Where to put your camping kitchen: a practical layout guide

By the Canvasdale team · Last checked 24 October 2026

Plan the kitchen before the rain arrives. A good cooking position has to work with the campsite's rules, the appliance instructions and the people moving around the pitch.

The Camping and Caravanning Club: Camping safety guidance says not to cook inside tents or awnings, and warns that even a cooling barbecue can produce dangerous carbon monoxide. An open door is not permission to move cooking into the porch.

Start with the appliance instructions

Check the permitted surface, clearances, fuel arrangement and operating conditions for your exact stove or barbecue. Ask the campsite about cooking restrictions and disposal facilities. Follow the maker's instructions for clearances rather than a rule of thumb from elsewhere.

Choose a stable location outside, away from tent fabric, guy lines and the main walking route. Keep children and pets clear of the cooking area. Consider where another camper's entrance and ventilation openings are, too.

Separate preparation from heat

Arrange a place for food preparation, a separate area for hot equipment and somewhere to set utensils. Keep fuel containers away from heat and store them as instructed. Do not make a narrow gap between tables the route to the toilet.

Keep water and the campsite's fire procedure accessible. Identify the fire point on arrival rather than searching during an incident.

Decide when you will stop

Wind and rain can make your chosen layout unsuitable. Have food that needs no cooking or know where you can get a meal. Do not improvise an enclosure or windscreen contrary to the appliance instructions.

Leave hot equipment outside while it cools, with people protected from accidental contact. A barbecue that looks finished still does not belong in a tent. The most useful camping kitchen is one you can decline to use when conditions are wrong.

See also camping cooking for families and camping gas cartridges: match the connection.

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