You can still get them in Oz supermarkets - canned meals.
These were a staple in Vietnam era Australian army ration packs.
(Usually they contained 3 cans, the canned main meal, a canned desert - peaches, pears, or two fruits) and a small can of cheese.
The cheese can was often modified with a can opener to make a smaller, lighter stove to use with the hexy tablets).
I keep a couple of cans of the harvest meals in the pantry - my wife doesn't like them - I love 'em - maybe because they bring back powerful memories?
[imgur]https://dtgxwmigmg3gc.cloudfront.net/im ... 5e5dc9af32[/imgur]
https://mansfieldiga.com.au/search?dd=1 ... ers-canned
Civilian canned meals (as used in 70s Aus ratpacks).
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carlosflar
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Re: Civilian canned meals (as used in 70s Aus ratpacks).
How did the cheese can to stove work?
I have Spanish rations permanently, feel free to ask 
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Interested in: International rations,medical items, emergency kits and other
YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/carlosflar
Re: Civilian canned meals (as used in 70s Aus ratpacks).
I can't find any 'net sources to support this, but anecdotally - "reasonably well".
(I'd say depending on each stove - it only had to support the mess tin or dixie, or can you were heating and allow air to get to the hexy tablet. The cooking utensils would have been the Aus Army (very similar to Brit Army) nesting rectangular mess tins, 'cup, canteen' (which was the same as the US cup that your canteen came nested in), or a can of food.
The main aim was to reduce the weight and size of the gear you carried - so the hexy stove, and usually one of the mess tins was dispensed with.
You could probably make quite a good esbit/hexy stove these days out of a tuna or cat food can.