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First thing - many of the grills are not that effective and only really useful for slowly browning toast. However - what about one with a griddle?

Have a look at the Campingaz Camping Kitchen Extra which has a removable griddle (with water tray underneath for ease of cleaning), 2 traditional burners, windshields that turn into side shelves, removable adjustable height legs, large main shelf and a storage bag that turns inside out to become a storage cupboard with hooks for tea-towels etc. You can add or leave off the different components depending on your length of stay and style of camping. We only use the storage unit for longer stays and leave off the legs if we are using the low level tent. It is an excellent bit of kit that means that you don't need a camping kitchen. Shop around as you can get one for less than £60. Note that you can't get the accessories separately so you have to buy the whole thing if you think they might be useful. Combine with the Gelert single slice folding toaster which cooks great toast in just a couple of seconds over the burners (the multi-slice versions tend not to work very well).

You would need to buy an appropriate gas cannister and regulator to fit on the top. When the cannister runs out, you just pay a re-fill price for the gas.

Helen

When you decide what you want have a look on Preloved under Health and Leisure - caravans and camping.

http://www.preloved.co.uk/index.cfm

there are usually one or two "bargains" to be had.

Mike

You can get gas cannisters  - Calor or Campingaz - from a range of places (you'll need to stick to one make or the other as the regulators differ): garages, DIY stores, camping retailers, campsites, specialist suppliers.

There have been some threads recently on which make to go with - worth a look, as the cost of the two does vary as does their availability.

We went for calor gas and got our cannister from a specialist Gas Centre as they were cheaper for both the cannister and gas than other sources (they supply the trade, so sell at trade rather than leisure prices). They weren't the cheapest source of regulators though. With calor - you are effectively renting the cannister with a single upfront fee, which is exchanged for a full-one when you empty the previous one. After this initial fee you only pay for the gas. You can supposedly find cannisters at dumps and car boot sales although they are not suposed to be sold under the terms of the rental. Rather - they should be given back to calor. Dumps local to us will no longer sell them as a result.

A tip - fit the gas hose to the stove at home - as you'll need hot water to soften the hose to get it to fit to the stove (not something to be done when you get to the campsite). Also make sure that you have a suitable spanner with you to fit and change the regulator between cannisters.

BTW - our Campingaz Kitchen Extra came with a length of hose and jubilee clips.

Helen