|
Caravan Guard takes the lid off award winning caravan kitchens – with two top end luxury ‘vans featured.
The Caravan Industry Award for Best Kitchen was independently judged by a panel of judges at The International Caravan Show held at the NEC in October 2010. There were ten entries and the judges found the standards to be high this year.
The class is sponsored by Dometic and kitchens are marked out of 75 points under the headings of: Equipment – does the amount and quality match the size and price of the caravan; Worktops – including area, height and stability; cupboards, shelves and drawers – size, usefulness, accessibility; Washing-up facilities – positioning of the sink and drainer, space for dirty crockery and pans and usable space for dried crockery; Electrics – in terms of lighting and sockets; ventilation; Overall assessment of the kitchen in terms of safety, quality and finish.Scores were high, with two caravans being given the highest ever score of 70 points by two of the judging team
|
The winner was the Occasion 640 TBEW by Vanmaster with an upmarket looking Ash wood interior finish. Designs are bespoke but the stainless steel sink had a smoked glass hinged lid and we noted the dedicated plate racks in the top locker. The high gloss granite effect worktop was curved with an easyglide extendable worktop creating an L shape work area with five LED lights over the sink area. Above the four burner hob was a two speed extractor fan and a large locker and an Omnivent was fitted for added ventilation. A fridge freezer and a microwave were essential items in a unit with this price tag and we thought the light in the oven was practical. This kitchen we thought was very workable and is one that calls for those who like cooking and entertaining.Key features of the Vanmaster Occasion 640TBEW Twin axle Four berth Fixed transverse bed MTPLM 2200kg Shipping length 7.94m
Price from £32,950. including VAT @17.5%Insurance cost: £557 *
The runner-up was the Airstream International 684 with a centre kitchen. Above the brushed stainless steel sink are two storage lockers with a stainless steel and burnt orange interior which are backlit through translucent acrylic sliding doors and to the right of the sink is an extending work top. This compensated, we thought for the lack of workspace at the opposite end of the work top to the left of the three burner gas hob. We weren’t sure that we liked the knee high position of the 800w microwave, but we did like the grill/oven duo, fridge freezer, the stainless steel splash back along the length of the worktop and the two LED lights over the worktop.
Key features of the Airstream International 684 Twin axle Four berth Fixed double bed MTPLM 2680kg Shipping length 8.250 m 27ft ¾ insWidth 2.3m
Price for model seen £65,185
Insurance cost: £1,101**These caravans have some classy kitchens but they come with a classy price tag too. Weve seen some cracking caravan kitchens in many new caravans weve reviewed this year. What are your thoughts? Does a great caravan kitchen have to cost over 30,000?
|
|
 Caravan insurance cost based on 2011 Vanmaster Occasion 640 TBEW valued at 32,950, fitted with hitchlock and wheel clamp. Also fitted with approved tracking device, Al-Ko ATC and alarm as standard. Caravanners over 30 years old, claim free for 3 years and a member of a caravanning club. Premium includes insurance premium tax at 5% and is correct as of 15.12.10
|
