Bikepacking Gourmet (show me your recipes)

[HaYWiRe]

Right, I'm a lover of food, and occasionally take way to much cooking kit with me just to spend time cooking up the hills

Show me your foodstuffs!

From a 3 course meal on a meths stove, your cowboy morning brew, to the trail mix that fuels your riding.
I mostly live off of a mix of muesli bars, cereal and crackers for riding, mixed with the odd cycling gel (its an acquired taste)

Camp meal usually means something pasta based, fresh tortellini or Ravioli is always welcome,topped with cheese and cured sausages for fat. carbonara was on the list until I destroyed a pot by burning it.....oops

And I know some of you love your coffee, but I never ride without a small bottle of diet coke stashed away, mostly for moral

Bonus points to anyone with a recipe low in sugar and caffeine
The two big energy sources are useless for us, so bring on the fat!

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've been known to enjoy the occasional cold bacon butty, especially if it's only a one nighter

Pita bread works well and cheese can be added as required.

[whitestone]

For trail food I often use wraps with a dryish bean or fish stew filling plus cheese and salad. Wrap in foil and put in to a freezer bag and they will be fine for a two day ride.

[Ray Young]

Breakfast - variations on porridge or muesli made with powdered milk, cereal bars, sandwiches, fruit.
Whilst riding - mixed nuts, cereal bars, energy gels (up to six a day, generally taken before or during a big climb) bananas, apples, sandwiches, macaroni cheese pie's (could be a Scottish thing), pasties, cheese.
Evening - usually "pasta n sauce" with something added like pepperami or chorizo. Instant custard with cereal bars or biscuits added.
I don't bother with hot drinks in the evening/morning.
Shop stops - milk, isotonic drink, coca cola, energy drink (not red bull, it's disgusting in my opinion), cake, coffee.

For water I used to use a filter but found it hard to suck through and as a consequence did not drink enough. I now use a 660 ml bottle and add chlorine tablets.

[HaYWiRe]

Next on my 'to get' list is a lightweight frying pan,should open up some opportunities. might not be as hardcore as a boil in the bag but frying sausages, eggs, even French toast sounds very appealing

[Ray Young]

The problem I find with frying stuff is that it is hard to wash the greasy residue off afterwards unless you carry detergent. Just more stuff to carry in my opinion.

[HaYWiRe]

The problem I find with frying stuff is that it is hard to wash the greasy residue off afterwards unless you carry detergent. Just more stuff to carry in my opinion.

Paper soap leaf and a tiny scourer, just add water to the leaves, only a few drops and scrub. Works wonders :)
Aslong as you don't leave it too long it does a great job, the pack of soap weighs 22g and the size of a £2 coin. Also useful for general washing of hands in streams

This is speaking from experience of destroying many camping pots to grease,cheese,bbq sauce,tikka curry.....um...

[GregMay]

I think my most famous meal has been two cans of Coke, a 500g tub of Ben and Jerries Pish Food, a 250g block of cheese and four cheap white bread rolls. I am lactose intolerant. It was during the HTR and I was bonking rather spectacularly. My body gave me a hug and used all the fuel it could without repercussions.

I'm very much in the grab and go camp - I don't think I've ever carried a stove in 5 years and definitely never when going fast and light - or racing as some call it. But, that is from my years of Alpine climbing when the only time we took a stove was when we knew we'd have to bivi and melt snow - that was all. I think I'm one of the lucky few who can more or less cram anything in and it more or less works. Total deviation from my normal plant based diet to an All I Can Get diet has never been caused any GI issues - even when just filling up on Babybel and Peparami...mmmm junk food.

If I we're to do carry a stove...I'd probably just use it for brews as I'm happy enough keeping spare space for food to carry with me.

[benp1]

I could definitely survive without a stove, but I enjoy it more with one

I find hot food warming for both body and soul and hot drinks more so

My gourmet meals aren't really that gourmet

For the Ford Fiesta this year we had Filet steaks for dinner with single malt and rum, then bacon sarnies for breakkie. That was pretty nice actually...!

[Scattamah]

One of my faves is what I call "dog food"...essentially I prepare at home 1/2 kilo mix of penne, sauce, pesto, diced raw scotch bonnet (x2 when it's cold) and more recently, chopped spinach. When it's all mixed together, pour into a ziplock, pop the lot into a 2nd ziplock for protection. Eat cold with a spoon. The peppers will warm you up even though the food/weather is cold. Good for 2 servings or 1 if you're properly hungry.

Greetz

S.

[whitestone]

As far as I'm aware, there's little if any calorific difference between warm/hot food and cold food. There is a psychological difference though. There's also whether something is edible or palatable: cold curry is fine; cold chinese take away is not.

[benp1]

Cold noodles - OK
Cold rice - bad
Cold curry - no thanks
Cold pizza - stonking
Cold kebab - doner bad, shish good

[HaYWiRe]

I find I'm both end of the spectrum,
I can quite happily live off cold food, its quicker, no stove and no real moral loss there
Whenever I do cook I like to make the most with a well thought out "kitchen" and the weight is shared between my partner and I, that's not for calories but the enjoyment of trying to cook on such a tiny scale, we could spend hours messing around


A few other foods I've recently started enjoying is tinned mackerel or tuna, granted the tins heavy and no calories but great for protein and oils, tastes nice too

She mostly lives off of sweets and sandwiches, although I once took with me sugar free chocolate...
Well...untill it melted into a drybag

And nothing is more cliche to cycling than a French baguette strapped to the back,keeps me ticking anyway

[deft punk]

The problem I find with frying stuff is that it is hard to wash the greasy residue off afterwards unless you carry detergent.

If you're the fire building type throw some ashes into the pan. That grease becomes soap.

[Yorlin]

Just let the fry-pan cool a bit, then lick it.

[Dave Barter]

My recipe is this:-

open Ainsley Harriott Cous Cous
pour in water
wait as long as possible (usually 45 seconds)
eat

[Ray Young]

I was in Minch Moor bothy last night and hadn't taken a cooker. Got there and found loads of packet soup, packet noodles, 4 bags of crisps, 4 army ration meals (not dehydrated and could be eaten cold), 3 pre packed coffee and walnut cake slices and 5 cans of coca cola.
What's a man to do?
1/ Down half a can of coke then top it up with the vodka I just happened to have bought.
2/ Eat lamb stew army ration cold.
3/ Eat a bag of crisps.
4/ Eat one coffee and walnut cake slice. Halfway through I'm thinking "I hope this hasn't been spiked.............would be a long night with no music"
5/ Continue decanting vodka into coca cola till it's all gone, the vodka that is.
6/ Sleep like a log (the cake wasn't spiked after all).
7/ Eat sausage and bean army ration for breakfast.

I don't normally eat stuff left at bothies but this lot was a feast compared to my cold pork pie and scabby sandwich.

[fatbikephil]

My recipe is this:-

open Ainsley Harriott Cous Cous
pour in water
wait as long as possible (usually 45 seconds)
eat

+1 with either smoked sausage or chorizo. If your feeling posh bung in a load of pimento olives as well. AH's dall is good too but a bit heavy on the gas and a washing up challenge. Also just discovered quinoa - £2 but can be eaten cold or warmed up in its bag with a biit of imagination. Protein and carbs plus tastes nice as well.

Trail food - 9 bars, aldi cherry and cranberry bars, cashew nuts, tuk biccys (hideous amount of calories), scotch and pork pies, haribo, bannanas, co-op granola slices, cheese oatcakes, baby bells. In no particular order. Normally carry gels as emergency rations but I sooked up quite a few on the highland trail...

I always carry a stove on trips as I need numerous brews to keep going. Morning without a cuppa aint worth waking up for

[Yorlin]

At Kervaig bothy (a good few years ago) I remember a big box of packets of army jam, army biscuits, army salt, army pepper etc. We'd brought a bit much food it turns out and seemed mean to have it away with us! You tend to hear that most bothies in/near army training areas fill up with stuff like that. Wouldn't rely on it though!

Most recent alpkit blog thing has cooking in it https://www.alpkit.com/spotlight/eating ... er%20party

[Mariner]

Anyone ever picked up road kill?
Rabbit and pheasant are interchangeable in recipes few wild mushrooms and wild garlic pesto sauce hmmm.