What is your fall back meal of choice whilst Cali-ing?

[WelshGas]

MRE's, a selection of mains and desert.

Ready to Eat

Great range of ready to eat camping meals from Wayfayrer and Beyond the Beaten Track with Free UK Delivery.

basecampfood.com

 

[Borris]

I was on a stag do in Scotland once, and breakfast was served - Bombay Bad Boys made with hot Red Bull! Very strange but set is up for white water sledging if I remember...

 

[Amarillo]

For pudding, Del Monte fruit cocktail in syrup and a tube of condensed milk does it for four. But the emergency tube of condensed milk needs to be well hidden or locked in the safe (if you have one) or it will be stolen by little fingers and used as a midnight feast, while being smeared all over the bed sheets.

 

[Borris]

Of the same mind as @Ladymuck - when I borrowed my dads old T5 M&S tins were the lifesavers, and likely will be again why I finally get my mitts on my own T6.1. And that Idahoan mash is a revelation (far from Smash)View attachment 77236View attachment 77237View attachment 77238

I think the M&S stuff is now our shopping list. It's had several mentions so far so must be worth getting some to try out in our emergency locker.

Digressing slightly, we regularly buy a comprehensive M&S picnic to eat whilst out in our van and they have always been both delicious and of a constantly high quality. Usually it's Sushi, followed by sandwiches, and dark chocolate choux buns with confectioners custard which are both delicious and crucially, not too sweet. However, due to long standing issues, I recently went off piste and tried their gluten free sandwiches. I all can say is DON'T! In my experience, gluten free bread is universally awful and their sandwiches were no exception.

 

[westfalia]

Probably the only curry that i've had from a tin, its good.
Long life flat breads and wash it down with a beer or not
its your choice. Miss out the bread if you like, there are no rules.

 

[Borris]

MRE's, a selection of mains and desert.

Ready to Eat

Great range of ready to eat camping meals from Wayfayrer and Beyond the Beaten Track with Free UK Delivery.

basecampfood.com

They look interesting and ideal for both general and fall back purposes. Do they have any special storage requirements?

We had something similar in the fire service for feeding the troops at large or protracted incidents, although in that case the food was in self heating cans.

Just use the pricker (supplied) to pierce the area surrounding the lid in several places and a short while later after an exothermic reaction has taken place, you had yourself a hot meal in a tin. You had to remember to open the tin slightly or the owner could end up wearing most of it. I used to carry a couple in my car. They were ideal for those occasions where I found myself tired and cold, kicking my heals somewhere in the middle of the night. One of those chaps made all the difference.

 

[Polomint]

Tea bags , coffee. Pub meal or pre prepared home made. Husband doesn’t do food out of cans But he does cook well

 

[WelshGas]

They look interesting and ideal for both general and fall back purposes. Do they have any special storage requirements?

We had something similar in the fire service for feeding the troops at large or protracted incidents, although in that case the food was in self heating cans.
View attachment 77241
Just use the pricker (supplied) to pierce the area surrounding the lid in several places and a short while later after an exothermic reaction has taken place, you had yourself a hot meal in a tin. You had to remember to open the tin slightly or the owner could end up wearing most of it. I used to carry a couple in my car. They were ideal for those occasions where I found myself tired and cold, kicking my heals somewhere in the middle of the night. One of those chaps made all the difference.

No special storage requirements. Very long shelf life.

 

[GrannyJen]

They look interesting and ideal for both general and fall back purposes. Do they have any special storage requirements?

We had something similar in the fire service for feeding the troops at large or protracted incidents, although in that case the food was in self heating cans.
View attachment 77241
Just use the pricker (supplied) to pierce the area surrounding the lid in several places and a short while later after an exothermic reaction has taken place, you had yourself a hot meal in a tin. You had to remember to open the tin slightly or the owner could end up wearing most of it. I used to carry a couple in my car. They were ideal for those occasions where I found myself tired and cold, kicking my heals somewhere in the middle of the night. One of those chaps made all the difference.

The idea of Firefighters needing to find a heat source is somehow making my eyes swivel

 

[Amarillo]

The idea of Firefighters needing to find a heat source is somehow making my eyes swivel

Yeah, I thought that too. You’d have thought firefighters would have the resource to set up a BBQ over the burning embers of the skip, garden shed, Tesla, block of flats, heathland or whatever else had gone up in flames.

 

[GrannyJen]

Yeah, I thought that too. You’d have thought firefighters would have the resource to set up a BBQ over the burning embers of the skip, garden shed, Tesla, block of flats, heathland or whatever else had gone up in flames.

Also a better way of conserving the planet. Why pump more gases of combustion into the atmosphere?

Vandals, the lot of them

 

[FoodieLoobie]

For two quick stand-by meals we have:
1. a bag of penne pasta and a jar of pesto (add smoked salmon from the fridge if we have some)
2. a pack of gnocchi and a jar of puttanesca sauce (add chopped chorizo if we have some)
Both can just be cooked in one big pan. Quick meal, minimum fuss and minimum washing up.
And add a bottle of wine!

 

[Lambeth Cali]

View attachment 77235

Any sauce kept in a camper van should be at least 12 months out of date

 

[Borris]

The idea of Firefighters needing to find a heat source is somehow making my eyes swivel

Finding a heat source wasn't usually a problem. Feeding a large bunch of often cold, wet and hungry firefighters on the fireground sometimes was. Over the 30 years I spend in the service this process varied greatly. In the beginning a crew not involved with the incident was usually ordered by brigade control to drive to the nearest bakery, usually in the middle of the night, in order to obtain fresh bread. Then they had to make dozens of rounds of "mashed monkey" (corned beef) sandwiches and large erns of tea. When ready they then delivered it to the fire ground. A large stash of corn beef was held at certain locations for just such eventualities. If you didn't like "mashed monkey" you were in the wrong job! The bulk provision of said hot cans was the latest idea in the years before I retired in 2005.
Another method for smaller jobs was to send someone down the local chippy with a bulk order. This wasn't too bad if you'd managed to contact them beforehand. However, as a newly fledged firefighter in the mid seventies, I remember being despatched to a nearby fried food emporium with a shipping order. Unfortunately nobody had contacted them first. When reaching the head of a long queue I passed over my list. The proprietor raised his eyebrows and read the list out loud.

There was very nearly a riot behind me!

 

[Lambeth Cali]

We always have “1st night pasta”. The kids expect it now. I’ve even changed our enamel plates to plastic as I was always frustrated how quickly it got cold.
Pasta with pesto or Lloyd Grossman sauce occasionally with added halloumi.
My kids were absolutely gobsmacked when they saw Lloyd Grossman jar as they couldn’t understand why it had a picture of me on it.

My whole family thought this was hilarious. It is quite uncanny.

 

[Borris]

Yeah, I thought that too. You’d have thought firefighters would have the resource to set up a BBQ over the burning embers of the skip, garden shed, Tesla, block of flats, heathland or whatever else had gone up in flames.

Visions of a slowly rotating spit roast come to mind. Alas I don't think the taint of burnt rubber, plastics, chemicals etc etc would prove that popular.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

 

[bob_summers]

Tent or van camping, always take a load of these. Great for cold nights!

 

[Walrus]

Tesco tinned chicken Jalfrezi curry is worth a try. With nan and, of course, beer.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

This is a good thread. I’m slightly curious what the owners who wash their vans in rainwater and children’s tears eat. Boris is the only crossover I can spot.