Food for Thought

I asked the head chef what she thought and she said she could manage without the hob providing she had an oven and a microwave!!! I think she was joking about the hob? From the cooking point of view it will depend on many things. Do you want to supplement  motorhome internal cooking with additional appliances like bbq,separate hobs, cadac etc? If you are happy with that you can probably cope with minimal internal cooking options. Perhaps be prepared to change menu/meal options so they don't need more than two rings. The advantage of a decent kitchen in a motorhome might depend on whether you will use the van all year in the UK and Abroad. Outside cooking, in may view, is fine in hot climates but a bit pointless in less good conditions like a windswept bank holiday weekend in the UK where it loses a lot of its appeal and romance!!!

David

also available with full UK oven/grill/hob...

enough room for the head chef?

all in a 6m MH with big garage and a proper double bed thats 145cm wide.

It’s a Tardis. Definitely worth a close look.

apart from not being able to get the deal we wanted, the only other (slight) downside for us was that the garage in the Carthago was taller and wider, making access for our bikes easier.

if we werent bike users we might have had the Hymer instead.

i know the price will be an issue for many, the Pilote i mentioned makes a good fist of being a cheaper option as do the small Burstner Ixeo Time models.

if its used being sought, a 2 yr old B544 would do very nicely.

David, im not sure we make too many cooking compromises in the van, other than we dont have a microwave....3 gas rings, oven, grill do the job as well as any other van we've had, including two Swifts.

in fact, with some UK smaller kitchens, with the full cooker and the small type fridge both under the worktop, there's inevitibly a dearth of deep capacious drawer storage in which to keep pots, pans, tins, cereal, cutlery, crockery, and when travelling, kettle, water filter jug, chopping board, draining board, sink cover, gas kettle, place mats, coasters, steamer etc, etc....not to mention the enormous storage locker above, alongside the 'glasses' locker.

we had to 'sacrifice' one of our six drawers to have the Thetford oven/grill installed, but the five remaining do a great job of storing all the kitchen paraphernalia safely and low down...

the kitchen may be 'small' by worktop definition, but certainly has all the kit and storage space we could ever want.

as to cooking outside, yes, like many, we have the means to do this. with and without a hookup.....an electric hotplate can be plugged into an outside socket (in fact we used this regularly on our last break in Spain), and also a gas Cadac for THS/CL sites etc....

i agree with you, i wouldn't be outside cooking in December in the rain in the UK, dont know many that would, but in the summer we have the canopy to provide shelter from the vagries of an English summer......

i really dont think folk should get too hung up on kitchen size. provided it functions well, has the kit and the storage needed, im sure a bit of process re-engineering will overcome most perceived issues.

...and while i am definitely someone who loves their mealtimes (and enjoys simple cooking), we didnt buy the van for the kitchen, there were other things that were far more important.

yes, i thought it might be 'tricky' preparing/cooking/washing up but (with sensible organisation) these thoughts were largely unfounded.

so, to anyone who is looking at the kitchen in a 'new' van, do as we would do with the beds or the shower....get in there and try it out, go through the motions of meal prep or actually siting the pots on the hob, checking the position of the oven etc.....and even the washing up process....

i might look like a twit at the NEC lying in a drop down bed, sitting on a toilet, having a 'shower' or cooking my dinner but, hey, its my cash and i want to check these things out.

BTW, for those with a round sink lookkng for a compact draining board, the photo is one i found online and this takes up little space, easily accommodate washing up for two people and drains nicely into a round sink.

good hunting all......

We have no mindset to get over. Only ever toured in this country, and on the whole, Summer weather has been kind to us, can recall endless weeks of sunshine on some holidays. Our very old caravan has only two gas burners and a very good grill. That is it. We have on occasion taken a small steamer, and used this without filling the van with steam or smells. We don't barbecue, don't eat meat, so hate the fuss and carting one about. We have had friends round for dinner on a regular basis, so we can still cater well. OH has asked my numerous times if putting an oven in would help, but I just don't need one. 

Our MH has a great oven and four burners, and yes we eat slightly different, making use of oven, but I never have more than two gas burners in use. There are some great recipes for 1/2 pans if anyone likes to eat that way, which we do. Less washing up as well. It wouldn't be the number of gas burners that decided our next MH model, more the overall layout and size. We are torn between a rear u shaped lounge in an English model, or the raised beds in a smallish Hymer with less lounging space. Not seriously looking yet though.

So much depends on lifestyle - we have an Autosleeper Broadway and like it for the lounging (napping) bench seats!  I could manage with the kitchen of a continental van as we use our oven to store the saucepans and cook on the hob or microwave but (apart from step issues) would not like the small seating area with fixed table found in most Hymers etc.   (Just a thought for the lazy among us )

Much my thoughts Meecee when looking at the M/Hs at NEC

It’s more about the preparation area than the number of gas rings but as others have said you need to make use of the table to add to the work surfaces.

One thing with the Hymers at the show, they had quite high interior specification but despite the loaded price they often didn’t have a canopy and none had solar panel. They are both a standard extra pack on the Autosleeper, along with cab a/c and cruise control. Makes the Hymer very expensive. If you add in some nice features like electric operation on the bed, electric roller blind etc. I would guess it could end up at £85k.

Hitch, OH tends to spread out and use the table far more than me (she tends to be more 'untidy' in the kitchenwink), whereas, with the hob lids down and the sink cover in place, i find there is plenty of room for prep.
ok, as i finish one bit i clear any waste (organic or packaging) into the bin straight away, leaving space for the next task....

i dont find this a hassle, it also means that there isnt one 'large mess' to clear away at the end.

its then easy to turn attention to the actual cooking, for which there is generally plenty of room, as you say.

re: Hymer prices....hmmmm....not a lot you can do other than be a bit careful when going through the extras list.....some of these (packs) will (in effect) be 'mandatory' as the factory will never produce a van without them.....

from my own research i would say that you could 'get away with' packs/extras of between £5-8k...

i know this seems a lot but there is a significant difference in the quality/price of the base model build....not to be confused with the seemingly higher level of electrical gadgets/fitments in lesser vans....its far cheaper to fit a microwave than to build a double floor and install all the plumbing, electrics and heating there.

the other options are to, perhaps, go for a model already on the forecourt with different (less, cheaper) options or even to go for a one (or two) year old model.
good browsing....