UKC

Well do i take the good old army ration pack, heavy but quick and easy to heat up & full of carbs. Or do i take something like spelt, light wieght but takes up lots of gas to cook it, and of course you need to add H2O.Any ideas chaps / chapeses before i head to morrisons tonight.....cheers.

In reply to Capt. Spacey: I change my mind every time but last week's tactic worked well and I'd do it again. I have just discovered freezer bags (I know, I'm stone age). What I did was to chuck some chopped up chorizo, grated parmesan, chilli, salt, herbs and a generous squirt of tomato puree into a bag. Cooked my pasta, added this sludge and hey presto, instant grub of good quality and no mess. Could have added a few mushies or peppers too. This was for one night out though, not sure I'd do it on multi day trips. To save on gas you could use couscous instead of pasta which just needs boling water added and then left to stand

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

Pesto and pasta, surely a fool proof awesome supper, if only there was a way to cook garlic bread on a camping stove. Though i am sure someone on UKC has a way...

In reply to Capt. Spacey: it depends what you want to eat, I guess.

I can't imagine wanting to eat army stuff, the only benefit it has is it 'Army' written on it.

If there's no water the dry stuff could be a pain, if it's a long walk the weight of wet stuff might be a pain.

I've been really impressed with decathlon dry stuff, but then I spent a week eating pot noodles once.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

Depends, if its just one night and no climbing gear involved, why not just take a load of fresh stuff and prepare it at leisure ?

Otherwise instant Mash, vegi oxo cubes (for 'soup' and main course flavouring) and Chorizo, then dried fruit.

In reply to GrahamD:

Ainsley harriet or similar flavoured couscous - cooks super quick (3min standing in boiling water?), packs small and light. Add chopped up chorizo, or a small ringpull can of tuna.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:
sausages, ketchup & pitta bread/wraps/bagels. If it's just overnight, r eserve a kilo of weight for a decent meal & breakfast!

In reply to Capt. Spacey: Beef + Veg, Sponge Pudding. Pretty good for rations!

In reply to peas65: Garlic bread over a fire - toast bread, peel a clove of garlic and then rub it into the toast (you're basically grating the garlic into it). Then smear with some (presumably by now very warm and soft) proper butter or alternatively drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle over any seasoning / herbs you have to hand. Hey presto.

In reply to jfw:

That's what I generally do. The vacuum packed tuna is even better.

In reply to hokkyokusei:
me too, do often I am getting heartily sick of it! The mash with Matheson sausage and onion gravy is another standard.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:
I take stuffed pasta, which isn't the lightest thing but is quick and pretty nice.

For lunches, I've recently hit on pitta bread with primula cheese squeezed over it (portable and saves making sandwiches), but am on the lookout for a non-perishable squeezey food that's nicer than primula cheese...

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

If out for a while on a multiday'er, give' Drytech Real Turmat' freeze dried food a go. Pricey as it's Norweigian, but excellent as dried meals go. Even better than the french MX3 meals and a thousand times better that a ratpack main :0)

http://www.outdoorsgrub.co.uk/pi_drytech.php

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

Could always pre-cook stew, chilli mince, shepherd's pie etc. and just heat them up.

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

I do similar, I prep as much as I can before I head for the hills. I fill a bag up with chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms, chilies, grated ginger, chopped garlic, fresh chopped corriander, garlic puree, teaspoon of cumin and ground corriander. Also pack a bag of those ready cooked noodles and half a tin of coconut milk. Whack the whole lot in a pan have a nice thai dish in about 8 mins!

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

I guess it depends on what you want to get out of your food really? Are you willing to accept that a slightly heavier pack will result in more foodly goodness or would you rather enjoy the light feeling on your shoulders.

Personal preference dictates that if I'm carrying food for an overnight then basics 9p noodles in a ziplock bag will normally do (maybe two packets) then add a variety of things to make it nice. Salami, butter, tabasco, salt & pepper can all go in, as can a cup-a-soup giving you something akin to Japanese Ramen style noodles.

Considering you just pour in some boiling water into the bag, then seal it and wait a few minutes for it all to rehydrate it's not a bad meal.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

Ainsley Harriot coucous is the way forwards! Failing that, pasta (small shapes e.g. angel-hair cook really quickly saving gas)and pesto has loads of energy and is delicious!

Enjoy!

In reply to hokkyokusei: Agree, I would never usually go for pre-packaged couscous / risotto etc., but the Ainsley Harriott couscous is good swag, especially when it's on offer 2 for £1.

In reply to Capt. Spacey: Yet another vote for ainsleys couscous. i usually just add a load of cheese to it(usually port saute). The other stuff he does is good to. Especially the quinoa and spelt based stuff.

In reply to Capt. Spacey: If you're not so keen on the couscous then take noodles. The real ones from the chinese supermarket are best but instant noodles are fine. They take little water, only two minutes and mixed with any of the idea above are a good carb base.

I like the little sachets of Dolmio bolognese, or the kid's meatballs!

C-:

In reply to Capt. Spacey: Fresh pasta with a filling and a ready made sauce or pesto. Hardly any gas to cook and not particularly heavy, vacuum packed packets travel well.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:
Really nice bottle of red and a corner of cheese - quite difficult to keep the crackers in one piece though.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

Pasta. One tin mackerel in olive oil. One tin anchovies. One jar sun dried tomatoes. One finely chopped red chilli. Awesome.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:
To keep fuel use low, then couscous, instant mash or supernoodles are quick and light and add bulk. Use them as a soup base rather than as a solid for variety.

To them you can add one or more of pesto, sun-dried tomato (the stuff thats ready to eat), matteson's sausages, chorizo, tuna, sardines, grated cheese, chopped onions...

I really like the Look What We Found range of instant main courses - very tasty, and gluten-free too. You can buy them under super market own label also. http://www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk/Page/ProductsByCategory.aspx?CatID=1

For starters, packet soup.
For pudding, its hard to beat custard for light weight comfort food. Pop in a long-life cake and you are in foody weaven.

Another boon for a lightweight luxury camp: you can get vac-pack olives, and wine in small tetra-paks. Just the thing for watching the sun go down after a long day's walk.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

For one night, I took a pre prepared (by my own hand not pre bought) chilli - frozen in a freezer bag, and let it thaw during the day - and rice, job done. As for water, in the lakes not usually an issue.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:
Just kill a sheep and roast it over your MSR, with the weight you save carrying food you could have a nice Riojca with your Lamb.

In reply to sjc:
Tried that once. I was very very drunk and delirious with hunger and was crawling through the long grass with a massive f*cking knife in my teeth. We had gone for three days and forgotten to take any food, just our bodyweight in alcohol.
Turns out sheep are f*cking hard to catch.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

You can get rice and sauces in little pouches from Tesco, just like a wayfarer meal, but much cheaper (£1.20) and better

In reply to Capt. Spacey: I always carry tins of mackerel in sunflower oil and packets of jelly babies. Sometimes other things as well.

If I am out for just a night this time of year I bring some nice bread, salami, mature cheddar and other nibbles and wash it down with a fancy hot cup

During the winter it would be some stew from the freezer.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

Noodles with broken up pepperami.

followed by a British army chocolate pudding with a banana cut into it.

In reply to Cú Chullain:

I do this too but always include galangal and holy basil as I can't abide inauthentic Thai food

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

No Brainer for me.

Ive a simple method resulting in a filling meal with no washing up.

Place this opened bag in a MSR 800ml TI pot of boiling water.
http://www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk/Page/productDetail.aspx?ProductID=2

Place 2 of these in the pot also
http://buywhiterice.co.cc/buy-uncle-bens-10-minute-boil-in-bag-enriched-lon...

After 10 minutes the chilli is hot and rice cooked.
Add the rice to the chilli in the chilli bag.
Eat from the chilli bag.

As in 3:40 into this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYQKhndwc-o&feature=player_embedded


This is the best meal ive found to date.
Very Filling
Quick
Easy
Cheap
Tasty
No Washing Up
Light Weight

Enjoy

Mike Hike

In reply to Capt. Spacey:
GITS [seriously!} indian boil in the bag meals. Dhal is fantastic. from indian supermarkets.

from supermarkets: Sharwood microwaveable saag aloo, bombay potatoesa nd another. boil in the bag again.
Pitta bread packs are a bit bulky, but tougher than naan.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:

I've tried a variety of foods on the hill. Depending on circumstances I favour the following:

For snowholing - a packet of fresh tortellini, melt snow, pour hot water into the open corner of the pasta, wait, eat, nae dishes.

Backpacking with the other half - ingredients are olive oil, salt, chili, garlic, cashew nuts, onion, red pepper, 2 tomatoes, couscous. Roast the nuts in a pan, remove, fry the onion, garlic and chili, add the peppers, add the tomatoes, bung in the nuts at the end and season. Eat with couscous. Stick some cheese on top if you can.

A tin of stag chili and bismati rice is good and quick for the numerous times where the torellini doesn't cut it and cooking a full meal is a faff.

Or I just carb up with an all day breakfast and eat crap when I'm out followed by another all day breakfast when I get back.

tin of chilli and some tortilla wraps and some grated cheese if you like

In reply to jfw:


This one. But make a slightly larger pan of water than you need for the couscous and make custard from powder & add cake, and hot chocolate at the same time... 2 course meal + hot drink, done!

In reply to Capt. Spacey: Everyone thanks for the top tips looks like Mr Harriot will be getting a try out....cheers.

In reply to Capt. Spacey:
Can of haggis and a packet of Smash. Freezer bag the haggis and ditch the can beforehand too. Bottle of decent malt and you're sorted.
Burns supper on the hill. Love it.

In reply to Paul Atkinson:

Well if I am really prepared I atually make Thai curry paste the night before and pop into one of those small plastic food seal boxes!

In reply to Capt. Spacey: If I'm going for just one night, I'll pre-make a nice big pizza covered in spicy chorizo and loads of peppers and mushrooms etc. Slice it up and cling-wrap, then you've got an instant meal when you're ready - no faffing about preparing a meal. I still take my stove though, then I can have my hot custard for pudding and the essential morning coffee. Any leftover pizza is then good for lunch the following day. On a trip to Skye recently, I had pizza for 2 evening meals and one lunch. By the third evening I was onto curry and naan bread.

Another vote for the tortellini, however i add two sachets of instant soup to the water to make a reasonably thick sauce, that way it does'nt waste any precious water. Tortellini is great as its cooked in about 2min flat so uses no time and more importantly gas!

oh and also pitta and squirty cheese

In reply to Capt. Spacey: I used to make stew at home and put it in a decent size jar and just heat it up when you need it. Or a tin of Heinz big soup is superb. A bit bigger than a normal tin aqnd so thick you can eat it with a fork, a spoon or a spork.

RN

In reply to rossn: big soup, film on the tv and a box of kleenex.......top drawer night in...

In reply to Capt. Spacey: I've just discovered the Dolmio pasta sauce sachets, which come in single or double servings. They're meant to be microwaved but I've found they work as boil-in-the-bag while you cook the spaghetti in the same pan. Just add parmesan...