BRITISH 24-HR RATION COMPONENTS - A JOURNEY

[SugarLord]

Hi, I have recently scored some UK rations - some complete 24hr boxes - some separate items. And, well, I'm working my way through them!

First off, from Menu 7 I tried the Beef Bolognese and pasta shells - for breakfast (I was hungry and they sounded nice).

A quick set up of my cheap but efficient camping stove and soon it was boiling away.

I used the cooking water to brew up and to wash up later.

This meal was very hearty, I'm a big chap, but it was more than enough. The flavour? One to savour. Delicious, the beef mince was very rich and tasty, bursting with tangy bits and the pasta was firm enough and didn't dominate the overall texture of the meal.

The only thing missing was a good hunk of crusty bread to mop up the sauce afterwards! But I have yet to find any of that in a ration pack...

I notice that the other meal from Menu 7 is also a pasta dish, which is a little unimaginative, though if of a similar quality, I might not complain.

[Name_not_found]

thanks for sharing , cant wait to see more

[sourwes]

Thx for sharing...looking forward to your next review...

[BlackDogBob]

Very nice. Looking forward to more.

[elandil]

Great review.

Closest to a crusty bread is the Bread/Pain thats in the Canadian IMPs. Not bad, better if heated/toasted.

[SugarLord]

Closest to a crusty bread is the Bread/Pain thats in the Canadian IMPs. Not bad, better if heated/toasted.

OK - now I have to find that too.

Jacobs - the UK company that makes the historic 'Cream Crackers' has just started doing 'Ciabatta Crackers' - these are very crunchy and resilient - would be a great accompaniment to any Ratpack meal IMHO.

With that in mind I tried an entree from the UK 24 HR Ration Menu number 15 (Issued Feb 2014) - Chilli Con Carne with a separate Plain Rice sachet.

Here they are in the pot.



I gave them a bit more time cooking as it was a very hot day, so after fifteen minutes of cooking I poured them out onto the plate.



I had a sundry mini bottle of tabasco standing by, in case it wasn't to my taste of hotness, but I am pleased to report the chilli was quite spicy (too much for my wife) just right for me. The rice was firm and not at all overcooked.

This really tasted like a proper meal and not a preprepared one, there was none of the overuse of sugar or salt that is sometimes present in the general aftertaste - the portion size was very big, it took some finishing and a snooze afterwards!

I would be very happy to get this in the field.

[housil]

That looks like a loooot of foot and we have the same plates

[SugarLord]

That looks like a loooot of foot and we have the same plates

Nice. We always take them camping as they are large, light, stackable with small volume and you can use them as makeshift frisbees.

From the same ration pack 'MINCE PIE'



It doesn't look like much, flat, fairly unyielding, a slight cinnamon smell, not at all how I remember my Mum's mince pies.



Once torn open, the smell is more like a mince pie and you can see the gleam of the currants and sultanas inside.



All in all, a nice sweet snack, though it tastes much more like a Hot Cross Bun, than a mince pie. An association even more aided by the fact that the 'pastry' is like a sweet kind of bread and not at all flaky or crumbly. Quite a good idea if eating on the move.

As Greg Wallace is always saying, "Give me a cup of tea, and I'd finish the lot!"

(In fact, I did!)

[parafireboy]

Good review! That UK chili is good, indeed! I've only had it once, but I was impressed. Thanks for sharing!

[SugarLord]

Next up The Vegetarian all day breakfast.

I do not know which Ration pack issue these come from, but I bought a whole load of these for a family camping holiday recently (The kids love them and since my Daughter is a vegetarian, they worked out really well.

First off, into the boiling pot for ten minutes - I always cook packs for at least this long, turning the bag to evenly cook the whole pack.


Then poured out into the lid for a preheated bowl!


Now, let me say right now that I usually do not like baked beans of any kind. But these 'Rat-Pack' beans are delicious. In fact, this whole breakfast is amazing. You get the beans, not too hard or soft, but perfect. The tomato sauce is not at all overpowering and complements all the items in the breakfast. Then slices of egg omelette, a mild flavour but good texture. Vegetarian smoked ham, this is not too salty and is like canned ham even with the same fibrous texture. The Sausages are superb, a firm and herby mix that just tastes like a meat sausage. In fact they taste better than the meat sausages in other meat based menus!

This is really the first 'Rat-Pack' item that we have decided to keep a stock of all the time. A real winner!