DoE food recommendations, pot noodle not allowed

[Batceanera]

Does anyone please have any ideas for reasonably priced food which can be heated up for Duke of Edinburgh' trips. I'd rather it be vacuum packed than dried because it will be easier to cook. Meals will need to heated in boiling water (I think).

DC can be fussy and I am not worried about eating really healthily, they do that at home. They can take apples, they don't really eat crisps and will drink water.

Amazon sell chicken and rice food packs, they are very expensive. Maybe a tin of curry and a pack of rice would do for a meal?

The Asda meals are £1.50 and Lidl had cooked rice you just fry or boil briefly for 39p

Pasta and sauce. We used to get the ready made pasta from the tinned aisle (but it doesn't actually come in tins) and a sauce that wasn't in tins. Tins just add extra weight you don't want.

One thing to thing about is the camping stoves don't have unlimited gas, if there's 4 of them wanting to cook a 20 min meal on it each, it's going to run out of gas quickly. It would be best if they could share meals, i.e as others have said put all pasta in together, it's going to be quicker and easier.

My daughter took a pasta in a sandwich bag and a pot of stir in sauce. Cereal bars.

A lot of kids do the wayfarer food tbh. Costly I know but best we have found.

Also lidl have tinned stews if you can't get the vacpac foods

@Batceanera I'm absolutely not supposed to talk to other parents or teachers. Are you able to clarify what you mean by this?

My dd took Jamie Oliver curried chickpeas and a pita bread.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/jamie-oliver-incredible-curried-chickpeas-250g?utmmedium=cpc&catalogId=10241&productId=610274&utmmcampaign=15424330555&storeId=10151&gclid=CjwKCAjwuYWSBhByEiwAKdnnu99vD98Y6gj6wr15fLA5D4j3TnVzZ1D9F19p5d6f20kOAKA-saslhoC46IQAvDBwE&langId=44&utmm_source=Google&krypto=VsQvbC2zexcPQwsVNOuANC5Fhenc1PLiw0iko0ha2n0jb6y3MgNhAx61crNhPCgCMDHRSkB9OCP8XdFcfnxsDW70S3rWsRYJ2eotd4n31X%2Fs8TfFOuHPz2F9%2FnsAFpZNXlwt7BF6q9o893PRsCr36GKNMjw2CX4C8joZfQxtnc5O47g%2FyqubhyLmIDGf%2B1Vg8J1BEk9m5OrHHLsjvT0A2MxxrJXsTTYQeC6KzD2%2B7Id01AVbNfTg%2BuLi8Wr6EnqcT2j4WsdBDGEZdhTdGJdkMbbvBqUfhGd79FePZGbAWmY5myK4eNKjFVp%2BjKujP23BvgcwdZ9W5%2FDGQRYfnoFqC3dzHpHsp85Y73LWVeyIZ6WDIGRVPtSkzUaodQGpT6z%2F1hm6Sgu%2FqPc7VYBkKtr20LDCVvNW07CEFyTDCq2Fm36VG9dGcx2FiQqn%2FV0jZ5NExhwW4DeIdrZ%2FxLRGX7hRD%2BChB2gFf0rnEl%2FkfxsrXH4%2BE1G58xaX9EFcEgaIsw43E%2B8JhhAmS2Qiw0A2F8f7CQ%3D%3D&ddkey=https%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fjamie-oliver-incredible-curried-chickpeas-250g

You get a vacuum packed sausage that’s just in the aisle so doesn’t need refrigerated got it in Morrison’s. Then it was pasta sauce thing to go with it .

This is what dd took camping last year, she's vegetarian though. Lidl 99p

The school/scouts normally have the group kit like the stoves and tents to lend to the students.

I see crackers are listed on recommended food lists for DofE and hiking activities. (To bulk up cuppa soups and stews) Do they literally mean Jacob's Cream Crackers or something else?

My child is doing Bronze this year o

@Batceanera

Thanks for your responses.

They are away two days and one night. The vacuum packed meals are at least £5 each, which seems really expensive for what they are.

Rice pouches could be cooked and reheated. They have been recommended dried food you add water to and boil. They will not eat them.

Having "done" three expeditions (not personally, the dc's!) it's the £5-£10 ready vacuum packed meals that are the winner. basecampfood.com/collections/d-of-e-recommended-meals-and-stoves This one got rave reviews basecampfood.com/products/real-turmat-pulled-pork-with-rice?_pos=2&_sid=bde21bc44&_ss=r

One also made pasta sauce for the first night for 6 and another took the pasta, which was cheaper.

DD took a portion of dried pasta and a plastic pouch of pasta sauce. Cooked on the stove and sauce stirred through. Pudding was custard - just add boiling water, with dried apple.

Tins are far too heavy when you have a tent, stove, sleeping bag etc already.

Stoves were supplied by the school.

^My child is doing Bronze this year and we are asked to support them.

they reccommend a 60 quid cooking stove? W the actual F?

Stoves are usually supplied by the school or the organisation that the kids are doing D of E through. Same as tents - kids aren't expected to buy their own. DS did his silver award kayaking rather than walking and wasn't expected to buy a kayak - the local council has a central "library" of all that sort of equipment which is borrowed by schools.

Weight wasn't so much of an issue with kayaking and the kids collaborated in small groups. Some decided that they would take a meal each, others would share out ingredients. We did send the packs for Go Outdoors for breakfasts. The Wayfarer brand, and they get a discount with a D of E card. For dinner they had pasta and sauce two nights running. And LOTS of snacks.

Also expeditions follow a "leave no trace" ethos and who wants to be carrying around empty tins? An empty plastic pouch or similar weighs practically nothing.

[quote erinaceus]@Batceanera I'm absolutely not supposed to talk to other parents or teachers. Are you able to clarify what you mean by this?[/quote]
I presumed this was a mandate from OP’s teenager who would find this embarrassing rather than the school!

I take summit to eat freeze dried meals on back packing trips. They are a bit pricy, but you can usually find a discount code. They are really lightweight, just add boiling water and stir and they are very tasty. I prefer them to the wayfarer (already hydrated) meals.

@Batceanera

Thanks for your responses.

They are away two days and one night. The vacuum packed meals are at least £5 each, which seems really expensive for what they are.

Rice pouches could be cooked and reheated. They have been recommended dried food you add water to and boil. They will not eat them.

My brother was very fussy about what he would eat at home. He was in the Scouts and then Venture scouts. He ate all sorts of food he would never have eaten at home. Honestly Op once he has yomped miles across some hillside in the pouring rain he will willingly eat a scabby dog. Camping shops sell the vacuum packed,just add boiling water,meals. He will need something he can deal with very quickly. Crisps are very good as an instant snack whilst the water for his other stuff is boiling.

My dc took quick cook pasta that only takes a couple of minutes to boil. Plus sauce in a sachet and frankfurters.

They sort the food not you ;)

Tins are heavy

Take bacon (the preservatives in that actually don't need refrigerator) the plastic cartons of beans bread rolls cheese , biscuits , pasta. tin of meatballs in tomato

My DS took normal packed lunch for first day, those filled chocolate pancakes for breakfast the next day and billtong, wraps, pepperami and cheese strings for lunch the second. He had other snacks including peanut M&Ms for energy.

He also took instant rice for tea, although the same group are not allowing it this year and chocolate pudding in a vac bag which came back uneaten. I wouldn't bother with pudding unless it's a requirement. It's expensive (well the expedition ones are) and heavy and they might be too tired and want to get off their feet to make it.

They are also meant to carry their own water. 2 litres. My DSs pack was really heavy and he only got his food, sleeping bag, shared equipment and clean socks out of it! Could have left half of it at home.

When my son did his DofE he took tinned stew and beans with sausages as they had a campfire and pans. He also took proper butchers sausages for frying the first morning!! His logic was that as he got more tired, by eating the tinned stuff the backpack would become lighter .

And yes he remembered a tin opener!

They normally have to take snacks and emergency rations as well, I’m always amazed there is any room in his bag for anything else once the food is in there! Anything left over normally gets scoffed in the car on the way home

The reason you are not supposed to talk to other parents or teachers is probably because the kids should be organising this themselves, as part of the award.

Ravioli and sauce
Beans and quick cook rice

Are two options that are easy.

They have to 'cook' at least one meal a day which involves combining ingredients, otherwise whatever is light is fine.
I always thought that taking dried foods was a false economy on weight because they still have to carry the water to rehydrate it.
By the time my youngest went through we had discovered self heating meals so as well as the compulsory 'cooked' meal she had some additional hot food. Her silver was over a long weekend with grim weather so she really appreciated the chance to have warm food regularly (something to warm your hands on if nothing else!).