Food for expedition

[TickingAlongNicely]

Dd (teenager) will need food for the following meals, I'm helping with her meal plan.
They are carrying the lot, no fridges, but its Yorkshire in October so not hot!

Saturday
Lunch, snacks and dinner
Breakfast and lunch

They will have access to cook the dinner and breakfast if wanted (dinner must be hot).

Lunch... day 1 is easy, normal packed lunch. Day 2... what sandwich fillings will be ok?

Snacks... shes made flapjack, and will get her preferred fruit, biscuits etc

Dinner... our starting point is a pouch of flavoured rice. But will need some protein. (She will probably add a tin of veg too)

Breakfast... needs something substantial.

They are walking 20 miles. Carrying everything but the tent and cooking equipment.

Cured meats like a chorizo ring would be fine. Or just a block of cheese like cheddar for lunch the next day on bread/wrap/roll etc, fruit etc.

If she doesn't mind carrying tins, baked beans on the rice could work. Or even beans and sausages in a tin. Could top with some of her cheese. If she can carry a small insulated lunch box, she could take burgers to cook, with any salad things to go with it and rolls etc.

Breakfast - cereal with small box of long life milk/oat milk. Or toast - decant peanut butter/jam/whatever. Opr those pre-made pancakes/waffles she can heat up there. If she's done burgers the night before, she could have beans for breakfast too - helps to make it a bit more substantial.

She could take some fresh fruit but it's bulky and tricky so I'd recommend suggesting she take some dried fruit as well - it's a useful snack, easy to carry, adds some freshness etc.

Look in the world food aisle for pouches of shelf stable curry and rice, they are perfect for the dinner. Take a porridge pot that you add hot water to for breakfast or just those breakfast bars, for day two lunch just think flapjacks, fruit, I always take fruit cake myself. Canned tuna plus sachet of mayo and rolls works if they want to make lunch

Don't take cans, they weigh a ton. Look for pouches or dehydrated foods. Supermarkets open do breakfast in a pouch, they can be good, same for beans etc. alternatively the rice pouch, plus cured meat that doesn't need to be refrigerated, cheese, dehydrated veggie burger mix is easy if veggie

Oh, for breakfast I make porridge pouches, scoop of porridge, scoop of milk power in small zip.lock bags. Can add cinnamon/dried fruit if you like, into my, hot water, stir and sit-super easy and light. Can add a spoon of jum/Nutella I'd you have single serve pots.

Cup a soup is good for warm snacks, or paste shots as just need hot water and a mug.

I believe that the hot meal needs to be more than adding boiling water to a packet, so pot noodles are out, but pasta with a stir-in sauce is ok.

If the weather is going to be bad, consider self-heating meals ( not for the main 'cooked' dinner). They aren't cheap but when you have trudged for 4 hours in bouncing rain on the second day an easy warm dish is a real morale booster. DS recommends the potato and chicken curry one. You need 50ml of your water ration to make the mechanism work but it takes 10 minutes to get the meal to a comfortable eating temperature and the packets include the spork.

Thanks for ideas. (This isn't Duke of Edinburgh, but similar idea... the participants are 12 and 13yo)

DD has come up with
Sat: Lunch pasta salad (made at home), apple. Go ahead bar.
Snacks: Flapjack, rice cakes
Dinner: Pouch of rice, sweetcorn, cooked chicken.

Sunday
Breakfast: Porridge pot, fruit.
Lunch: Cheese wrap, fruit.

They won't have hot water at lunch times.

DS used instant noodles for bulky carbs at dinner and added some extras to make them more substantial and nutritious.

Both of our children did D of E one is the Pyrenees and in The Lakes
The top tips they give for food.
Boots must be well worn as they last thing you want is blisters, if they are new try to wear them around the house for a few weeks then outside as much as possible.
First aid and know how to use it Burn gel and plasters usually do it. Power pack for the phone.
Wipes for hand cleaning, Disposable gloves should they need an outdoor No2
Tin opener one each you can get tiny military folding ones.
Take a small flask each they can then have a hot drink at lunch time as its October it can be cold and wet. Remember as you have a flask full of warm water heating times are reduced.
Anything in a tin can be eaten straight from it as its cooked.
Some of the Pouched ready meals are nice some ore not, Daughter used too just eat the puddings as its about getting calories in them not long term nutrition.
Dry Bag, Good quality one will keep your clothes and sleeping bag dry.
Get the Aldi Protein Porridge pot as its more filling
Tin of Hot Dogs, Pitta bread and Ketchup went down very well. and its the only tin you would take.
Pasta I think its Dolmeo who sell it ready cooked in a pouch and small jars of sauce aimed at small children but ideal for this.
If you can track it down you can get Nutella style Chocolate spread in a toothpaste tube, instant energy.
The Flap Jack is a great idea. Boiled sweets, when they start to flag and feel a bit tired and down eat one and the sugar picks you up.
When they stopped walking one person immediately gets the stove on and boils water / preps food, so by the time the waters hot / food warm the tent should be up.
I would also recommend a few practice cooks in the garden to see exactly what they need. Every one in the party has a job to do at camp, check each others kit so nothing is left behind. I assume it's school? If they are using Trangia stoves don't bother, buy or borrow a Jet Boil, much quicker they are designed for heating food / water up very quickly no good for cooking but your food just needs to be warm, just sell it on after.