Too much Pasta???

[Lithril]

Was talking to some of the other leaders last night and there's a bit of concern that the main bulk of the food the students take out is pasta with a packet source. To give you some idea of what ours took out last weekend it was Pasta, 3 packets of source, frankfurter sausages and 68 Nutrigrain bars :yikes: (plus sandwiches for lunch).

Any recommendations for lightweight food that doesn't cost a packet but thats going to be nutritional better than the current scenario? Just curious to see if anyone else has noticed this at all?

 

[Stew]

I must admit that when I did DoE and Scouts we always used to carry packet mixs, etc. I don't understand why really, although we always had a fry up in the morning! I guess we saw proper cooking as too much hassle.
The packet mixs never tasted particularly nice. Now I much rather carry something a bit heavier and have something nice (and nutritional) to eat.

Boaty posted a risotto recipe over on BB that would be far, far better than a packet mix and could have extras added to it quite easily.

 

[leon-1]

Rice, noodles, Biltong, foilised packets of tuna fish, spices, herbs and most smoked meats will last for a little while in the field. You can also get packets of varying types of dehydrated foods from Lidl .

 

[tenbears10]

I took porridge on DofE. Great for breakfast and you are allowed to buy fresh milk so it cuts the weight. Bit of sugar and it tastes good well for 4 days at least.

Bill

 

[C_Claycomb]

It depends if you are traveling or have a base camp for a few days. You can make some good things from dried beans. Problem is that you would have to soak beans overnight if you carry the dry kind.

I am a great fan of Oats-so-simple for breakfast, it stays with you, is light, has a packet that can be burned, only needs hot water to be added.

Chorizo sausage and salamis are great, they keep pretty well when not pre-sliced and have lots of flavour.

 

[jakunen]

Corned beef and sweetcorn hash with rice is filling, nutritious and tasty...

 

[Ed]

There are alot of dehydrated veg out there on the market that can simply be added to soups and stews.... add some dumplings (from your bannock mix as long as you have suet).

Ed

 

[Tantalus]

dried fruits are a lightweight high energy supply
peanuts contain more protein per 100g than roast beef
all nuts are a compact and lightwight food source
lentils dont need soaked overnight, but dont salt dried pulses till they are cooked
instant mashed potato is a good filler up with plenty of carbs
instant gravy is a nice easy way to make plain food a little more palatable
curry powder is a good idea too
or even simpler a head of garlic and a few dried chillies

add to this anything you can scavenge from wild berries to the occasional rabbit

hope this helps
Tant

 

[tomtom]

i take bree (or another soft cheese like shapam), salamai, riveta and rice pudding meself.. few apples maybe.. and dryed dates fruit etc..

if you are doing something really active then those boil-in-a-bag things are good.. as they have tonnes of energy in them and they take no preperation.. i used them on ten tors when i was to tired to stay awake and heat them so we just had them cold wasnt very nice bet seein as i fell asleep with the spoon in my mouth i didnt care much.

 

[jakunen]

Even easier, try the self-heatign meals that Gary sells at Bearclaw. Think Blacks sell them too, but more expensive...

 

[BIG-TARGET]

Was talking to some of the other leaders last night and there's a bit of concern that the main bulk of the food the students take out is pasta with a packet source. To give you some idea of what ours took out last weekend it was Pasta, 3 packets of source, frankfurter sausages and 68 Nutrigrain bars :yikes: (plus sandwiches for lunch).

Any recommendations for lightweight food that doesn't cost a packet but thats going to be nutritional better than the current scenario? Just curious to see if anyone else has noticed this at all?

The popular food that is packed on the trail is the venerable Ramein noodle soups. especially at this time of the year :biggthump

 

[Nightfall]

Lentils and rice is a good mix.

 

[Lithril]

Lentils and rice is a good mix.

Trouble is that half the students have never done this, never cooked for themselves before and really don't fancy trying new foods too much. So they take the easiest thing they can that they KNOW they like and that they'll be able to cook.

 

[Realgar]

have you tried cous cous - stir it into boiling water/stock etc, take off the heat and it's done in 4 mins. Costs about 50p a packet and soaks up anything.
Realgar

 

[mercury]

Lithril , whats a bushbag then ?

 

[tomtom]

funny i was jsut thinking about starting a thread putting Litril on the spot about that one!! ):

 

[Lithril]

Lithril , whats a bushbag then ?

Now that would be tellling, can't really tell you any more than is on the site at the moment as I need to look at trials and patents first.

 

[leon-1]

Trouble is that half the students have never done this, never cooked for themselves before and really don't fancy trying new foods too much. So they take the easiest thing they can that they KNOW they like and that they'll be able to cook.

It may be worth providing one meal for the students just to show them what can be done, this way the next time it won't be new and if they like it they will have a larger choice

 

[Great Pebble]

I like cous cous.. Good stuff as it actually cooks off the heat, so you can get on with doing something to go with it. I'll admit to being pretty much a boil in the bag man these days though, they're just too easy... And no washing up! Good old Ready Brek is a handy staple, especially tasty if mixed with a little honey or the hot chocolate mix from a rat pack. Hard cheese and crackers, jerky or smoked sausage. I'm an enormous curry fan so garam masala and a few dried chillies are always on hand.

I want a food dehydrator, both for making jerky type snacks and for attempting to dry a "base curry". All Indian restaurants that I know of work from base curry. It's a mix that has all the common ingredients of all curries in it, you add extra chilli and you're on your way to vindaloo, lentils and you're making dhaal... You get the picture. I'll eat anything curried.

 

[Nightfall]

This last summer I did a walk about. On the first day the leader of the group handed out the food for the group to divide up. Each of us, 8 in all, was given 2 potatos and a packet to make ashcakes or bannock.That was for personal food to eat over the 3 days. We also got either a bag of rice, lentils or oatmeal. We ate two meals a day and never felt hungry. well, at least I didnt. There were some in the group that you could tell has never done anything like this before. No one seemed to complain about the food.