Proper, tasty and healthy that keeps you going...
You don't need to be a health freak to eat well and stay healthy during longer events expeditions on foot, bike or in a canoe. Neither do you have to spend money on expensive boil in the bag or dehydrated meals that can leave you unsatisfied and feeling empty. What you really need when you are working hard or cold and wet is big and tasty food that is quick and easy to prepare, it also helps if it is light and compact to carry. The good news is that food like this exists, all you need to produce it is a stove, metal cup and the appetite to experiment.
We use tried and tested combinations of long life and traditional food including fresh food when available producing tasty nutritious meals to fuel the weary adventurer. Using a combination of protein and carbohydrate rich foods already containing fats will deliver the nutrition required to support high calorie burn rates during sustained and strenuous activity. To enrich, bulk up and keep meals interesting use a combination of other food, herbs, spices and flavourings. But… whilst its important to eat nutritious and tasty meals it’s also important that they are lightweight, portable, long life, quick and easy to prepare.
The availability of food on your chosen route will be affected by a number of factors dependent on the country and region you are travelling through. Local culture, cuisine, religion and seasonal availability compounded by the possibility of an isolated route can present challenges to sustaining and replenishing your food stocks. Whilst this may sound like a culinary adventure for some it can be a nightmare presenting unpalatable, ethical and digestive issues. ‘Murphy’s Law’ will ensure that issues with food will always combine with poor weather and your hardest day plummeting your morale into the cold, wet ground you are slowly sinking in! Therefore experimenting with different types offood will prepare you physically and emotionally for the challenges regional and seasonal availability may present!
Menu Planning
If you want to self sustain for extended periods menu planning is critical or you will go hungry. Break down your trip or event into hours, days (weeks if required) and then break down again into main meals and snacks. Putting this on paper in a 7 day, 3 daily meal with snacks headed table will allow you to plan and better visualise how much food you need to carry. Equally it will allow you to scrutinise weight carried identifying areas in your packing list you can cut or add.
Protein
Protein is often the dominating feature of a meal and a key nutrient in your diet. Using a variety of meat, fish and protein rich food will add variety to your menu. Fresh meat spoils rapidly, especially in warmer temperatures, use it first or cook it to increase its lifespan. Preserved, smoked, dried and tinned meat/fish are made for the outdoors as they are easy to carry, pre-packaged and long life. We have used the following items for years:
Carbohydrate
The good news is that lots of carbohydrate rich foods are dehydrated, compact and easy to carry. For that reason dehydrated carbohydrates are the perfect emergency ration, porridge oats are ideal for this purpose. The following list provides plenty of options to mix up your menu:
Flavouring, Thickeners and Bulking up your meals...
A variety of food and flavourings will thicken, bulk and enrich your food making each meal something to look forward to. Some of the items listed are also ‘protein and carbohydrate’ rich foods, for the sake of simplicity we have placed them here based on how we use them. Carrying just a few of the items below will allow you to add variety, flavour and a fun challenge to preparing food outdoors.
Instant Milk Powder – Perfect to cream up your porridge oats, milk for hot drinks and also works well to make creamy style sauces for rice and pasta.
Honey – Porridge, bread and hot drinks or it can be used as a sugar shot when your blood sugar is crashing. Squeezy bottles are robust and perfect for sliding into an easy access pouch or your pack.
Brown Sugar – Bit of a luxury but if you need hot sugary drinks or a bit of crunch on your porridge it tastes great.
Dried Fruit – Cranberries, dates, apricots etc work well in porridge.
Stock Cubes – Beef, chicken and vegtable stock cubes provide oomph to anything you cook. The additional salt they provide also helps to replace those you sweat out in the day.
Instant Soups – Instant soups can also be used to creat a sauce for rice, noodles and pasta!
Black Pepper – GSI Outdoors produce an excellent miniature pepper mill.
Cheese – Hard, smoked and edam cheese work well when cooking. Combine with pasta or rice with some milk powder and you have a cream sauce! Any cheese that comes with a hard rind or wax coated travel well, wax from cheese is also an excellent tool for getting a fire going.
Fresh Chillies – Add punch and texture to meals. They are thick skinned and travel well in packs.
Fresh Ginger – Soups, noodles and perfect as a hot drink with honey.
Fresh Garlic – Slice and gently fry, thrown in with anything to bump up the flavour.
Dried Mushrooms – Great taste, texture and produces a rich stock. This is one of our must pack items!
Dehydrated Vegetables – Peas and sweet corn rehydrate quickly and add a fresh taste on trips off the beat and path.
Lunch and Snacks
Its important to constantly fuel the engine and as part of your meal planning you should factor in snacks throughout the day as well as lunch. Keeping a constant pipeline of energy going into your system will deliver constant performance and the ability to increase tempo and intensity as required:
Wild Foods
You will be surprised that with a bit of knowledge and keeping your eyes open you will be able to pick up food as you move along your route. The UK is normally rich with wild foods and fresh herbs throughout the year especially along our coastline. Develop your knowledge, experiment and you will become less dependent on shops allowing you to go wilder for longer! Word of caution, some wild foods require expert knowledge to confirm they are safe to eat, especially mushrooms. Only eat food you are certain is safe, field guides are available for this purpose.
We use tried and tested combinations of long life and traditional food including fresh food when available producing tasty nutritious meals to fuel the weary adventurer. Using a combination of protein and carbohydrate rich foods already containing fats will deliver the nutrition required to support high calorie burn rates during sustained and strenuous activity. To enrich, bulk up and keep meals interesting use a combination of other food, herbs, spices and flavourings. But… whilst its important to eat nutritious and tasty meals it’s also important that they are lightweight, portable, long life, quick and easy to prepare.
The availability of food on your chosen route will be affected by a number of factors dependent on the country and region you are travelling through. Local culture, cuisine, religion and seasonal availability compounded by the possibility of an isolated route can present challenges to sustaining and replenishing your food stocks. Whilst this may sound like a culinary adventure for some it can be a nightmare presenting unpalatable, ethical and digestive issues. ‘Murphy’s Law’ will ensure that issues with food will always combine with poor weather and your hardest day plummeting your morale into the cold, wet ground you are slowly sinking in! Therefore experimenting with different types offood will prepare you physically and emotionally for the challenges regional and seasonal availability may present!
Menu Planning
If you want to self sustain for extended periods menu planning is critical or you will go hungry. Break down your trip or event into hours, days (weeks if required) and then break down again into main meals and snacks. Putting this on paper in a 7 day, 3 daily meal with snacks headed table will allow you to plan and better visualise how much food you need to carry. Equally it will allow you to scrutinise weight carried identifying areas in your packing list you can cut or add.
Protein
Protein is often the dominating feature of a meal and a key nutrient in your diet. Using a variety of meat, fish and protein rich food will add variety to your menu. Fresh meat spoils rapidly, especially in warmer temperatures, use it first or cook it to increase its lifespan. Preserved, smoked, dried and tinned meat/fish are made for the outdoors as they are easy to carry, pre-packaged and long life. We have used the following items for years:
- Smoked/Preserved Sausage – Chorizo, Salami and Kabanos are excellent. Sliced and fried or cold they are equally tasty.
- Biltong and Beef Jerky – Both of which can be made at home.
- Tinned Fish – Tuna, Salmon, Mackerel and Sardines.
- Eggs – Hard boiled eggs travel will and keep for days.
- Tofu – Fried up with some oil, spices and throw in you rice etc
- Soy Products – There is a huge range of products available for use to suit your tastes.
Carbohydrate
The good news is that lots of carbohydrate rich foods are dehydrated, compact and easy to carry. For that reason dehydrated carbohydrates are the perfect emergency ration, porridge oats are ideal for this purpose. The following list provides plenty of options to mix up your menu:
- Porridge Oats – Add milk powder, honey, dried fruit and nuts for a bulked up delicious meal. An excellent emergency ration due to its compact nature.
- Rice – Boil in the bag rice provides a convenient strainer. Keep the liquid in the pot as it is loaded with starchy energy and can be used as the base for a sauce for your meal.
- Cous Cous – Pour on boiling water and cover!
- Pasta – Bulkier item to carry but an old classic.
- Ramen Noodles – Precooked packs make an excellent bulked up soup meal for quick eats.
- Lentils – Perfect for soups and stews.
- Dried Mash Potato – Stand alone meal but also works well as a thickener or to bulk up other meals.
Flavouring, Thickeners and Bulking up your meals...
A variety of food and flavourings will thicken, bulk and enrich your food making each meal something to look forward to. Some of the items listed are also ‘protein and carbohydrate’ rich foods, for the sake of simplicity we have placed them here based on how we use them. Carrying just a few of the items below will allow you to add variety, flavour and a fun challenge to preparing food outdoors.
Instant Milk Powder – Perfect to cream up your porridge oats, milk for hot drinks and also works well to make creamy style sauces for rice and pasta.
Honey – Porridge, bread and hot drinks or it can be used as a sugar shot when your blood sugar is crashing. Squeezy bottles are robust and perfect for sliding into an easy access pouch or your pack.
Brown Sugar – Bit of a luxury but if you need hot sugary drinks or a bit of crunch on your porridge it tastes great.
Dried Fruit – Cranberries, dates, apricots etc work well in porridge.
Stock Cubes – Beef, chicken and vegtable stock cubes provide oomph to anything you cook. The additional salt they provide also helps to replace those you sweat out in the day.
Instant Soups – Instant soups can also be used to creat a sauce for rice, noodles and pasta!
Black Pepper – GSI Outdoors produce an excellent miniature pepper mill.
Cheese – Hard, smoked and edam cheese work well when cooking. Combine with pasta or rice with some milk powder and you have a cream sauce! Any cheese that comes with a hard rind or wax coated travel well, wax from cheese is also an excellent tool for getting a fire going.
Fresh Chillies – Add punch and texture to meals. They are thick skinned and travel well in packs.
Fresh Ginger – Soups, noodles and perfect as a hot drink with honey.
Fresh Garlic – Slice and gently fry, thrown in with anything to bump up the flavour.
Dried Mushrooms – Great taste, texture and produces a rich stock. This is one of our must pack items!
Dehydrated Vegetables – Peas and sweet corn rehydrate quickly and add a fresh taste on trips off the beat and path.
Lunch and Snacks
Its important to constantly fuel the engine and as part of your meal planning you should factor in snacks throughout the day as well as lunch. Keeping a constant pipeline of energy going into your system will deliver constant performance and the ability to increase tempo and intensity as required:
- Oatcakes – A good lunch snack with cheese, peanut butter, meats, bananas and honey.
- Peanut Butter – Perfect on its own, on bread and biscuits or in mixed into spicy rice!
- Fresh Fruit and Vegtables – Whenever fresh is available take it, its refreshing and bursting with macronutrients.
- Dried Fruit, Seeds and Nuts – Packed with protein, carbohydrates and fats. A good food to constantly graze, easy to keep withing easy access whilst you are moving. Can also be added to main meals to bulk them up.
- Muesli/Granola Bars – Provide good snacking, check the labels as some pack more calories than others.
- Cold Rice – Cook more than you need at a main meal and eat at lunch or as a snack.
Wild Foods
You will be surprised that with a bit of knowledge and keeping your eyes open you will be able to pick up food as you move along your route. The UK is normally rich with wild foods and fresh herbs throughout the year especially along our coastline. Develop your knowledge, experiment and you will become less dependent on shops allowing you to go wilder for longer! Word of caution, some wild foods require expert knowledge to confirm they are safe to eat, especially mushrooms. Only eat food you are certain is safe, field guides are available for this purpose.