Camping Recipes

One of the many great things about owning a campervan is that it allows you to get up and go any time of the year, almost every weekend can be dedicated to a new location.

Of course, making the most of your camper might mean travelling in some less savoury weather conditions.

Fortunately, our conversions are built to provide the cosiest possible design, with sheep’s wool insulation and a Webasto diesel heater; but even with these features considered, who wants to eat salad over a real winter warmer?

This delicious sausage and bean casserole is the perfect blend of warming ingredients to line your stomach for a day out in the country or a cosy night in.

As with all our recipes, you can cook this simply using basic camping facilities, it can be chopped and change to suit your taste, can serve as many as you like and is both nutritious and hearty.

This recipe uses one hob ring, requires minimal preparation and is really easy to make, enjoy! 

Sausage and Bean Casserole

Ingredients

-          1 pack of good sausages (one standard pack serves around 3)

-          1 Onion

-          A handful of spinach

-          2 beef tomatoes

-     1 pack of mushrooms

-          1 tin of chopped tomatoes

-          1 tin of baked beans

-          1 tin of kidney beans

Firstly, chop the sausages into bite size portions, peel and chop the onion, chop the beef tomatoes, mushrooms and add the spinach to a large saucepan with a dash of olive oil.

Cook until the sausages brown, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms are soft and the spinach has wilted.

Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes and gently stir for 5 minutes.

Finally add the baked beans and kidney beans and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the flavours have infused together.

Add salt and pepper to taste, we love a dash of Tabasco or chilli in ours but it’s totally up to you.

Serve and enjoy!

Leisure Hubs YouTube Channel

From just images alone it can be difficult to get a real understanding of the premium features and craftsmanship that goes into each of our campers.

We’ve recently made a couple of videos and uploaded them to our YouTube channel for you to get a better idea of the conversion service we offer.

Our first video looks at our latest conversion, a customer’s van tailored to his personal needs with no expense spared.

The video looks at the functional build of the T5 4 Motion, with its pop top roof, practical L-shaped work space with Corian work surface and integral appliances, bed with under bed storage, rain forest shower and sumptuous modern finish throughout. 

The second video looks at our Black T5 Transporter, which has been cleverly design to showcase some of our most prestigious features, including the rainforest shower and motorised pop up TV.

At Leisure Hubs we love a challenge, that’s why we don’t stick to the traditional template of standard van conversions. We offer a limitless range of features which you can chop and change to suit your lifestyle, and our videos give a taster of some of what we are capable of, the only limit being your imagination.

So, take a look at our first two promotional videos and tell us what you think. They may even inspire your own design!

Volksworld Cancelled: Sorry!

Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it Volksworld last weekend due to the weather; sorry!

After checking the weather in the morning it didn’t seem practical for us to take out the vans and stand in a snowy field for a weekend, not to mention the damage it could have done to our Camper Pamper pods.

We’re really sorry to those who were looking to see our designs but we’re sure to be at another show soon, and we’ll definitely be attending the Volksworld show next year if we haven’t entered a new ice age thanks to climate change. 

If you’d like to check out what you may have missed this weekend then check out our portfolio of campervan designs so far on our website. 

Volksworld 2013

2012 was our debut into the vast and exciting world of campervans, conversions and kitchen pods, and after a few exhibitions we’ve fell in love with the buzzing atmosphere and appreciative audience that each show brings.

We’re becoming a regular fixture at various campervan exhibitions across the UK, and this year we intend to display even more innovative designs in both our conversions and kitchen pods.

Volksworld is one of the UK’s leading Volkswagen magazines, providing the latest in everything car and camper related, and the magazine’s annual show is a hive of information, displays, entertainment and stalls, just like the premium publication. 

This year, we’ll be making our first ever appearance at Volksworld, and we’re very proud to be part of one of the biggest and most prestigious Volkswagen exhibitions in the UK.

The show includes live music throughout the day, tech talks, a car park full of people’s prestigious vehicles, car sales and trade stands, as well as us!

We’ll be exhibiting both our show vans and a full range of Camper Pamper kitchen pod designs, including regular crowd pleasers such as the integral surf shower, drop down coffee maker and sumptuous craftsmanship in our natural wood furniture.

If you haven’t yet seen our vans in the flesh/metal, then come and pay us a visit at Volksworld, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey on the 23^rd and 24^th March (this weekend), and get a special opportunity to see designer campers at their best. 

www.leisurehubs.com

Roof Bed

Sometimes the capacity of a campervan can be overlooked; when installing furniture and a bed, sometimes you can be under the misconception that your beloved camper will hold an entire family.

With two seats in the front and two in the back (with an expendable bed) the initial impression is that the van can play home to four people.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the majority of van conversions as the accurate berth of a campervan should be based on how many the van can sleep rather then transport. 

That’s where a sleeping roof comes in, to gain a true 4 berth campervan, a roof bed is the ideal solution for sleeping a family of 4.

An extension to the traditional pop top roof, a sleeping roof houses a further two people, using an easy to use mechanism which allows for additional space for both people and camping equipment, leaving your camper clutter free.

We’re frequently asked by customers to develop a pop top roof for their conversions. A pop top creates the perfect living space, allowing for additional head room, ideal for cooking and general use.

By adding a roof bed, you are increasing the capacity of the camper two fold, a worthwhile purchase to make when space is already at a premium.

When planning your conversion consider how much your camper can truly hold and think about the benefits an additional roof bed can have on your camper. It is the equivalent of buying a two bedroom house when a four bedroom is just a little bit more!

www.leisurehubs.com

LeisureNet: Mobile WiFi

At Leisure Hubs we try our best to convert campers in a way which mirrors all the creature comforts you are used to in your home, providing features such as coffee makers, TVs and showers.

Mobile internet has rapidly become an integral part of modern living; life simply wouldn't be the same without access to emails, social networks and video streaming in the palm of your hand.

We understand that for many, internet access is an essential part of people’s lifestyle, even when taking a breaking in the countryside or by the beach, more often then not, life can’t completely be put on hold.

The Leisure Hubs mobile WiFi ‘LeisureNet’ is our solution to maintaining your connection when away, supplying a 3G-based internet system which works similarly to a mobile dongle you’d use with a laptop; allowing you to choose a network (whether it be pay as you go or contract) insert it in your router and begin surfing the web. 

Nothing can parallel the convenience of being able to access the internet from the comfort of a campsite, and you can decide to lock your network or make it open to the public, just like your home router. You can choose to share your network with others and even get people to contribute to your bill; A great way to enjoy social networking, games and videos while on the move.

For more information on our Mobile WiFi service, please visit our website.  

Happy Customer

Nothing beats the feeling of supplying one of our customers with a top of the range conversion, and our latest customer is over the moon with his.

A few weeks ago we began plans to convert Mr Fisher’s 4Motion DSG; already a great standard van, we jumped at the chance to provide our customer with a premium conversion with all the luxury features a Leisure Hubs conversion is famed for.

The completed van includes: a pop up 17” swivel mounted TV set into a stylish iced blue Corian work surface, plenty of storage with cabinets with a curved tambour door and soft closing drawers, a 39 litre slide out fridge freezer, Our rainforest shower built into the tailgate with 18 minutes worth of hot running water, TUV rated swivel seats, Reimo pop top roof and roof bed, and a top of the range Webasto diesel heater with automatic timers, to name a few.

The completed conversion cost just £17,000 and provided the van with a complete luxury conversion that sleeps 4 people, the perfect design for family camping holidays and road trips.

We’re very proud of our latest design and we think the pictures speak for themselves. You can also check out our ever growing portfolio of designs on our website.   

Nespresso Pixie

The drop down coffee maker appears from furniture with the flick of a switch

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that at Leisure Hubs we love coffee. With conversion deadlines to meet, we’re no stranger to working well into the night, and the perky brown bean manages to maintain our sanity, as well as our decomposing tolerance of each other.

We love each other really! A deep brown puddle of steamy hot coffee can be the perfect morning pick me up when a day filled with adventure is ahead; that’s why we like to install coffee makers in just about everything!

The motorised drop down Nespresso Pixie coffee maker in our Brown T5 Transporter is cleverly placed just inches from the bed, allowing you to wipe the sleep from your eyes, take a shot of espresso and begin heating the frying pan for several rounds of bacon followed by a day in picturesque scenery. 

The Nespresso Pixie is a luxury addition to any conversion, whether it’s recessed into furniture with a motorised mechanism or sitting with the rest of your kitchen utensils.

The Colina Kitchen Pod

Providing fresh coffee with just 25 seconds heating time, the coffee maker is fast and efficient as well as stylish, with a steel handle, aluminium side panels and a choice of six colours and two finishes.

We love the Nespresso Pixie so much that we’ve even added it to our Colina kitchen pod as an option. 

The Colina provides a simple slide out cupboard which plays home to the compact proportions of the coffee maker, allowing the handy utensil to be neatly tucked away after use.

We may have a harmless obsession with the Nespresso Pixie but so far it’s paid off. The more late nights we have working on the vans though, the more we may begin cramming a coffee maker into every nook and cranny!

www.leisurehubs.com

Camper Pamper Designs Protected by ACiD

Both Leisure Hubs and Camper Pamper strive to develop truly unique designs, that’s why our campers are not the standard conversion design which you can find with other companies.

Our aim is to create something totally different from the norm but with even more functions, technology and style than the rest of the market.

After we completed our first couple of Camper Pamper kitchen pods it became apparent we were on to something special. Our background in furniture design allowed us to create premium furniture, precision made on a CNC, by the best craftsmen and using the best materials.

With designs which set us aside from general market trends, we decided to work alongside ACiD (Anti Copying in Design) and get each of our designs recognised as our own work., free from copying, so you can be safe in the knowledge you are getting an original design.

We believe that when you’re buying into camper furniture you should be buying into a product exclusive to your van, that’s why we provide customisable options for each of our kitchen pods; with a range of finishes, features and designs on offer to bespoke your kitchen pod to suit not only your camper but your lifestyle.  

The ACiD ethos is simple, the company sets out to work with design talents and provide them with the protection they deserve to prevent other companies and individuals steeling their designs. 

The Colina ktichen pod with floral finish and concealed coffee maker is  exclusive to Camper pamper

The company is built up of a coalition of trade enforcement agencies, all with the same passion for preventing intellectual property theft in the UK, making the company a highly prestigious and credible affiliation to Camper Pamper.

With a comprehensive range of unique concepts, Camper Pamper intends on providing the best in kitchen pod designs, and our protection from ACiD adds even more exclusivity, leaving our customers aware that when they purchase one of our pods they are not only purchasing a pod but an original design. 

Where to Camp? Part 3

It’s easy to get into a routine, year in year out, visiting the same ‘safe’ campsite which you know and love.

Of course, this may not necessarily be your fault, campsite horror stories can be some of the worst, and nobody wants to be part of a campsite’s Nazi regime, being made to have cold showers in public, eat gruel or be harassed by noisy campers.

It’s safe to say that once you’ve experienced one bad campsite it can put you off spreading your wings, but when a campsite becomes your second home, lovely as it is, it takes away the freedom a campervan offers.

If you’ve not already upped and left the comfort of your own home for one of the amazing locations we’ve featured so far then maybe it’s time to give somewhere new a try, as there are plenty of locations across the UK desperate accommodate you.

Our latest guide covers sites which offer a more commercial setting, guaranteed to please the whole family, so you can visit safe in the knowledge that none of the sites will see you running in terror in some sort of Wickerman-esque situation.

Trewan Hall Campsite

Located in Cornwall, near Newquay, Trewan Hall Campsite is a family run business, rich with 36 acres of lustrous countryside, woodland and buildings, perfect for exploring.

The stunning scenery plays home to a huge array of activities and beautiful visuals, including a 25m heated swimming pool, live entertainment and local musicians, library and writing room with WiFi, camp shop, pool table, table tennis, computer games (ideal for rainy days) and just ten minutes from a beach, makes the site a fully comprehensive experience which has something for everyone.

Providing a modern camping service, perfect for the whole family, Trewan Hall is an amazing social experience, with organised BBQs, football matches and entertainment for adults and children a like, plenty of places to walk and explore, and facilities to entertain.

Balgair Castle Holiday Park

The outdoor swimming pool at Belgair Castle Holiday Park

Situated in the picturesque scenery of Stirlingshire, Scotland, Balgair Castle Holiday Park is a quiet getaway, perfect for those looking for a relaxing escape.

With firm site rules in place, the campsite offers a tranquil stay, best suited to families and couples looking to unwind.

The site offers a great restaurant and amenities but is a short drive away from a shop which can cause problems if you are not full stocked with essentials. 

Sandford Holiday Park

Sandford Holiday Park is the ultimate base if beach holidaying is your main focus, as it is located equidistant from plenty of great beaches.

With easy access to Bournemouth, Poole, Studland and Sandbanks, the beautiful woodland setting of the campsite leaves you spoilt for choice, and that’s before you even see what the site itself has to offer.

Yes, the site is home to a vast amount of facilities and entertainment, with everything from swimming pools and tennis courts to crazy golf and DJ workshops, perfect for kids and grown ups to enjoy.

Stay tuned for more blogs detailing Britain’s countryside, this week we’ve covered sites that are slightly more commercial, with plenty of entertainment and essentials at hand. Next week we’ll check out some wilder sites for you to enjoy your camper. 

www.leisurehubs.com