Food for the long drive: planning road-trip meals and stops across Canada
Canada is big, and some stretches of highway offer very little between one town and the next. A road trip goes better when food is part of the plan, not an afterthought at a gas station at 2 p.m. with hungry people in the back seat.
Decide what each meal is for
Not every meal has to be an event. Think of the day in three kinds of eating.
- Breakfast is quick and sets the mood. Overnight oats in jars, hard-boiled eggs, bananas and a thermos of coffee mean you can be on the road in 20 minutes.
- Lunch is the one to build a stop around. Somewhere with a picnic table, a lake, a lookout, or a bakery in a small town.
- Dinner is where you slow down and eat something local, ideally at the place where you are staying.
Packing the cooler properly
Food safety matters more in a hot car than you might expect. General guidance is to keep cold food at 4 C or below and not leave perishable food out for more than two hours (one hour if it is very hot out).
- Pre-chill the cooler with ice packs or a bag of ice for an hour before loading.
- Freeze water bottles and use them as ice packs. They become drinking water later.
- Pack in reverse order. Last meal at the bottom, first at the top.
- Keep the cooler in the cabin, out of the sun, not in a hot trunk.
- Use two coolers if you can: one for drinks that gets opened all day, one for food that stays shut.
Good cooler foods: hard cheeses, cured meats, hummus, pre-cooked sausages, washed grapes, carrot sticks, sandwiches made with sturdy bread and a layer of butter or mayo-free spreads that do not make the bread soggy.
Snacks that survive the car
- Nuts and dried fruit in small bags
- Whole fruit: apples, clementines, bananas
- Crackers or rice cakes with a nut or seed butter
- Homemade granola bars or oat cookies
- Jerky or roasted chickpeas for something savoury
- A reusable bag for rubbish. This matters more than anyone admits.
Avoid chocolate in summer unless you want a brown puddle, and anything with a strong smell that will linger in the car for three provinces.
Finding a stop that is worth it
The easiest way to eat well on the road is to look for what is local to the place you are driving through.
- Farm stands and markets. In season you will often find berries, peaches, corn, or fresh bread right by the road. Carry some cash and a tote bag.
- Small-town bakeries and diners. Look for a busy parking lot at 11:30 a.m. A packed lot of pickup trucks and minivans is usually a good sign.
- Regional specialities. Every part of the country has them, from fresh seafood on the coasts to prairie baking and local cheeses in many regions. Ask the person at the counter what they like best on the menu. People love to answer.
- Check the hours. Many small places close early or on certain days, and cell service can be patchy. Look before you leave the last big town and call if you can.
A simple picnic lunch that travels
If you want one reliable lunch to make again and again: a baguette or good loaf, a block of cheddar, sliced cucumber, a jar of pickles, a few tomatoes (salted at the table, not in the bag), and apples to finish. Pack a small knife, a cutting board, napkins and a cloth. It feels like a feast at a viewpoint, and costs a fraction of a restaurant meal.
What can go wrong
- Kids or passengers get carsick. Plain crackers, ginger biscuits and small sips of water help. Avoid heavy, greasy meals before winding roads.
- Long gaps without services. Keep an emergency bag with water, nuts and a couple of bars in case you get stuck or delayed.
- Allergies. Read labels at each stop and carry any medicines you need. For specific health concerns, speak with your doctor before the trip.
- Everyone is hungry and cranky at once. Eat at the first decent stop after you notice. Waiting for the perfect place is how you end up at a gas station anyway.
Explore more local eating ideas in our eat local section.
The best road-trip meals are rarely fancy. They are the ones eaten on a tailgate with a view, with someone passing the last of the cherries around.