Storage space is fairly limited in most motorhome galley kitchens, so we’ve been working out how to make the most of it. One answer is to match the size of your touring kit to the space available. So, it’s time to say ‘out with those heavy old domestic pots and pans’! There are some nifty little compact cookware sets on the market that are designed especially for touring holidays. It won’t cost much to upgrade your touring kit by buying lighter, more versatile new saucepans and frying pans this year!

Naturally some are better than others, though. We have collected a selection of camping cookware sets for testing, to make sure that whatever we choose to buy will be the best pan sets for motorhomes.

We decided to assemble a collection of camping kitchenware on the Practical Motorhome test bench, in order to find good value cookware sets that seem ideal for motorhomes.

We checked out the Kampa Feast Non-Stick Eight-Person XL Cook Set at £33.99, the Kampa Chow at £23.99, The Outwell Feast cook set M at £34.20, the Lakeland My Kitchen five-piece pan set at £94.99, the Vango eight-person non-stick cook kit at £50, the Kampa Munch at £28.99, and the Vango one-person non-stick cook kit at £18. 

So, what criteria did we use in our accessory tests? First of all we looked for good value for money, making sure that the pans were heavy enough not to tip over on the hob, yet light enough to suit our touring lifestyle. We decided that each pan needed its own lid – none of this sharing of lids that we’ve found in some sets.

With storage being at such a premium in any motorhome, we looked at whether the sets could nest neatly together. One thing that affected this was the handle design. Pan handles that fold or detach are terrific when it comes to compact storage space. It can also mean that you’ll be able to use the pan in the oven if you want to – or store leftovers in the fridge. Talking of lids and handles, we also checked that they’re easy to grip and are well insulated so that nobody is likely to get burnt fingers. 

Finally, the size of the pans is pretty critical when you’re using them on a compact motorhome hob. We favoured sets with small and medium-sized pans, allowing enough space to use two or three on the hob at once.

In this review we’ll focus on the Lakeland My Kitchen five-piece pan set, costing £94.99. 

Lakeland’s high-quality camping cookware set has a functional no-fuss aura. The 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepans — plus a 14cm milk pan — couldn’t have been better sizes for motorhome hob. And, at 24cm, even the frying pan is bang-on, too. But weight is a sticking point. At almost 6kg, this is the heaviest set here, though that is its only drawback.

The Lakeland My Kitchen pans’ aluminium construction works well with the glass lids to retain heat long after the gas has been turned off. And clever sizing means that these pans nest far better than most – stacking just 22cm high. The handles do protrude, however. We like the lid design too. Each pan has two pouring lips which, used with the holes drilled into the lids’ sides, mean that your collander and sieve will be staying the drawer much more. They are also safe to be put in a dishwasher and oven up to 180°C.