Food glorious food

[Dick Dastardly]

I used to do very long sessions so eating "properly" became just a normal part of bankside life.Wasnt much I didnt cook.Its amazing how many things you can do on a two burner Coleman.

 

These days I normally only do short 3-4 day sessions due to my health.Ive got really lazy and just cant be bothered with all the fuss and extra gear.Fortunately for me Andrew accompanies me on a lot of trips these days and he does the cooking!

 

Eltons right though you need to have half decent grub inside you to keep your strength up,even more so in cold weather.

 

Heres a couple of tips from my bank side gourmet days that may be of help-

 

Get yourself a round "Quality Street/Roses Chocholate" tin, get a decent sized saucepan that this tin can just sit in/on.Placed over the saucepan (that can have the beans in at breakfast or some water boiling for tea/washing up you can use the tin as an "oven" to keep stuff warm in.A real bonus if your cooking a large meal for more than one.

 

A quick and easy "big meal" is an all in stew made from tinned steak and onions,peas,carrots and pots.You can use the brine the come tinned in to save on water.

 

When taking fresh sausages and bacon freeze them first before putting in your cool box.This gives you a few more days. Also instead of freezer packs use bottles of frozen water/squash.Saves space.

 

For a quick snack you can easily boost up a pot noodle by adding some chopped up canned hot dog sausages.These are ready cooked so only need heating up by pouring some hot water in the can.

 

Boil in the bag rice is much easier to prepare when your bivvied up.

 

Most important thing though is hygene.Real easy to get sick if you dont look after your food,cook it properly or wash up your cooking gear properly. I often see people leaving their frying pans etc outside the bivvy at night and just chuck some warm water in it before using it in the morning.....regardless of if a rat or similar has **** in it that night!

 

Fresh meat is best cooked slowly and thoroughly as it gets a bit older.

 

On the subject of rats etc it pays to make sure you are tidy with any old food/rubbish.Keep it in a secure rubbish bag and if needs be suspend it from something.

 

All basic things really but they help a lot.

[Andrew Burgess]

I used to do very long sessions so eating "properly" became just a normal part of bankside life.Wasnt much I didnt cook.Its amazing how many things you can do on a two burner Coleman.

 

These days I normally only do short 3-4 day sessions due to my health.Ive got really lazy and just cant be bothered with all the fuss and extra gear.Fortunately for me Andrew accompanies me on a lot of trips these days and he does the cooking!

 

Eltons right though you need to have half decent grub inside you to keep your strength up,even more so in cold weather.

 

Heres a couple of tips from my bank side gourmet days that may be of help-

 

Get yourself a round "Quality Street/Roses Chocholate" tin, get a decent sized saucepan that this tin can just sit in/on.Placed over the saucepan (that can have the beans in at breakfast or some water boiling for tea/washing up you can use the tin as an "oven" to keep stuff warm in.A real bonus if your cooking a large meal for more than one.

 

A quick and easy "big meal" is an all in stew made from tinned steak and onions,peas,carrots and pots.You can use the brine the come tinned in to save on water.

 

When taking fresh sausages and bacon freeze them first before putting in your cool box.This gives you a few more days. Also instead of freezer packs use bottles of frozen water/squash.Saves space.

 

For a quick snack you can easily boost up a pot noodle by adding some chopped up canned hot dog sausages.These are ready cooked so only need heating up by pouring some hot water in the can.

 

Boil in the bag rice is much easier to prepare when your bivvied up.

 

Most important thing though is hygene.Real easy to get sick if you dont look after your food,cook it properly or wash up your cooking gear properly. I often see people leaving their frying pans etc outside the bivvy at night and just chuck some warm water in it before using it in the morning.....regardless of if a rat or similar has **** in it that night!

 

Fresh meat is best cooked slowly and thoroughly as it gets a bit older.

 

On the subject of rats etc it pays to make sure you are tidy with any old food/rubbish.Keep it in a secure rubbish bag and if needs be suspend it from something.

 

All basic things really but they help a lot.

 

Much the same as Budgie reply but I sometimes take a packet of Batchelors Cup A Soup in the minestrone with crotons with me as well.

[Ken L]

In India, we usually do all the cooking properly from scratch over an open fire but we also bought some pre preparred curries in foil bags for when we got off the water to late to do any proper preparation. They turned out to be excellent and better yet, pretty much the same thing is available from my local Asda sold under the Shanna brand name.

Just cook up some rice, heat the foil pack in a pan of hot water and you're good to go. If you can't be bothered with rice, get some of those shelf life style naan breads.

[Rabb]

I never go away without a stove....even short sessions, i like a hot cuppa, wether it be tea,coffee or bovril, i have 3 stoves now....all good in different seasons, but mainly use the coleman dual fuel now, on a right early start, i will take bacon n eggs for hot sarnies, and soup or beans n sausage for lunch....plenty of biccies and the odd few pies too boot

 

Rab.

[BoldBear]

For the refined palate

 

Cooking Food on the Bankside

[Andy Macfarlane]

I see no-one has noticed the irony in what to eat while you are FISHING!! I hear the Polish have it nailed.

[dapper64]

thats a bit lavish is it not elton ive just started taking a stove with me and its either spaghetti bolognese or a tin of burgers in gravy

that takes me back some years,I didn't know they were still available in the shops.

[terry t shirt]

I use boil in the bag meals not the most flavoursome things but there hot and taste ok. I tried pot noodles but really cant stand the things no matter how well you follow the instructions there's always hard dry bits in it. Also take a small frying pan , nothing like sausage egg and bacon for breakfast by the side of the water. Small tip i know it unfashionable but i use lard to cook in when fishing far easier to transport and less space than cooking oil.

 

Usual trip consists of 1 stove,frying pan , small saucepan

Coffee

eggs

bacon

sausages

boil in bag meals

tinned soup

loaf of bread

with tinned stuff i find the best way to heat it is to stand the open tin in water and boil the water leave to simmer a while. no need to clean the pan and no burnt bits.

Use the hot water to clean all your utensiles, plates etc.

As Budgie said make sure you clean everything as you would at home otherwise you'll suffer for it.

[Will Wilkinson]

I have a fair mix depending on the length of session.

 

1 day - flask & sarnies or pie

Overnighter - Kelly Kettle for drinks (or MSR Dragonfly & kettle if I can't take the Kelly), Pies & Sarnies, Snacks (e.g. cereal bars)

Multi day - Kelly Kettle & Dragonfly, 1 or 2 pans & frying pan, bacon & mushrooms for breakfasts, pasta or rice & sauce or home-made casseroles for dinners, possibly with a few expedition rations if it's a long session (similar to the freeze dried camping meals but better balanced and larger portions - these are what I use for my Greenland trips), plenty of snacks including soup (tinned if weight's not a problem, dried otherwise). Bread & spread (usually yeast pate).

 

I do a fair bit of wilderness trekking in some of the wildest parts of the planet so have learnt how to cook a pretty decent meal on a single burner, it's not that hard if you plan properly.

 

My biggest problem is usually water - I go through a lot of tea and use more for cooking and H2O's heavy stuff.

 

As Budgie's said, hygiene's the biggest concern - not just of utensils/pans/plates but the hands that are preparing and eating the food. The hardware's easy enough to keep clean, hands less so unless you carry a proper wash kit - good anti-bacterial wipes or gel should be a minimum.

 

Will

[Tony U]

Will

Have you ever considerd a Pre-mac MWP water purifier, see here for details: http://www.pre-mac.co.uk/PWP_TTW.HTM

I will see if i can drag mine out of hiding and bring it along to Wingham it certainly beats carting water around an it does work even against viruses.#

 

Tony