It depends on just where you end up staking out your pitch, but one of the many wonderful things about camping is the fact that a decent supply of local ingredients shouldn’t be that far away. The limitations of the ice filled cool box will always drive you to the local shops for fresh milk (as well as new bag of ice). So why not have a look around and see what locally produced food is available on your doorstep?

Ok, so you’re obviously going to have difficulties in finding locally produced chorizo for the chorizo, potato and roquette salad recipe, but the spuds and leaves could easily have been grown nearby. We all seem to enjoy eating paella in Spain, mousakka on the Greek islands, or saucisson and Camembert in France. Looking for locally produced food is merely an extension of what we all do on holiday abroad.

The Guyrope Gourmet is not preaching the puritanical approach here. There is always a likelihood that in fact the local produce factor, for whatever reason, may just be beyond reach in some places. So you showed up on the Wednesday while the organic food fare took place on the previous Monday, or it was raining so hard that a trip to the farmers market didn’t seem like a viable option.

It could well be that the reality of ‘local produce’ is limited to the shelves of the village Spar shop or Londis. This doesn’t mean to say that you are bound to revert to the bangers and beans. In fact, shopping at the local convenience store is clearly making a positive contribution to the local economy. Whilst it may (and I say may as evidence has often proved otherwise) be somewhat lacking in the fresh food department, the local convenience store is often capable of coming up trumps in the face of adversity.  Have a look around, see what’s available and use what’s there.