Touring food

[ultraburner]

As soon as wee Jimmy Krankie says I'm free to roam and she opens the campsites I'd like to go round the NC500.

I have my gas powered trangia and I'm a dab hand and boil in the bag rice but I hoped that you fine experienced folk might impart some food tips.

What are your staples?

What do you take foodwise?

What do you cook?

Many thanks in advance.

[Cyril Haearn]

Porridge of course

[Thehairs1970]

Quick cook pasta. Throw in a good lump of pate once drained and stir.

[severs1966]

Instant noodles, the best are "Doll" brand, "Mama" brand, "Indomie" brand, and "Nongshim" brand. The flat "block" type, not the "cup" type.

And lots of muesli.

[simonhill]

Edit, cross posted.

Packets of instant noodles are good. Cook in 4 mins with 'flavouring' sachet. Only about 25p in budget supermarkets.

I do a stir fry version, where I fry a few veg first, put on plate while I cook the noodles.Then add veg to noodles and stir. You can add meat stuff if you wish. You could boil veg first in noodle water if you don't want to fry, or even raw.

25p, plus cost of veg all done in under 10 mins.

Tinned sardines in tomato sauce are useful, small and light as protein 'in gravy'.

[ultraburner]

All valid points, keep them coming!

[Jumbosausage]

Vacuum wrapped gnocchi is cheap, versatile, a ton of carbs and cooks in a flash.
Obviously you can take it in any direction you fancy but a dead simple one I enjoy is simply stirring in blue cheese and halved cherry tomatoes once cooked.

[Paulatic]

I carry plenty of oats and dried noodles and a bar of chocolate for desert.

You do realise Wee Jimmy Krankie you refer to wasn’t popular enough to become First Minister took the hump and won’t help you one iota.

[ossie]

Pasta

Couscous

Tuna / sliced sausage

Then I Just lob in anything else I have hanging around in the pannier including peanuts I always have a heavy loaf on the go, one of those cheese things and rip pieces from that as well, usually lasts a few days.

Red wine to help it go down and choccie for desert

[keithg]

You’re probably going to be shopping en route from small stores in places like Durness and Bettyhill where your choice will be a bit...er, restricted from a culinary point of view so that may well be the biggest factor in your meal choices.
I’d take along small amounts of herbs and chilli to add flavour to the instant dreck available.
Cheese is almost always available and adds tons of umami and calories too.
I’m afraid it’s a bad year for midges so some evenings, you might want to eat in your tent with the door closed. Hopefully many evenings you’ll get a breeze to keep the midges down a bit.
Fish and chips and bar meals are a good way to refuel indoors when the midges are too bad.
Have fun!

[iandriver]

Things that are small such as small pieces of pasta where you bring it to the boil from cold water with the pasta in and set aside to cook in a background heat while you warm a sauce.

Tin of potatoes and tinned peas and carrots in the same pot to warm. Drain water a stir in a cubed tin of corned beef is an old favourite of mine ( brown sauce optional but highly recommend). Works with all sorts of tinned items such as stewing steak in gravy.

Rice pudding with dried fruit, the breakfast of kings (well, I like it).

[whoof]

There's a few staples I carry. A small container of olive oil, pepper, salt, chilli flakes, some ketchup sachets, small bottle sweet chilli sauce and a small bag of curry powder.
Meals:
Chickpea Curry
Fry some onion, garlic and ginger then add curry powder. A little water a few ketchup sachets, some salt and a drained can of chickpeas. Simmer for a few minutes. Serve with 'microwave' rice sachet. Cook by adding a small amount (a few mm deep) of water to a pan, bring to boil add rice, stir and when water has been absorbed turn off heat, put lid on and leave for about 1-2 minutes.

Dahl
Again fry some onion, garlic, ginger then some curry powder and a few chilli flakes. Then either a jar or tin of cooked lentils. Often with pitta bread. To heat these I turn the gas as low as it will go. Drape my wind shield over the stove and then put the pittas on this giving each side about a minute.

Wraps.
Fry some veg, usually peppers and mushrooms. Cook some rice ( see above) or couscous. Warm some wraps (see pittas). Fill wraps with veg, rice, salsa (jar), yogurt (Greek best, have the rest with fruit for desert) and sweet chilli sauce.

Spanish omelette
Slice a few new potatoes and boil. Fry onion and peppers. Add potatoes and crack in a few eggs then top with cheese.

Edit. I also use the pitta warming technique for warming supermarket petit pan au chocolat for breakfast. It heats the pastry but leaves the chocolate still a bit cool so a nice texture.

Edit edit. For a quick starter. If I've got a bit of bread left over from lunch that's gone a bit crusty. Rub this with a garlic clove, toast it over the stove flame and drizzle with olive oil.

[foxyrider]

I've tried touring on a diet of noodles, cup a soup etc - for me it didn't last a day before i went searching for more palatable and nutritious fare Don't get me wrong, i always carry some with me as emergency fall back but you can do better.

Black rye bread, the stuff that looks like a brick, is brilliant for sandwiches, it keeps well and takes up little space, take along some spread of choice, margarine keeps better than butter IME, sliced cheese/meat, maybe individual jams/pate. So far you don't even need to light the stove! For main meals i keep it simple, even a Scottish petrol station will have tinned beans, soup etc, get them as go along, maybe carry enough for two days but keep topped up as opportunity arises.

The vac packed gnochi/ravioli works but its quite heavy/bulky, a trip to your local German owned supermarket will supply an assortment of other vac packed dishes too if weight/space isn't an issue. I have tried the expensive 'expedition' meals, i found them bland, insufficient and unappealing.

If there is an option not to self cater, at least the evening meal, i'll take it, it doesn't have to be extravagant, chips, bowl of soup, pizza etc but its important you feel sated and that its providing fuel. I may well supplement breakfast with a pot of joghurt for added variety. If you fancy eggs, buy a box and cook them all before travelling - you aren't worried about them breaking then. and don't forget to treat yourself, sweeties, cake, bar of choccy, they'll lift your spirits when you are in tent lockdown!

On some tours my stove has literally only been used for hot drinks but i wouldn't plan on that

[ultraburner]

Excellent tips and tricks here!

[bohrsatom]

With a Trangia you can be Raymond Blanc if you choose!

Just go for food which is reasonably quick to cook. I'm a big fan of sausages - get some chipolatas, slice them lengthways in half, fry for a few minutes each side then put them in a roll/baguette whilst you fry off an egg. Good for breakfast or tea!

Or take some pasta - quick cook is good - boil it and throw in some veg towards the end (asparagus, mange tout, etc). Add a pot of pesto (you can buy individual serve pots from Tesco) and bob's your uncle.

I recommend taking at least small pot of salt and pepper, and I also bring a pot of "mixed seasoning" which is herbes de provence and chilli flakes in equal measure. A pinch brightens up any dish. (I store mine in Systema "Dressing to Go" pots which will nest inside the Trangia, you can buy a set for a few quid). A small nalgene bottle is a good way to store cooking oil, it'll nest in the Trangia too.