow cooker
  Ok, so you might not fancy a hearty stew on Christmas Day, but slow cookers are easy to store and a doddle to clean. What’s more, they’re perfect for camping because you can prep your meal in the morning before heading off for the day.
  Taste: Cuts perfect for slow cooking include pork shoulder, lamb shanks and chicken thighs. Slow cookers are also ideal for veggie and vegan chillis.
  Time spent: Slow by name, slow by nature, but a great way to get the best flavour from cheap cuts and hearty bean stews.
  Energy use: Slow cookers are among the most cost-effective appliances you’ll find in your kitchen, consuming just 0.2 to 0.4 kWh** of electricity and costing between 5p and 11p an hour to run. They’re a safe bet for the campsite too, with most operating between 1,200 and 1,800 watts.  
  Faff factor: 1 - Slow cookers are easy to clean and store. The ceramic insert can be washed with hot, soapy water or placed in a dishwasher.
  
  

Old favourites

• Oven in your camping unit
  Pre-heating aside, the gas cooker on your caravan still has a place for cooking your Christmas dinner. Why not cook roasties in an air fryer and your turkey or other preferred main in the oven? There’s obviously more space so you can fit a bigger bird too.
  Taste: Great, but make sure you have lots of nibbles on hand when you’re busy basting the turkey. 
  Time spent: BBC Good Food recommends roasting a turkey for 40 minutes per 1kg for the first 4kg, then 45 minutes for every 1kg over that weight. 
  Energy use: Gas plays a vital role in your winter energy mix – you may need to run gas alongside your on-board electric heating system on the chilliest of days. 
  Faff factor: 7 - We all know that cleaning the inside of the oven is a job that no one wants to do. 

• Barbecue
  Barbecues can be enjoyable at any time of year, but if you’re not a fair-weather camper we think you may need an extra layer and some cheery reindeer horns on Christmas morning. 
  Taste: Flame grilled turkey breast is always a winner. 
  Time spent: Sainsbury’s Christmas turkey on the barbecue recipe recommends cooking your Christmas turkey for 2-3 hours.
  Energy use: Probably not the cheapest way to cook your Christmas dinner but fun for the family photobook. 
  Faff factor: 8 - A helpful tip to clean your barbecue is to set your barbecue to the highest setting, or stoke it with lots of charcoal, before closing the lid to get rid of burnt on food. Failing that, most barbecue parts are dishwasher safe and can be washed in your dishwasher when you return home.
  
  

And finally

• Tabletop dishwashers
  Searches for tabletop dishwashers have increased by 80% in the last twelve months as the trend for portable mini dishwashers enters the mainstream. Buy one for your unit and if you’re not touring over Christmas, you can set it up next to the kitchen sink – giving you extra shelf space for glassware over the festive period. 
  Time spent: Time spent not doing dishes is priceless. 
  Energy use:  Saves on washing up and they’re small, so use less energy than a traditional domestic dishwasher. 
  Faff factor: 2 - Electronic dishwashers don’t need plumbing in and can drain straight into the sink.  

Ian has also shared his expert tip for enjoying Christmas on a campsite safely and enjoyably: “I don’t want to play the role of Grinch at Christmas but it’s important to consider your payload when towing at Christmas time more than ever.

“Presents and extra food on board all adds to the weight of your unit and it’s important to stay mindful that you’re not overloaded – swap chunky winter coats for lots of extra base layers that weigh little and take up less space. It’s important to free up room for the most important things, namely an extra bottle of your favourite tipple.”

When thinking about payload, consider putting heavier items in the tow car, if that’s an option.

Ian added: “Caravanning makes us think about the practicalities as we’re tight on space, but we can still have an amazing Christmas party on a campsite. 

“Take the tips you’ve learned on the campsite and bring them home with you. If you apply the same thinking to your Christmas dinner at home as you do your meals on the campsite, you can often save money.”

This Christmas* the Club is set to welcome over 5,000 campers, with its Lake District sites the most popular, accounting for more than one in four of all bookings.  

To book a stay on one of the Club’s open-year round sites visit www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/year-round-sites. 

*Bookings for the period 19th December - 4th January.  

**https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/how-much-does-it-cost-to-run-an-air-fryer/   

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For more information or images contact us.  

Notes for Editors

1. The Camping and Caravanning Club is 124 years old and is the UK’s oldest Club for all forms of camping.
2. The Club operates a nationwide network of quality assured Club Sites, with 95% of these 5-star rated by Club members.
3. To view the list of Camping and Caravanning Club Sites with year-round opening visit www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/year-round-sites.   
4. The Club has delivered a high NPS score this year of 81% across its Club Site network and 90% for its Service Centre.
5. Club members receive up to 30% off every Club Site stay and get exclusive access to privately run, smaller sites. 
6. Get involved: for the latest news, information and inspiration from The Camping and Caravanning Club, and to engage with those who’ve enjoyed holidays with the Club, visit www.facebook.com/campandcaravanning,  www.instagram.com/campandcaravan and www.youtube.com/@campandcaravanning