Gary said:
Gary, thats evil
): better than attaching peoples webbing to a smoke grenade wedged in a tree 
Army Rations
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Gary, thats evil
): better than attaching peoples webbing to a smoke grenade wedged in a tree 
Gary said:
Now Gary that wasn't very nice was it?
Damn, could have sworn I saw a smiley that was laughing hard and slapping the ground...
W
Walkabout
Guest
The oatmeal block used to be put in the ratpacks as a complete porridge meal but the squaddies all complained it was'nt big enough. So they were taken out and replaced with rolled oats, but then the squaddies complained that they had been enjoying eating them straight out of the pack. So the MOD had one of its few clever ideas and put both the rolled oats and oatmeal blocks in.
did 3 months on mre's once, they will keep you alive but thats the only good news, the components can be re assembled into good emergency packs, you will have to be pretty hungry, so that might be what make them good for emergency's.
I think MRE's are great - but if you're going to be on them for any length of time you'll need a significant amount of laxatives and bog roll to deal with the consequences. Have felt softer concrete....
While on this subject, what about the rolos? Does anybody really know why they were printed in arabic and tasted different to shop bought ones?
I heard a rumour it dated back to salvage from suez, but surely not?
I heard a rumour it dated back to salvage from suez, but surely not?
Great thread! This has brought back memories of the old BA rations, pull up a sand bag!
1. Rolos - Always had the tin foil stuck to them!
2. Tinned food - Bray it on a rock before cooking as it acts like a pressure cooker and cooks quicker! This has got to be the most dangerous thing ever. I remember suffering a severe scalding from mixed vegetables as the boiling water inside escaped when i opened the tin! (Still got a folding tin opener, and I prefer it to a normal tin opener at home!)
3 - Instant Rice. Add a tad of water, beverage whitener and sugar et voila, rice pudding!
4 - Biscuit Brown. I am sure the old rations had softer BB than the new stuff. Biscuit fruit where like garibaldi aswell. Give the new stuff to the Padre to retile the church roof!
5 - Rolled oats and apricot flakes. Mmmmmmmmmm!
I think the new stuff is ok, as long as you ditch fruit dumplings in custard sauce (or cat sick!), screech has always been minging, but maybe that is just me. I like to stick a bit of duncans choccy on top of oatmeal block, sort of a home made choccy hob nob, although I have never tried the porridge thing. A tip from a Gurkha, heat the unopened tin of meat pate in your water, that grease that is always on top melts and the whole thing tastes much better. Try it, you may be converted! Use the instant tea for model making on your Junior Commanders Course to mark tracks, etc., apart from that it is useless! I had a look on ebay and cannot believe the prices people pay for rations and hexi! Are they mad?
1. Rolos - Always had the tin foil stuck to them!
2. Tinned food - Bray it on a rock before cooking as it acts like a pressure cooker and cooks quicker! This has got to be the most dangerous thing ever. I remember suffering a severe scalding from mixed vegetables as the boiling water inside escaped when i opened the tin! (Still got a folding tin opener, and I prefer it to a normal tin opener at home!)
3 - Instant Rice. Add a tad of water, beverage whitener and sugar et voila, rice pudding!
4 - Biscuit Brown. I am sure the old rations had softer BB than the new stuff. Biscuit fruit where like garibaldi aswell. Give the new stuff to the Padre to retile the church roof!
5 - Rolled oats and apricot flakes. Mmmmmmmmmm!
I think the new stuff is ok, as long as you ditch fruit dumplings in custard sauce (or cat sick!), screech has always been minging, but maybe that is just me. I like to stick a bit of duncans choccy on top of oatmeal block, sort of a home made choccy hob nob, although I have never tried the porridge thing. A tip from a Gurkha, heat the unopened tin of meat pate in your water, that grease that is always on top melts and the whole thing tastes much better. Try it, you may be converted! Use the instant tea for model making on your Junior Commanders Course to mark tracks, etc., apart from that it is useless! I had a look on ebay and cannot believe the prices people pay for rations and hexi! Are they mad?
spamel said:
Yes they are totally barking
Some kind of mania grips some people on eBay, they will bid stupid money on all sorts of tat. I can't believe anyone would pay a tenner for a British Army ORP or the high postage to deliver them.As a kid I remember my brothers bringing back home the leftovers from the old ration packs from TA exercises. The Rolos etc were long gone, but I did have a sachet of the apricot and apple flakes. I thought they were nice.
There is a column in "Soldier" magazine showing what culinary delights can be achieved with ration pack ingredients. I've never been tempted to try, though, as I am not versed in the black magic arts practised by Army chefs. :You_Rock_
Best wishes
Bruce
I agree Gary, babys heads where the best, although I never got them heated through properly, so it was warm on the outside and cold on the inside!
Somebody said something about boil in the bag rice, I believe Uncle Benn does a boil in the bag range that cooks relatively quickly. Maybe worth a try.
Somebody said something about boil in the bag rice, I believe Uncle Benn does a boil in the bag range that cooks relatively quickly. Maybe worth a try.
Browsing in Tiso outdoor shop, I had a look at some of the backpacking meals on offer - hermetically sealed in a foil pouch.
It would be cheaper to eat out in a restaurant!
I think even boil in a bag rice takes 10 minutes or so (it's not the time at issue, its the stove fuel consumption - unless you're cooking on the fire, that is). But you can get excellent quick cook pasta from Tescos etc. Cooked in three minutes, tasty, small pack size as its dehydrated, and it really fills you up as its pure carbohydrate.
It would be cheaper to eat out in a restaurant!
I think even boil in a bag rice takes 10 minutes or so (it's not the time at issue, its the stove fuel consumption - unless you're cooking on the fire, that is). But you can get excellent quick cook pasta from Tescos etc. Cooked in three minutes, tasty, small pack size as its dehydrated, and it really fills you up as its pure carbohydrate.
anyone had any exsperiance with french m.r.e.'s I'm curios about them. which is the best outlet for british rations, I have e-mailed a couple of places in u.k. and never get a responce,[ must think I'm a daft one ]. would like to get some just need to work out how. thanks mates
French rations are pretty good actually. I have had them twice, in Ploce, Croatia in 1995 and The Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003.
I thought they were good, the main meals come in two sardine type tins with a ring pull, they fit nicely into a mess tin with space left over.
A good beverage pack, soup is the best ration soup I've tried, and the coffee is awesome. I still have a few sachets left, I grabbed loads before I left! It also comes with a small Hexi cooker, which comprises a small sheet of metal that you bend to form the pot standoff, and small werthers size fuel tablets that last just as long as a brit hexi block.
There is a big pack of biscuits which look like rich tea, but they are salty, and a few are sweet and are impregnated with chocolate, which are not bad. Obviously, the meals are a bit more continental in their makeup, but they are nice and were a nice change from brit compo.
As to a source, I have no idea. I'll keep an eye out, if you find them give me a shout!
I thought they were good, the main meals come in two sardine type tins with a ring pull, they fit nicely into a mess tin with space left over.
A good beverage pack, soup is the best ration soup I've tried, and the coffee is awesome. I still have a few sachets left, I grabbed loads before I left! It also comes with a small Hexi cooker, which comprises a small sheet of metal that you bend to form the pot standoff, and small werthers size fuel tablets that last just as long as a brit hexi block.
There is a big pack of biscuits which look like rich tea, but they are salty, and a few are sweet and are impregnated with chocolate, which are not bad. Obviously, the meals are a bit more continental in their makeup, but they are nice and were a nice change from brit compo.
As to a source, I have no idea. I'll keep an eye out, if you find them give me a shout!
Doc said:
I advise very strongly to keep well away from those backpacking foods... there is nowhere near enough to sustain you, and they cost a blemmin' fortune. Also they aren't terribly good for you and because they are not dehydrated they are very heavy for what you get.
I got a scrambled egg mix for brekkie once. Didn't read the instructions until I was in the middle of the elan valley and found you needed milk, butter and seasonings and needed to fry it up. I thought is was a just add water thingy, instead all it was was raw egg powder!! :roll:
Never again...
Never again...
I agree AH, army rations with the boil in the bag meals are designed for a complete day, not meals on there own. I use the left over boil in the bags when I go walking but supplement them with other foods. They are heavy and do take about 7 minutes to cook but then again you dont need the water to rehydrate them and the water you cook them in can be used for a brew with the meal. I don't mind the meals but I wouldn't want to buy them, I think they are about £3 a go.
Brian
Brian
Haven't posted on here before but had to jump in and add my bit on rat packs.
The boil in the bags I think are tasty but I do miss the old chicken curry, the old squash fly biscuits were better than they are now as were the oatmeal blocks.
When I used to be the operator on a tank it was my job to cook for the rest of the crew so I always made sure I had plenty of different spices as the boil in the bags got a bit boring when its all you have on tour for six months. I used to mix a couple of main meals together or a breakfast and main meal( main meal and pudding doesn't work) with some curry powder,chilli powder and garlic powder. Then I would add some sugar and two of the primlea cheese spreads which would make a tasty creamy curry and I never got any complaints from my crew.
I understand as they are a bit pricey to buy it could be a bit extravagant to make but if you have a few extra bits or your cooking for more than one you can mix up the meals a bit. Anyway if you try it I hope you enjoy and due to the curry and chilli powder make sure you have some comfy-bum with you.
The boil in the bags I think are tasty but I do miss the old chicken curry, the old squash fly biscuits were better than they are now as were the oatmeal blocks.
When I used to be the operator on a tank it was my job to cook for the rest of the crew so I always made sure I had plenty of different spices as the boil in the bags got a bit boring when its all you have on tour for six months. I used to mix a couple of main meals together or a breakfast and main meal( main meal and pudding doesn't work) with some curry powder,chilli powder and garlic powder. Then I would add some sugar and two of the primlea cheese spreads which would make a tasty creamy curry and I never got any complaints from my crew.
I understand as they are a bit pricey to buy it could be a bit extravagant to make but if you have a few extra bits or your cooking for more than one you can mix up the meals a bit. Anyway if you try it I hope you enjoy and due to the curry and chilli powder make sure you have some comfy-bum with you.
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