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I'm concerned about a few things when camping, the security of the tent while away from it and finding a good first camping trip - we are in east midlands.

After reading so many reviews of sites (good and bad) I would like to find somewhere nice to go with decent showers/toilets so I dont put the family off before weve even started!

Have you any ideas?

We camp regularly with our four kids and I would say that your tent is far safer with the four kids well away from it !!

Seriously though - easiest holiday to have with four kids. General principle is: unzip tent in the morning, provide a steady supply of food, do a head count at bed-time - mine have sometimes even sneaked into bed exhausted before we declared 'bed-time'!

(Just read that back, and realised it could make us sound like the family from hell!!  Gosh! Maybe we are! ) Had better clarify ... we tend to go to campsites that are smallish and very open so we can generally see where the kids are most of the time, and we do have the one golden rule that they never go inside anybody else's tent or caravan - gives me the right to keep other people kids out of ours, although we love having kids come and play at the table outside the tent or on the grass outside. Also, our kids have always gone for more imagination type games rather than kicking footballs around - so I hope they haven't annoyed too many of you!

Regarding the steady supply of food, I have had our kids trained from a very early age to make their own packed lunches straight after breakfast. These are then kept in a cooler bin ready to take with us if we're going out for the day, or readily available if we're on site and the kids want to come back and snack. They usually only go hungry for one day while they learn that laziness at packed-lunch-making time doesn't pay!

We are going to www.kellingheath.co.uk in Norfolk for our first camping trip with 4 kids this summer.  I used to go there as a child and it was a great site then although much more basic than it is now.  It has swimming pool/chippy etc but also fantastic nature emphasis with opportunities for kids to take part in bat-box making sessions etc and loads of cycle tracks on site.

Hi, thanks for the information!

B Cristie -  I fully agree with you, I do enough packed lunches weekdays as it is, ill adopt that idea!  I also want the kids to be able to explore and feel free, no TV or PC, it will be great!

louahlouah and morrice166 - Thanks for the ideas about Norfolk ill look into this as its not far away!

HAS ANYONE GOT A GOOD RECIPE FOR QUICK FAMILY DINNERS

Hi there, if you want a nice site to start off with I'd recommend Bainland at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire. It has great shower/ bath/ washing facilities and lovely pitches, with an outdoor adventure playground for the kids and a small indoor pool.

The site is small enough for the kids to be able to go off but not get too far, if you know what I mean, and easy for them to find the tent pitch so they won't get lost.

I think camping is something you love or hate and if you pick a bad site it might pee you off but won't put you off trying again. Our kids love camping as its sociable and friendly and they can enjoy a measure of freedom they don't have at home, within limits!

Wherever you go, enjoy!

As for quick dinners... beans, spaghetti, etc. always go down well! We take fresh fruit as well but the staples come out of a tin as its easier. Having said that, we now take a mini oven so we can have more variety. Tinned rolls and croissants from Aldis is the speciality at the mo, with the smell of it cooking wafting across the camp site... mmmmmmmmm...

Quote: Originally posted by loubielou on 11/4/2007

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HAS ANYONE GOT A GOOD RECIPE FOR QUICK FAMILY DINNERS

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Pasta and sauce has to be the easiest - my son (11) has even taken this to be 'his' recipe and loves cooking it for us. Tinned hot-dogs are also a good standby - have even cooked these on the beach with our small burner as a warming lunch when the kids have come in cold from the sea.

The easiest we find is to BBQ whenever possible and supplement it with a packet flavoured rice/pasta/couscous, and salad (usually pre-prepared as I'm on holiday too!). Another favourite is to buy the garlic and coriander naan breads from the supermarket (they are often sealed in 'long-life' packaging - Lidl's ones are anyway) Two minutes each side on the BBQ and you have delicious 'garlic bread'.

If the BBQ is still going strong, then cut a slit lengthwise down some bananas and insert slices of Mars Bars. Wrap in foil and place in the coals for 5 minutes. Mmmm! And if that isn't unhealthy enough for you, finish off with toasted marshmallows sandwiched between chocolate digestive biscuits.

Not a quick meal, but high entertainment value! kids will sit for ages watching their marshmallows self-destruct in the fire!