what food to take on D of E expedition?

[NoTruckWithFrontedAdverbials]

My DS is off on an expedition over the weekend and apparently there will be only one communal meal. there's no refrigeration but there will be some pots and pans.
they have to carry everything.

Ideas so far

1. apples and oranges
2. cereal bars for breakfast
3. high qualify ready meal in a pouch of some sort (have no idea!) ideally something you rehydrate for weight.
4. wholemeal bread rolls.
5. maybe some roast meat if not too hot (he doesn't eat cheese).

Any recommendations appreciated.

You can get boil in the bag meals from places like Go Outdoors. I also got DS some John West tuna salad, lunch on the go pots, which are long life and don't need to be refrigerated. DS was meant to go last year, and still hasn't happened, so these items became part of our emergency rations if we had to isolate and couldn't get any shopping!

Sweets are very popular, haribo/jelly babies

Summit to Eat freeze dried meals are very tasty, no weird ingredients and very light.

www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15893366/wayfayrer-meatballs-and-pasta-in-tomato-sauce-ready-to-eat-camping-food-15893366

Something like this. Don't forget you can get DofE discount from places like there

In the absolute nicest way possible, isn’t the point of DofE to encourage independence? Shouldn’t your DS be the one coming up with ideas?

bag of pasta, some sort of sauce (preferably not a glass jar, but DS insisted on taking a jar of pesto). If they get their act together a group can agree to bring one item each for the main meal, so maybe cans of sweetcorn / tuna. They have to carry everything so it makes sense to all bring one thing.
Pasties / steakbakes are good for lunches - a bit heartier than sanwiches - but put them in an old ice cream tub so they don't get squashed. Options choc powder is good as only have to add water.
Be thinking of things that aren't heavy as those rucksucks are heavy enough as it is

Porridge oats with dried milk and sugar already mixed in

Primula cheese
Cheddars

Corned beef
Smash potato powder

Jamaica ginger cake / golden syrup cake
Dried custard powder (just add water type)

Mars bars

Nuts (if allowed) and kendal mint cake or similar for emergencies

Basically lots of calories, and you don't want to be carrying ANY extra liquid, sauces or packaging that you don't have too.

Split between group members and eat the same menu every day.

Everything needs to be able to be made with water, on one gas ring, in one pan (that you can also eat out of). Nothing that can be spoiled by squashing. Nothing specialist or expensive here.

@OnOldOlympus I think the DofE website gives some ideas too

Always helps to know from other people what works and what doesn't.

They should also have some food that will be emergency rations only.

Always useful to keep lunch/snacks in easy to access pockets in rucksack etc, so they can eat on the hoof and not have to stop and rummage in the rucksack to find something to eat.

I'd get rid of the rolls and the roast meat!

He should be putting it together.

Is it only one night? Then just a normal packed lunch, assume the communal meal is dinner so needs breakfast and snacks. Salami sticks / hard boiled egg/ John west tuna salad.

John west pasta salads. Food in pouches rather than tins, rice/pasta, stir in Dolmio sauces. Sweets for walking,

thanks.

he's taking tins of sardines!

My daughter took a quick cook pasta and a sachet of sauce but her friends had the boil in the bag stuff or pasta sachets with a dried sauce. Pepperami are good as they don't need the fridge.

My DD and DS all chose their own foods with v mixed results in terms of practicality.

^Ideas so far

1. apples and oranges
2. cereal bars for breakfast
3. high qualify ready meal in a pouch of some sort (have no idea!) ideally something you rehydrate for weight.
4. wholemeal bread rolls.
5. maybe some roast meat if not too hot (he doesn't eat cheese)^

Wouldn't bananas be more robust and calorie dense than apples and oranges? Also dried fruit and nuts. Fruit cake or malt loaf? Pot noodles or similar for the 'hot meal' aspect of it. It's only a weekend so he'll survive without healthy food for a couple of meals.

I'd also suggest that he comes up with his list, wouldn't this be part of the task anyway (I've no idea but would seem obvious to me that a pursuit that encourages young people to be independent and self sufficient wouldn't include 'get mum to provide a packed lunch' as part of it.

Mug shots would also be good.

If it's just the one night they should have one communal meal in their group which they have to heat, do something based on boiling water is ideal so they do one pan between them. A packed lunch for the first day, cereal bars and pepperamis for breakfast. It was cold when dd did hers so she took an auto heat meal for the second lunch that she could just add a little water to the bag and it heated itself. It was rainy and she appreciated it! Amazon sell them but so do some of the outdoors companies.

Some assessors do not rate "instant" food like mugshots and Pot noodles

Dried stuff is light but they have to carry the water to rehydrate it so it isn't necessarily a weight decrease overall.

Wasn't D of E but when I did fieldwork I used to like having a tray of flapjack, I'd just break off a piece when I wanted a snack.

Then again I wasn't the most conscientious student. You know the little cartons of orange and apple juice you can get? In Spain you can buy cartons like that but it's wine .

Yes - pot noodles and the like were a big no-no in my day. Even supernoodles. Not calorie-dense enough for the size/weight.

Even cereal bars were a bit of a no-no. Too sugary / no protein.

On my DoE (couple nights expedition) we lived off ‘pasta n sauce’, it was the 90s tho. Are they still available?!

Dd took
Pasta couscous tin fish eg tuna
Bagels as dont get squashed too much and last longer
Bananas squish apples better

www.dofe.org/shopping/eating-on-your-expedition/

Oh God, this brings back memories. Doing my Gold expedition up some hill somewhere. July 2000, good times 😬

No I get that about carrying water - but water is water and you can get it in lots of places.

Not much point carrying water that's part of a sauce / inside a piece of fruit / in with tuna when you can use any clean water to hydrate something else.

Plus as you drink water your load lightens.

Bloody hell, the assessors must be Mumsnetters.

In that case they need a huge salad with good quality lean protein like pulses, quinoa, hummus and maybe some chicken, but only if it can be kept chilled so you need cool packs for this. Can't be too careful with chicken.