My most favourite meal ever is camion stew, I have had some crackers in my time but it occurs to me that I probably haven’t had one for 10 years now, we just don’t run abroad in numbers any more, but does anyone still knock up a pot of camion stew?
Checkout switchlogics video (part 2) of his trip to Spain @ 4.00mins as pictured above.
Harry Monk:
My most favourite meal ever is camion stew, I have had some crackers in my time but it occurs to me that I probably haven’t had one for 10 years now, we just don’t run abroad in numbers any more, but does anyone still knock up a pot of camion stew?
yes i still sometimes knock one up in the dashboard dinner. its not the same done in the microwave as on the old gas stove with a battered old saucepan that’s done a few miles but ok as cab cuisine goes.
I still do a good Camion stew most weekends, but I’m no chef.
When I worked on Westermann there was one of the German drivers who had a 4 ring cooker and oven in his large side box and would cook for any drivers parked near him if week ended when we were tipping in Palmela in Portugal. just give him a 4 pack of beer and you would eat like a king. far better than any truck stop meal.
My most memorable Camion stew was cooked by a Patinta driver on the Austrian/German border one summer, we were invited to join him in a stew he had cooked that was made with a duck his parents had given him when he left home 3 weeks earlier, the stew was the last of the duck. he didn’t have a fridge and all his food was kept in a side box. I was expecting to get food poisoning but it turned out OK and I had a great meal washed down with a large amount of red wine 
Happy days 
It’s just my personal opinion so please don’t shout at me but i can’t stand seeing drivers sat next to their trailers eating out of the sidebox.
firstly it looks unhygenic especially seeing as most place stink of pee
and secondly how many people are forever moaning about the good old places shutting down, its because of the influence and increase of the cab happy foreigners with their lidl carrier bags who gladly park in a routier or autohof but don’t put their hand in their pocket.
on my first ever job i ran with a bloke from peterborough on tankers and he said “if you can’t afford a decent meal a day you’re in the wrong job”
i had a discussion with switchlogic about how much we spend per week and i buy a meal a day at about 9 euro in spain and 12 in france so i spend about 80 euros a week, thats not bad when it includes a bottle of wine
i agree though that part of the memories harry reminices about are the camaraderie of truckers but as far as eating goes “use the truckstops or lose them”
now tinhat on waiting for the abuse
best one I had was with a driver from Laceys at the truck stop
in Zeebrugge when it was still running to Dover , had to stay over
the weekend, was excellent, and Desert was also great,
welshboyinspain:
It’s just my personal opinion so please don’t shout at me but i can’t stand seeing drivers sat next to their trailers eating out of the sidebox.
firstly it looks unhygenic especially seeing as most place stink of pee
and secondly how many people are forever moaning about the good old places shutting down, its because of the influence and increase of the cab happy foreigners with their lidl carrier bags who gladly park in a routier or autohof but don’t put their hand in their pocket.
on my first ever job i ran with a bloke from peterborough on tankers and he said “if you can’t afford a decent meal a day you’re in the wrong job”
i had a discussion with switchlogic about how much we spend per week and i buy a meal a day at about 9 euro in spain and 12 in france so i spend about 80 euros a week, thats not bad when it includes a bottle of wine
i agree though that part of the memories harry reminices about are the camaraderie of truckers but as far as eating goes “use the truckstops or lose them”now tinhat on waiting for the abuse
If I am parked at a truck stop I will eat in there restaurant, it would be wrong to use their facilities and not eat IMHO. Sometimes I just like something I have cooked myself so park on service areas or parking areas. Some truck stop food is appalling but obviously due to hours you don’t have much choice in where you park so either have to eat junk or park on a service area or lay by and sort yourself out. I very rarely cook in Spain or Portugal as I like the food there, but after a week of Pasta I will cook for my self in Italy.
It isn’t about the cost but about eating what I like
i know what you’re saying jimti but if you can work out where you’re going to stop for the night then easy life 
when i leave malaga i always get to almazan in 8.45hrs then next day is always vivonne in 8.45hrs if i get traffic i just extend to a 10hr that way i know i can shower and eat and park safely every time
jimti:
It isn’t about the cost but about eating what I like
Yes I agree, I do eat in restaurants when on the road but by no means exclusively, just as when I am at home I tend to cook at home rather than eating out and it is really just the same thing. Also, most of the best camion stews I remember were made with contributions from half a dozen or more fellow Brits, when forcibly parked somewhere where there weren’t any catering facilities anyway, a border or showground etc. I suppose that doesn’t really happen so much any more.
Another specific problem I have with eating in restaurants in Spain, as I have mentioned before, is that it is the local habit to eat very late in the evening, many restaurants do not open until 2100, and I can’t eat that late in the day.
Harry Monk:
Also, most of the best camion stews I remember were made with contributions from half a dozen or more fellow Brits, when forcibly parked somewhere where there weren’t any catering facilities anyway, a border or showground etc. I suppose that doesn’t really happen so much any more.Another specific problem I have with eating in restaurants in Spain, as I have mentioned before, is that it is the local habit to eat very late in the evening, many restaurants do not open until 2100, and I can’t eat that late in the day.
the reason the food was good then harry was the company and the “craic” as the irish say
as far as spain goes its too hot to eat before and they think the same about the english eating at 5 too early 
welshboyinspain:
the reason the food was good then harry was the company and the “craic” as the irish say
I’m sure that was at least part of the reason, bread, cheese and a bottle of cheap wine in good company is a more memorable night out than the most expensive meal in the best restaurant if you are sat at “table for one”. 
I used to do the full trailer box thing when I was on for Kepstowe, I have eaten in Stolovayas just as an experiment, but would always prefer not to have to take my chances in a random Russian eaterie, I’m sure I ate some dog once. Nowadays I still do a fair bit of self catering, although I never do anything very elaborate… it still beats eating chez Welcome Break 
ANYTHING’S better than welcome break (other MSA’s are available)
welshboyinspain:
(other MSA’s are available)
But equally orrible!!
Ross. 
I’ve always liked the idea of cooking from the side box, but not having the same trailer all the time makes it impractical, as for hygiene i’d probably have more confidence eating from a side box than many truckstops! I don’t park in or use truckstops, and why should I have to? I like eating foods I like. On holiday yes of course I enjoy eating the local foods but day in day out at work? I like cooking for myself and eating what I like. It’s not cheap since I like M&S and Waitrose but I guarantee that I’m using better ingredients than any truckstops. Plus of course I enjoy cooking. Those of you that like eating out, good for you and enjoy yourselves but I like what I do so let’s live and let live.
I have spent a bloody fortune in Autohof, Resto, Friteries and greasy spoons, I have eaten in restaurants in Hungary, Czech, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. I have had kebabs and biftek, chinese meals in Budapest and many other weird and wonderful meals throughout the world. But if you want proper camion cuisine, you need Bob May and his vacuum packed steak that he gets from his schoolmate butcher. We ate like kings on that Grenoble - Dartford job with the pods
As a bit of light relief, the link to youtube "to spain and back " is a good and light humoured look at euro trucking. I enjoyed it, although i only remember baked beans and irish stew .
I haven’t actually cooked a ‘Camion-Stew’ for many years,but my favourite was always Tinned steak,new potatoes with either tinned carrots or peas.Of course,if I could get hold of fresh vegetables I’d use them,and good old Ollie Dickens introduced me to the extreme pleasure of Wall’s tinned sausages.
But most of my ‘Camion-Stew’ day’s were behind the Iron Curtain,not many Autohof’s about then,but usually had a good feed in The Windmill at Keschkemet or steak & chips George at the Hotel National in Belgrade.
Nowadays I usually only eat out once a week,the rest of the week I’ve got a very varied supply of Tesco ready meals to pop into the microwave,ranging from curry to Lancashire hot-pot,Lasagne to chicken in wine.
And of course Wall’s have progressed into microwave sausages.Nothing like a ‘dog roll’ in the morning with a cuppa
My best camion stews where not that long ago, I was weekended at a chocolate factory in Lugano with an Hungarian colleague and a Romanian driver from another company. There was not much in the way of faccillities apart from a shower and toilet so we made do. The romanian was earning ■■■■ poor wages so had no choice but to self cater, he was away for 6 weeks at a time, and the hungarian although on better money than the romanian was a young guy with a young familly and was paying mortgage and so on.
I usually eat out as in my opinion it’s easier and after a hard days work I can’t be bothered cooking for 1. so we clubbed together and I had the 3 best meals I have tasted.
First day we had a stew of potatos veg and some hungarian sausage that is brother made from a wild boar he had hunted and killed, it was delicious all washed down with a bottle or 3 of red wine that I provided.
Breakfast the next day was more of the sausage, some bacon from the same boar with scrambled eggs from hens that the romanian kept.
Sunday evening was a bit of everything the drivers had in their lockers again with a couple of bottles of red wine, none of us spoke each others language but for 2 days we had the best craic laughing and joking with each other and a good time was had by all.
Don’t knock some of these eastern europeans, they don’t self cater for the fun of it, they need to do it for economy.
Yea I had a lovely camion stew with two Poles in Italy one Sunday a few years ago, a stew made with sliced sausage, vegetables, tins and packets, a bit of this and a bit of that… it took the guy a couple of hours to cook it but we were weekended so we weren’t in a rush. It was absolutely delicious, one of the best meals I have ever eaten.
Although I do eat in restaurants, I have always loved the “campfire atmosphere” of a camion stew…
Harry Monk:
Yea I had a lovely camion stew with two Poles in Italy one Sunday a few years ago, a stew made with sliced sausage, vegetables, tins and packets, a bit of this and a bit of that… it took the guy a couple of hours to cook it but we were weekended so we weren’t in a rush. It was absolutely delicious, one of the best meals I have ever eaten.Although I do eat in restaurants, I have always loved the “campfire atmosphere” of a camion stew…
You ate Polish people Harry■■? 