Heat To Eat Ready Meal Reviews

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Phil_G

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ParsleyBox
This company does mail-order, ready-to eat, hermetically-sealed meals that can be kept almost indefinitely at room temperature. They recently did an introductory discount offer in the CCC magazine, so I gave them a try. They're ideal for keeping in reserve in the camper van, with no need to run the fridge.
Also ideal for Preppers, stocking up for the imminent zombie apocalypse wink.gif
There's a wide range of meals including traditional brit fare, asian, & european plus puds wink.gif
The easiest way to warm them up of course is a microwave - just 2 minutes - which might not be a camping option, but because they're cooked and sealed, they dont need vesuvius plasma heating, just warming up - in fact you could eat them cold from the pack. You can order online, and its FREE next day delivery!
Last night I tried their Lamb Hot Pot and it was scrummy with a Hovis crust, really tasty and a good serving afro.gif
They're reasonably priced at £3 each (£2 on offer) which given the high quality and convenience is very good value.
www.parsleybox.com

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Here's a 'new customer' discount code for ParsleyBox: YF7QPSW

Blitz said:
Actually very interesting. Need to find ways of heating without a microwave though.
:thumbsdown:
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Hi Grant, bear in mind they only need warming, theres none of the "ensure food is piping hot throughout" stuff you get on conventional microwave meals :)
Maybe simmering the pack in shallow boiling water, or warming the contents on a tin plate?
 
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Wayfayrer
We have used wayfarers for years, complete meals that we heat in boiling water. We use a large square pan we got from an Army surpless stand at a show as it can heat up 3-4 of them at once and if required you can throw in a couple of Uncle Ben's rice bags at the same time.
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**Please note that this topic will be tidied up periodically to keep it concise
 
Not MRE but of interest to campers, I've found these Lidl "What's Cooking? steamed meals" are superb, way too good for the £1.49 price tag.
To serve, they're microwaved from frozen in a sealed container which steams the meal - or you can add a drop of water and do them in a pan - and they really are de - lish, no soggy veg like some meals .
There's a good choice, I particularly enjoyed the Tortellini & Vegetables, & the fish, new potatoes & veg.
Remember they're not strictly MRE, and some are chicken based so they do need cooking as per the instructions.

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Again not exactly MRE but these Rosti packs from Lidl make a great camping breakfast. Slide the whole slab into a dry non-stick frying pan and gently brown on both sides (7-10 mins per side).
Scrummy ;)

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I do a fair bit of backpacking, including lightweight/ultra lightweight. Dried meals are not much use for vanning and not even convenient; but these meals are quite tasty and can be boiled in the bag Home Delivery Ready Meals, UK - Look What We Found They are widely sold in Waitrose, Aldi, Tesco (sometimes) etc, but they are a bit on the small side for a full meal. There was a good range of pouched meals but the range seems a bit sparse now. Hopefully they aren't in trouble.
 
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Phil_G said:
Again not exactly MRE but these Rosti packs from Lidl make a great camping breakfast. Slide the whole slab into a dry non-stick frying pan and gently brown on both sides (7-10 mins per side).
Scrummy ;)

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I like the look of this! Fried egg on top and a bit of HP Fruity ;)
 
Phil's Rosti - How I done it! (added by loz :)

Slightly off topic, lately I've been making Rosti from scratch, its dead easy, only takes a few minutes and its soooo tasty :)
Peel & grate a couple of decent sized spuds, if you like grate half an onion, and really squeeze out all the water & starch in kitchen-roll or a clean tea towel. This bit is crucial, squeeze as much moisture out as you possibly can. Grate a good handful of cheese, you can add some diced bacon or ham, or whatever is in your fridge (anything thats not furry) ;)
Mix it all up in a bowl, press it into a non-stick frying pan, into a thin pancake. A Ridge Monkey is ideal. Give it 7-10 minutes each side on a low heat till its well browned. Utterly scrummy! :thumbsup:
Nice with a fried egg on top too, while the pans hot. Proper breakfast!
 
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Idahoan is a pack of mashed potato that just requires boiling water and a stir with a fork. Various flavours offered. Readily available in supermarkets. The good thing is that it is good, and not like some instant mash used to be!
 
Just spotted this thread and nothing new to add really but I will endorse those 'Look What We Found' packed meals - delicious and will last for ages without being refrigerated. The same can be said for the good old British Army 24 Hour Ration Pack as sold on eBay - I've bought them from there and am no stranger to the issued one and can confirm that they are, indeed, right. The only thing with some (but I don't think all) eBay suppliers seems to be the Best Before dates (if you get concerned about such things).

One other point regarding the title of this thread. As I think somebody else mentioned, the term MRE originates from the US forces description of their ration (ie. Meals Ready to Eat) - I might be a bit out of date with such things but in my experience, they were pretty horrible and didn't quickly earn the revised title of 'Meals Rejected by Ethiopians' for nothing. Sorry for the squaddie humour if you get offended by such things. (Just corrected a typo!)
 
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Ayjay said:
J
One other point regarding the title of this thread. As I think somebody else mentioned, the term MRE originates from the US forces description of their ration (ie. Meals Ready to Eat) - I might be a bit out of date with such things but in my experience, they were pretty horrible and didn't quickly earn the revised title of 'Meals Rejected by Ethoipians' for nothing. Sorry for the squaddie humour if you get offended by such things.
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Title now edited so I don't have to hear this one more time :)
 
Not sure if it’s been covered before, but there’s a great channel on YouTube where this chap reviews MREs, some old, some new.

Really interesting viewing:

Steve1989MREInfo
 
Just 'acquired' a few American rat packs, these include a catalytic heater so ideal for backpacking, biking or Zombie Apocalypse prepping
Lots of extras too like sticky toffee pud, cinamon buns, oatmeal cookies, cheese spread, cheese biscuits, full breakfasts, nuts, powdered drinks... all hermetically sealed.
Not opening one until I need it though, I do like a surprise ;)




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This stuff is pretty tasty, I’ve used it when walking / camping rough on the SW Cliff Path, I don’t always find a pub or cafe.
It’s very light and compact, the bag is foil lined so can add water and mix in the bag. Add a finely crushed onion (heel of boot) and cook on some foil.
Almost no space taken up in my rucksack
There are much more expensive options, Morrisons is always the cheapest.
 
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