The retired couple were inside their caravan at Rivendale Caravan and Leisure Park, Alsopen- le-Dale, when a gas bottle exploded, setting the caravan alight.

According to local media reports, they were part of a musical group who meet at Rivendale each year. The couple are thought to have smelt gas near their caravan the night before the blaze, but found nothing of concern.

The following morning, while making breakfast, the couple switched on the gas hob and then the grill, which is thought to have caused the gas bottle to explode.

A director of Rivendale, Greg Potter, said that “site managers initially took charge of the incident, called the fire brigade and cleared everyone away from the neighbouring pitches”.

By the time he got there, just a chassis remained. Everything else was incinerated whilst trees planted around the pitch and the electrical hook-up box were also damaged by the fire, which took 1,500 gallons of water to extinguish.

“Fire can have disastrous consequences, as we all know, and it’s terrifying how fast things can go wrong”, Potter added.

It is terrible when accidents occur, especially when you’re away from home on holiday! Whilst insuring your caravan or motorhome against fire or theft can’t alleviate the initial shock it can prevent the sick feeling of losing your financial investment!

Here is a recipe that will get everyone’s taste buds salivating. An easy to cook homemade version of a Chinese delicacy combined with traditional Chinese starters that can be bought from any major supermarket.

Chow Mein Recipe to feed 2 or 3

8oz of chicken fillet

8oz of cooked king prawns (ordinary prawns will suffice)

1 large onion

4oz button mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic (sliced)

2 nests of noodles

1 tsp of Chinese 5 spice

1 tsp of garlic pepper

1 tsp of black pepper

1 tbs of garlic oil

For the marinade

3 tbs of red wine

1 tbs of garlic oil

2 tbs of soy sauce

2 cloves of Garlic (pulped)

1 tsp of ginger

1 tsp of garlic pepper

1 tsp of Thai seven spices

¼ tsp of chilli flakes

Utensils Required for hob

1 frying pan

1 large saucepan

1 medium sized saucepan

First of all place your ready made starters in the oven. Prawn sesame toast, duck rolls and wantons are my favourites but there are plenty to choose from. The starters generally take around 15 minutes so by the time they are ready the rest of the meal will be prepared to go on after the starters have been eaten.

First of all slice the onion and mushrooms along with garlic (Working in a Bailey Senator I have two worktops which gives plenty of room). Pour half of the garlic oil into the frying pan and gently heat. Put the onion, garlic and mushroom into the pan and let them simmer while adding the spices. Leave them to simmer until they are soft (about 10 minutes).

While they are simmering prepare the marinade. Just add all the contents one by one into a Pyrex dish or equivalent and mix together. Wash and cut the chicken into bite sized pieces pat dry with a paper towel and add to the marinade. Then add the prawns.

Put the big saucepan on the hob and boil some salted water, add the nests of noodles and bring back to the boil for three minutes. Drain the noodles over a colander and then rinse them with cold water immediately and leave them to stand.

By now the onion mushroom and garlic should be nice and soft, pour them into the medium sized saucepan along with their juices and keep them on the gentlest of heat’s just to keep them warm.

Eat your starters!

Right, now comes the main meal. Add the remainder of the oil to the frying pan and turn to high, place the chicken and prawns into the pan and fry on high for 4 minutes, turning them once. Turn down the heat, add the already cooked onions, garlic and mushrooms, pour in the remainder of the marinade and add the noodles. Toss the ingredients constantly so the noodles are integrated into the dish and serve on warm plates (good tip for warming plates in limited space is to put them in the sink and add hot water).

Enjoy.

A Cornish Pastie

Makes 4 pasties

Ingredients

1 pack of puff pastry (you could, of course, make your own puff pastry, but I’ve always thought that life’s too short)

2 large onions

1lb cubed beef (steak if you have it, any will do if not)

4 portabella mushrooms

1/2 pint nice ale

2 tsp flour

1 beef stock cube

Salt and pepper

1 egg for glazing

Method

1. Slice the onions as thinly as possible and fry quickly in oil until soft, stirring all the time to make sure they don’t catch.
2. Add the meat and stir quickly until brown on all sides.
3. Slice the mushrooms and stir in. Continue stirring quickly until everything is turning golden brown.
4. Pour over the ale and keep stirring until it bubbles up. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Sift in the flour, sprinkle in the stock cube and add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Stir until the sauce thickens and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally.
5. While the sauce simmers, prepare the pastry. Roll out the pastry and cut into circles the same size as a small dinner plate. Grease a baking tray.
6. When the sauce is thick and reduced so it is not runny, turn off the heat and divide the beef mixture between the disks, dolloping it in the middle. For each disk, scoop up two sides to the middle and press together, working your way out until the meat mixture is encased in the pastry.
7. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Good hot or cold.

As always, cooking, especially in a caravan, brings dangers, and these should always be insured against with Caravan Insurance.

Brilliant Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1 medium onion

1 large leek

1 garlic clove

2 medium carrots

2 courgettes

1 small tin sweetcorn

4 oz breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 tsb ground cumin

2 tsb ground paprika

lots of salt and pepper

Method

1. Chop the onion and leek finely and wash the leek in a colander thoroughly to get rid of any loose bits of dirt. Fry gently in olive oil for 5 mins. Crush in the garlic and fry for another 5 mins.
2. Meanwhile, grate the onion and courgette. Add to the pan and fry for a further 10 mins.
3. When everything is soft, add the sweetcorn and seasoning. Stir well to combine and take off the heat and leave to cool for a while.
4. Mix in the breadcrumbs and egg with your hands and shape into patties. You should have enough for 6 large burgers.
5. Fry on five mins for each side.

For convenience in a caravan, it’s best to make this all in advance at home (including the frying) and chill them -  they’ll keep well for a couple of days this way. Then, when you’re ready to eat, pop them on the barbeque to heat through and absorb the smoky flavour. They are best served on crusty baps with tomatoes, lettuce and lots of ketchup and mayo.

Mum’s Mediterranean (ish) Marinade

This is the marinade my Mum always used for barbeques when I was growing up. Until I was about 10 I didn’t realise that most people have sausages and burgers on their barbeques, because we always had chicken kebabs, soaked in this overnight.

Ingredients

A very big slug of olive oil

The juice of half a lemon

2 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

Whatever herbs you have to hand – rosemary works well, as does oregano. If you can’t get fresh herbs, use a dried herb mix

Method

1. Cut the meat into cubes, about 1 and a half inches. Chicken is my favourite with this marinade, but pork and lamb would also work very well (if it’s lamb, definitely use rosemary).
2. Crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife. Put in a Tupperware box. Squeeze the lemon juice over it, add the seasoning and whisk in with a fork.
3. Put the meat in the box, put the lid on tightly and give it a really good shake so the meat is coated.
4. Pour the oil over the meat, seal tightly, shake again and leave in the fridge over night.
5. When you’re ready to cook the kebabs, thread the meat onto skewers (it stops them catching fire if you soak wooden skewers in water for half an hour first) and grill on all sides until cooked through.

I particularly like these stuffed into a pitta bread with a load of salad and a glass of white wine on the side. Remember, if it’s your first time out in the caravan this year, make sure your caravan insurance or motorhome insurance is up to date!

Fishing in the sunset

Fish (whatever’s fresh and local, or that you’ve caught), gutted and ready to cook

Olive Oil

Salt

1 lemon

Cous Cous, about 50g per person

Cherry tomatoes, a large handful per person

1. To prepare the fish, lay in on a large doubled over piece of tinfoil. Drizzle with olive oil, rub with salt, and lay a couple of slices of lemon over it. Leaving a little room around the fish, wrap the tin foil and fold tightly, to make a parcel with the fish in the middle.
2. Carefully put the fish in the hot ashes of the fire for twenty minutes. While it’s cooking you can prepare the rest of the meal.
3. Slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters and put them in a large bowl. Pour over the cous cous, drizzle generously with more olive oil and thoroughly squeeze the remaining lemon over the mixture. Boil some water.
4. When the fish has been in the fire for 15 mins, pour boiling water over the cous cous, so the water level is about 1cm above the level of the food. Cover quickly with a plate and leave for 5 mins.

When the time is up, fluff up the cous cous with a fork and serve on the plates. Very carefully, using tongs, remove the fish from the fire and open up the parcel – beware that a gust of steam will come out. Serve the fish with the tomato cous cous.

Caravan Insurance and Motorhome Insurance from Lifesure.

Pancakes cooking over an open fire

1 cup plain flour

1 egg

1 cup milk

1. Measure the flour into the biggest bowl you have.
2. Make a well in the centre, crack the egg into it an break the yolk with a fork.
3. Pour the milk into the well.
4. Whisk the mixture together, starting in the middle and gradually incorporating flour until you have a smooth batter.

Now you have the batter you can cook the pancakes. The most sensible way to do this is to pour a ladleful into a hot, oiled frying pan, cook it until golden on one side then flip and cook for a couple more minutes, before serving immediately with your favourite filling.

A great alternative way to cook the batter to turn them into proper “Cara Vancakes” . You take a clean, empty baked bean tin, and bang about 5 holes around the sides for ventilation. Then take a tea light, light it on a fireproof surface and carefully place the bean tin over the top of it. Wipe an oiled piece of kitchen roll over the top of the tin, and carefully pour a tablespoon of the batter on top of the tin. It will take a little while to cook, but you can tell the first side is done when bubbles appear on the top. Flip carefully using a fork, cook for another couple of minutes and serve. This way is very labour intensive and not that practical, but kids will love cooking like this and I still just think they taste best this way!

I like them best with just a squeeze of lemon and some sugar, or maybe rolled around a dollop of strawberry jam, but I can see that melted chocolate would make a fantastic filling too! What are your favorite pancake toppings?

As always, cooking, especially in a caravan, brings dangers, and these should always be insured against with Caravan Insurance.

A picturesque shop in Wednesday Market, Beverley.

North East Yorkshire is an area rich in history, beautiful rugged landscapes and great things to do and see. To go caravanning, Barmston Farm (http://www.barmstonfarm.co.uk/) is a picturesque place to stay, with caravan parking arranged around a fishing lake. If you enjoy fishing, you could happily not leave the site for the whole weekend, but if you’re looking for other things to do, you could head into nearby Beverley.

Beverley is a beautiful historic market town which still boasts both Saturday and Wednesday markets and many places of interest. It is said that there is a stone figure in St Mary’s Church that was C.S. Lewis’ inspiration for the character of the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Just down the road is the White Horse Inn (known locally as Nellies – http://www.nellies.co.uk/) which is still primarily lit by gas lights and has a rich history any of the locals will be happy to share with you if you ask them.

North East Yorkshire is also an unexpectedly excellent destination for fine dining. In Beverley itself is Cerruti 2, an outstanding restaurant housed in the old waiting room of Beverley Railway Station. Cerruti 2 specialises in fish and is widely acknowledged to be the best place to eat in town, so if you want to visit, booking is advised – details can be found at http://www.ceruttis.co.uk/beverley.php.

In nearby South Dalton is one of the country’s newest Michelin star winners, the Pipe and Glass (http://www.pipeandglass.co.uk/). This beautiful restaurant serves thoughtful dishes such as ‘”Taste of Yorkshire game’, honey smoked wild duck, potted grouse, a little hare and juniper pastie and a shot of game tea” at very reasonable prices.

For a quick Sunday lunch before heading home, few places can beat the Wellington Inn in Lund (http://www.restaurant-guide.com/wellington-inn.htm). This is a traditional village pub which has nicely handled the transition to putting a firm focus on good, locally sourced food without compromising on being a great local. The steak and onion sandwich with hand cut chips and a pint of Black Sheep comes especially recommended!

There are many beautiful places to visit around the UK and the often overlooked North East region can hold its own with the UK’s more famous tourist districts and great caravan parks. Remember, if you’re planning to make this your first caravan trip this year don’t forget to check your Caravan Insurance is in date.

One small bag of frozen peas (it doesn’t matter if they’ve been out for a while and thawed)

Two ham stock cubes, made up with recommended amount of water

One small pack of nice ham

5 spring onions

A splash of milk

A knob of butter

1. Heat the butter in a small saucepan until it is foaming. With a pair of scissors, snip the spring onions into the pan as thinly as possible, leaving out the ends.
2. Fry, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they soften.
3. Add the stock and peas and bring to the boil.
4. Shred the ham into the pan, stir everything well to combine and reduce the heat.
5. Simmer for five minutes
6. Take off the heat. Mash the mixture roughly, using a fork. You want the consistency to be definitely liquid, but not too smooth.
7. Return to the heat, stir and add as much milk as you like depending on how runny you want it.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with crusty bread.

This soup makes a brilliant late supper, perhaps if you’ve been out to lunch, but is particularly good poured into a thermos and taken on a picnic. As it’s so quick, it’s no hassle to make it before you set off. I would normally say that to make it vegetarian you could leave out the ham, but I do feel it’s nothing like as good without it.

Amsterdam is easily accessible by ferry, especially from Hull. The Relaxing Crow Caravan Park is a reasonable distance from the city centre.

As always, cooking, especially in a caravan, brings dangers, and these should always be insured against with Caravan Insurance.

Stroganoff is a Russian dish in origin and was developed in the 19th Century. The original dish used cubes of beef and was less rich and more tomato based than it has become. From Russia, the dish became popular in China, and after the Second World War it spread to America. The traditional accompaniment is matchstick potatoes – a Russian dish consisting of very thinly cut potatoes, deep fried (much like French Fries), but in Europe it is more often served with rice. The dish is named after the Stroganov family, who were important, especially in politics, in 19th century Russia.

A generous knob of butter

Oil for frying

2 onions, sliced as finely as possible (the thinner they are, the faster they cook)

250g mushrooms, sliced

500g steak, cut into thin strips

A good slug of brandy

1 lemon

2 small tubs of soured cream

2 tsb paprika

1. Heat the butter and a little oil in a pan. When the butter is foaming, add the onions and fry gently until they soften.

2. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook quickly until they are starting to brown. Tip the onions and mushrooms into a bowl.

3. Turn the heat right up, add some more oil, and quickly fry the meat until cooked.

4. Pour in the brandy and stir vigorously to deglaze the pan, combine and burn off the alcohol.

5. Return the onions and mushrooms to the pan, add all the remaining ingredients and heat, stirring, until the cream bubbles.

Then serve the stroganoff immediately. It goes great with rice or pasta, but if you only have one cooking ring the best choice is some fresh, crusty bread. Serve by putting the pan and the loaf in the middle of the table and letting everyone help themselves! For a vegetarian option, use 3 onions, 750g of mushrooms and no steak – it’s nice to use different varieties of mushroom if you’re doing it this way. To make the dish lighter you could use plain natural yoghurt instead of sour cream.

As always, cooking, especially in a caravan, brings dangers, and these should always be insured against with caravan insurance .