Major blow to my plans.. Lakeland no longer do their boil in the bag bags!! They only used to cost 5 pound for 50 and so were a cheap option.
They could be sealed but were big enough to take a decent meal and still be able to tie closed the top. Have found some bags on amazon but they come in 100's and postage is extra.
Anyway recipes.... Anything that has water in it !!!!! Simplest is just to buy a tin of all day breakfast and transfer to the bag. So many things that come in tins also come with a good amount of sauce. For me it is more about having something in the field which is easy and does not require stirring or baby sitting. Get the water up to the boil and then reduce the heat, it will sit there happy for 15 mins if it has to. I do not tend to use the cooking water to make tea as I normally use my Gillie kettle ( it is just such a fun bit of kit ). What I do not want to do is to stop making tea to have to stir the pot or stop something burning.
I tend to make variations of a soup come stew if I am making from raw. I don't want masses of liquid but nor do I want a paste. Thin cut veg and smaller meat pieces in a good stock allow the heat to move from the water bath, via the stock and into the food itself.
3 routes then to an easy meal in the field
i) CHEAT, tin of all day breakfast ( sausage and beans, mac and cheese, any thing easy) into the bag . Heat seal or tie the bag. Sorted.
ii) EASY, One Polish sausage, one bag of ready sliced fresh veg; stir fry size. Tin of cooked Potatoes. ( Don't knock it, these guys have been sat in water for maybe 6 months, 48 hours in a bag is not going to hurt them). Good quality Stock powder. Packet of cheap stuffing.
Slice the sausage and fry in a large saucepan for a few mins, just enough to get some of the flavour flowing. Add a cup of water to stop things sticking and then add the tinned spuds which have been cut into small pieces. Let them pick up some of the sausage flavour. Add at least a pint of water and the pre sliced veg. Add the stock to taste, the meat, veg and spuds need to be sat in a good broth not a wishy washy bit of water. Let it cook for 3 to 5 mins. Now add some of the stuffing mix, this is used to thicken the stock and add a bit of herby flavour. By adjusting the amount of stuffing and adding some more water you control the volume of liquid and the thickness of the stock. It needs to be runny enough to allow the heat to move around but not playing as a comsome. This should make 2 to 4 meals.
iii) Bespoke, Chicken thighs, Veg stew pack. Waxy potatoes, Creamed Coconut, Fish sauce, Piri piri hot sauce, chicken Oxo. ( I know it should be Thai curry paste but one time I did not have any so I used piri piri, it worked well and allowed me to control the heat with just a splash or two.)
Remove the thigh bone and cut the chicken small. Thigh works better in small pieces then does breast. Cut the veg small enough to fit on a spoon. Same with potatoes but keep 2 or 3 to one side. Simmer the chicken, veg and potato in an OXO stock. Meanwhile cut the remaining potato into very very small bits. Add these to the pan, they will break down to thicken the stock. Add the coconut and fish sauce to taste. Finally add some Piri Piri. I am looking for some thing that reminds me of a Thai curry or a massaman rather than being a true curry.
