2004 Expo Recipes

The following recipes, based on some older Expo dishes devised by Olly Betts, have been kindly provided by Earl Merson, and were used in the preparation of 2004's top camp food, which was widely regarded as the best for many years. They are reproduced here in the hope that future generations of cavers can enjoy the true delight that can only be attained by emerging after a hard trip to the tantalising smell and taste of Cheesy Mushroom Noodles.

Daal for 2 people

Carbohydrate:

250g quick cook rice

Veg:

16g dried onion
84g dried red lentils
24g dried mixed vegetables

Sauce:

120ml dry curry sauce powder (Bachelors?)

Chilli for 2 people

Carbohydrate:

250g quick cook rice

Veg:

12g dried onion
12g dried red lentils
20g dried TVP mince
5g dried mixed vegetables

Sauce: (can be mixed together and divided if making many portions)

15ml Maggi mushroom soup mix
12g cornflour
13g Bachelors bolognaise mix
2.5ml salt (1/2 tsp)
0.125ml new chilli powder (1/40th tsp) (depends on the strength of the chilli: Olly used ~2ml for 2 people with old chilli)

Bolognaise for 2 people

Carbohydrate:

250g quick cook pasta

Veg:

20g dried onion
12g dried red lentils
50g dried TVP mince
12g dried mixed vegetables

Sauce:

24g Bachelors bolognaise mix (about 3tbsp)

Curry for 2 people

Carbohydrate:

250g quick cook rice

Veg:

20g dried onion
12g dried red lentils
40g dried TVP mince
12g dried mixed vegetables

Sauce:

70ml dry curry sauce powder (Bachelors?)

Cheesy Veggie TVP thing (misnamed Risotto...) for 2 people

Carbohydrate:

250g quick cook pasta

Veg:

20g dried onion
12g dried red lentils
40g dried TVP mince
12g dried mixed vegetables

Sauce:

60ml cheese sauce powder
60ml thick vegetable soup powder

Macaroni Cheese for 1 person

Carbohydrate:

125g quick cook pasta

Sauce:

50g cheese sauce powder
10g dried grated parmesan
1.5ml salt (1/10tbsp)
0.5ml coarse ground black pepper (1/20 tsp)

(I mixed the sauce in batches of 20 portions, then divided into 20 by weight)

Cheesy Mushroom Noodles for 1 person

Carbohydrate:

125g noodles

Sauce:

32g cheese sauce powder
13.2g mushroom soup powder
1.25ml salt (1/4tsp)
0.1ml coarse ground black pepper (1/48 tsp)
0.05ml cayenne pepper (1/96 tsp)

(I mixed the sauce in batches of 24 portions, then divided into 24 by weight)

Tips

Get a proper set of tsp, tbsp & cup measures and electronic scales.
First weigh your mixing bowl while it is empty, so you can work out how much is in it.
Most stuff is meaured by weight directly into bags, except the powders which are largely by volume. Don't be tempted to mix piles of mince with lentils and/or powders, as the smaller things settle to the bottom. Onion & mixed veg can be mixed & weighed together, as they don't seem to separate significantly.
Try your first meals in case you have particularly strong, bland, salty, etc. ingredients.
Bag the sauce, veg & carbohydrate in ther own respective bags. Nest the sauce bag in the veg bag in the carbohydrate bag.
Don't use wire ties (they puncture the bags): just knot the bags. Make sure the whole rim of the bag is outside the knot.
Supply a big jar of dried mushrooms, some small pots of coarse ground black pepper and plastic salt pots for people to season their food: most of the meals are mild, and those with stronger tastes can add extra.

Notes

The Chilli seems a bit low on veg compared to the others, though I didn't spot this causing a problem.
Beware of non-linear scales: 1.2kg of probably mix won't weigh out as 20 lots of 60g (I measured 20 lots of 56g!)
Salt is hygroscopic and will get damp and clog if open. You need a small *plastic* pot with a *closeable spout* (a ring of small holes will just let damp in and clog up). You may well need to search for such a product.

Flapjack

In order of melting & mixing:

500g Stork margarine
500g Billingtons dark brown molasses sugar
4 large swirled desert spoons Tate & Lyle golden syrup
1/2 tsp salt
250g Tesco value mixed dried fruit
1kg Tesco value oats

Pressed and smoothed into two A4 trays lined with baking parchment, and baked at 150 degrees Centigrade in a fan oven (175 if no fan?) until (approximately) just the edges and rasins turn darker (i.e. about the time it takes to mix the next batch...)