I love cooking on a camp fire, maybe even more than I enjoy cooking at home. I love discovering local ingredients, foraging along my travels and whipping up a feast over a real fire.
But when you're travelling light, trekking in the wild, or if you're short of time and can't reroute to the shops, dehydrated food is a must - for camping, touring or for micro-adventures.
Why Firepot food for camping?
I’ve always been highly dubious of the alien-looking packets that gather dust at the back of camping shops. It just seems so removed from the freshness I normally look for in food; there's invariably a whole list of 'ingredients' that I've never heard of before. But if you're planning an adventure, food should be top of the list - right after hydration, right?
This summer, I'd planned a trip to Norway and from looking at the map it was clear that there would be days where we wouldn’t see a shop and I didn’t feel like carrying too much weight over the mountain passes. It was the perfect opportunity to try out the FirePot food that we have in store at Outdoor People.
Dehydrated with a difference
Firepot food is made in-house from quality ingredients sourced locally in Dorset then gently dehydrated, resulting in a genuinely home-cooked meal in a packet. The range of dishes is varied and fairly exotic but united by a common principle of being the hearty kind of energy-filled meals you need after a long day of hiking.
For a tour, or trek, the practicality of dehydrated food that only takes a few minutes to prepare, that captures the deliciousness of slow-cooked food, fresh from the oven of a Dorset cottage well this is the best of both worlds; adventure and homeliness, going out exploring and staying in and cosy.
My personal favourites were the pork and beans and the chilli con carne. However, after trying 5 different flavours over the course of our trip in Norway, I can safely say they’re all good with excellent vegetarian and vegan options.
As well as being delicious they are very quick and easy to prepare, ideal for when the weather is just too miserable to be outside. Just add water and heat and give it a stir. My only niggle with the preparation was that all of the suggested timings seemed a little too short – perhaps this was due to it being colder where we were than under test conditions, who knows. It’s really not a major issue as its generally quite clear when the food is ready: it’s not crunchy anymore.
FirePot meals are available in two different kinds of packaging. The first is a foil packaging that can actually be used to cook the food in. This isn’t the best way as you can’t easily further heat it if it cools down before its done, but does mean you don’t have to worry about washing up pans after eating. The other variety is entirely compostable, perfect for reducing the environmental impact of your travels. All the packaging has clever water level marks on the side to help you know how much water to put in.
In conclusion - I’m totally sold on this product. Delicious meals that are easy to carry and prepare – what’s not to like? It’s the perfect thing to bring on long-adventures where access to food might be difficult or for when the weather means you don’t want to be sat outside simmering wild garlic. FirePot shows that dehydrated food doesn’t have to be horrible – in fact, It’s so good we keep it in the cupboards at home for quick meals too.
