Cheap festival food ideas for camping without cooking or refrigeration

[Totallybannanas]

We’re due to go away for four days to a festival and, unfortunately, BBQs aren’t allowed. They’ve even said no camping stoves because of the fire risk, although as it’s forecast to rain, I’ll probably still take my little single stove because I absolutely need a coffee in the morning! 😂
There’s also no electric hook-up. I know there will be food vendors there, but I’m trying to keep costs down as there seem to be so many hidden extras that quickly add up.
What food or easy meals would you recommend taking with us that don’t need much cooking or refrigeration? Looking for cheap, practical festival food ideas!

Pouches of ready cooked lentils, grains, etc. We like the tomatoey lentils from Lidl, but there are lots of options.

tinned tuna, sardines etc
tinned butter beans, tinned corn, to stir into rice.
tinned stuffed vine leaves or tinned aubergine pate
Bread, pita bread, will keep for a few days
Olive paste or jars of pesto to spread on bread or stir into your ready rice
peanut butter
marmite

fresh fruit will keep ok, tomatoes, lettuce, sugar snap peas, red peppers, baby sweetcorn don't need to be refrigerated

Baked beans, tinned ratatouille, tuna,

Apples

Cheese and crackers
Fruit, olives, pickles
pastes in jars
Ready cooked bulgar wheat or couscous, it will keep fine for a couple of days, eat that first
Preserved meats will last, packets of pepperami etc
Hotdogs you can eat cold and not cook and they'll be ok in their jars.
Have a big greek salad for breakfast, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, feta, black olives, houmous (will keep ok out of the frdge for a day) and flat breads.

Pepperami doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge at all I don’t think? There was a programme on it. Otherwise you can have cereal, bread, rolls, wraps, salad, crisps, nuts, chocolate of all kinds, croissants, scotch pancakes, fruit, crackers, uht milk. If you are having boiling water for coffee then that also opens up pot noodles/ramen or even quick cook pasta, and instant porridge pots.

its going to be a struggle for meals but there are self heating meals!

I mean pies and pasties and patties were literally made for self preservation, its meat in a cupboard, a pastry cupboard.

Also it could be worth thinking about those full meal replacement things, like Huel milkshakes or bars as they don’t need refrigeration

Wow there's actually loads!

Look at the Merchant Gourmet type pouches of flavoured lentils, beans, couscous etc. Lots of those work cold. You could add tinned mackerel or sardines if you can be bothered. Or

Take cooked pasta with a bit of olive oil stirred through to stop it sticking, plus a jar of pesto and a jar of olives, sundried tomatoes, some pine nuts or whatever to add then so you can make pasta salad.

Breakfasts are easy, cereal bars, bread, brioche, croissants etc.

I'd also take nuts, seeds and dried fruit for snacks/to add interest to meals.

I wonder how many of the wildfires have been caused by some selfish git thinking the rules don’t apply to them.

If you take a good cool box with several ice packs and open it as little as possible it will stay cold for a couple of days. So you could take some things like salad things and ready made pouches for one of the first meals, add a tin of tuna. You can have cheese and fresh milk for the first few days then swop to UHT.
Peanut butter and banana is good for sandwiches.

Potato tortillas https://www.ocado.com/products/unearthed-spinach-spanish-omelette/475152011

Don't take your single stove. Don't be THAT person. Have you not read the news lately.

https://5minutestodelhi.co.uk/collections/bundles these are so good! Just add hot water

Vermicelli pasta or other fast cook pasta.
Those dolmio stir in sauce pots.
Tubs of grated parmesan keep better than blocks of cheese.

Yeah agree with this. If they are saying no stoves, they mean no stoves, even small ones just for you morning coffee. Could you take some iced coffee bottles of instead?

Yeah don’t take your stove thinking it’s fine because it’s only for coffee ffs. Take some tins of ready made coffee in a cool box, or buy one from a van. £4 a day to save you setting the campsite on fire is probably worth it tbh.

I've seen a few festivals now change thr advice again now we have had a bit of rain,to stoves that must be off the ground by at least 18 inches (but no bbqs, obv)
So worth a check.

We were able to make coffee, and took a frozen Chilli and curry. Rice pouches. Obviously didn't leave stove unattended. Had water and fire blanket. And it was allowed before you All jump.....

If your taking a cooker for coffee you can warm a tin of soup.
hot water in a pot noodle or pot pastas

Some festivals that have banned cooking are having central hot water points instead so that’s worth checking as it opens up noodle pots cup-a-soup, cous cous sachets etc.

On another note would anyone really eat cold lentils and sardines 🤮