When it comes to caravan holidays, are you keen to cook meals in your caravan, or do you prefer to ring the changes by eating out and buying takeaways? Some people even prepare for their holidays by cooking batches of spaghetti bolognese and tasty home-made stews to freeze in portions and then reheat on demand in the caravan’s microwave.  

Whichever type of caravan holidaymaker you are, you’re still going to need some lightweight crockery, kitchenware and utensils for your caravan kitchen. There’s not a lot of room in most kitchen cupboards, though, and that’s where our latest compact cookware reviews and camping accessories can help.

We’ve filled the Practical Caravan test bench with a colourful array of compact and collapsible camping cookware and camp kitchen accessories to try and work out which are worthy of a place in your cupboards.

Will you choose to stock up on the colourful Outwell Collaps Range, featuring collapsible silicone buckets, bowls, baskets, cups and even a kettle? We’ve tested this extensive range and can report that Outwell Collaps bowls start at £4.49 for a small one and go up to £40 for a large storage box. There are now plenty more collapsible silicone products on the market, some with metal or hard plastic or bamboo to help the structure rise up robustly and then collapse flat again at the right times.

As it’s a direct rival to the Outwell range, we have also tested Kampa‘s collapsible silicone cookware range, where prices start at £5.99 for a set of three bowls and go to £15 for a kettle.

We also checked the Coleman kitchenware range, which is designed to fit together neatly rather than collapsing down flat. The Coleman range features stacking polycarbonate plates, bowls and mugs in the All In One Dining Set, a double wash basin for £8.99 and an All In One Container, £28. 

Other camping kitchenware ranges on the market are made by Easycamp, Gelert and Lifeventure, among others.

In this review, we’ll focus on the neat little Olpro Happy Camper Range, which includes a nifty little yellow chopping board and knife set.

Olpro has avoided competing directly with the mainstream options of collapsible bowls, kettles and the like. Nonetheless, the company has included three space-saving culinary designs into its Happy Camper range of innovative gadgets. Compleat foodbags, for example, are a stylish silicone alternative to conventional lunchboxes. Available in pastel-blue, green, orange and lilac, the real beauty of these bags is that, when empty, they can be rolled down into a thin tube for easy storage.

Talking of storage, Olpro’s Happy Cutting compact chopping board appears to be simply a case for the knife contained within, but it also opens out to become a chopping board. Finally, the firm’s Happy Taste condiments kit is a great way of storing salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard compactly while you’re on the move or on site.