Canadian IMP 2013 Menu #17 Lamb & Vegetable Stew

[BTemple]

Just started getting into buying, trying and reviewing rations back in April, slowly finding ways to buy some easily online.
Managed to get my hands on some Canadian IMP's, which even though I live in Canada, are next to impossible to buy in any general sporting goods or camping shop.

First such one I'll be reviewing is the Navarin Lamb IMP from 2013.


It shows an expiry date of 2017 but I'm led to believe that this was added commercially at some point, not by the DND.

Interesting having the commercially packed chocolate bars in the IMP, similar to American MRE's.... but one issue seems to be chocolate oxidization and general breakdown of the individual bar, especially with regards to the taste of nougat and nuts. The US MRE's usually only include chocolate snacks like M&M's or Reese's Pieces, which have a hard candy shell that doesn't really oxidize over a reasonable amount of time.

I'm a High School teacher but I've never actually drank a cup of coffee in my entire life, and if I do drink tea from time to time I only drink it black, so I always end up with a pile of accessories left over... this IMP being no exception.

Really love the Dr. Oetker sports drinks in the IMP's, I find them not as sickly sweet as the US drink mixes. This Ice flavoured one was an odd mix of fruit punch and blue raspberry. It was refreshing though, albeit an odd combination to go with the entree.

Speaking of the entree, it was perhaps one of the best, if not THE best entree I have had thus far in any ration. The addition of lamb adds a slightly more complex taste and different texture compared to beef, and I actually prefer it. The vegetables seem to have the same general taste and consistency of any canned stew or soup.

Canadian IMP bread is miles ahead of US Wheat Snack Bread... hands down. It actually looks, smells and tastes like bread; within reason. The addition of the slightly dense peanut butter just took it to another level. Using it as a vehicle to transport the Navarin to your mouth was great as well.

The applesauce was good, no complaints about it, you could certainly pick up the taste of raspberry, but it wasn't bitter or overpowering.

Lastly, the Almond Snickers was oxidized slightly, but even that amount was enough to degrade the flavour of the nougat and almonds.... these chocolate bars in their original packaging just aren't up to the task of staying 100% over the span of 3 or 4 years.

That's all for now, hope everyone has a good one!

[parafireboy]

Great review and pics! The drinks are great, for sure! That's one of my big issues with US rations, the beverages tend to be way over-the-top sweet for my liking. The bread is awesome, you're right! I've had three IMPs now, and they've all been top-notch. Thanks for sharing!

[BTemple]

I was lucky enough to grab the 5 I had from a guy in Quebec. Gundog on YouTube actually put me on to the guy selling them. Hopefully he'll have some more in the near future, I'd love to try some of the more recent ones.

[Scotsman1984]

Glad to see you posting in here Brent. With description like that you would be perfect at doing a video.

Bazz

[BTemple]

Thanks Barry! It's guys like you and Steve and Kiwidude and gshulutz and gundog who got me into this whole thing!

[BlackDogBob]

Great review! Thanks for posting!