View Full Version : army ration packs
Hi all,
I know that we should all be catching and skining our food, but does any one have any info on decent army meals. I have lived quite happily on the boil in the bag types that the British use not so keen on the arctic type. I fail to see what is so supreme about the chicken supreme yuck.
cornbeef hash are nice but hard to find (boil in the bag type)
There are 3 types of army rations
Boil in the bag
Dehydrated
and tinned
Tinned come in large boxes, called 10 man ration packs, the contents vary and are really only any use if you have 10 men to feed
The dehydrated ones are what we now call "Training Rations" These actually hav esome of the better food in them, rolled oats, apple flakes, chick supreme, chilli and choccy pud. But of course they need water to rehydrate them, hence the "training"
Boil in the bags are what are usually sold on evil bay, called 24 hour ration packs the contain more than enough calories for you if you are just out walking or camping, making spoons etc.
Boilies have 3 meals, brekky dinner and tea, or breakfast lunch and dinner depending where you were bought up.
Breakfast is cornbeef hash, sossy and dayglo beans or burger and beans, dinner is biscuitsbrown, meat pate, and odds and sods from the condiments pack
Tea is chicken in herb sauce ( nice ) chicken and pasta ( dont eat it cold )
There is also as i said a condiments pack which is really brew kit plus choccy and chewing gum. For some reason you get enough sugar to power a playgroup.
There are new 24 hour ration packs out now that have yorkie bars ( theyr'e not for civvies ) hot tabasco type sauce and nice tandoori chicken
don't eat the hexi blocks
Compared to US MRE's the rats are good, there are about 30 different menus including veggi, kosher, halal and etc.
24 Rats used to ( a long time ago when I joined up ) come in tins but i have not seen them for years , you used to have to dent the tin and stick it in your messtin to boil
Hope this helps
There's an interesting (no, seriously, it is interesting!) pamphlet from the MOD's Defence Logistics Organisation about ORP's here - http://www.mod.uk/linked_files/dlo/defence_equipment/EPAF_%20Brochure.pdf
thanks mercury,
did any one ever like the biscuit brown. Stacked high with corn beef hash or steak and potatoes i thought they were triff. Very heavy to carry a lot of them even if you pard the packs down.
There's an interesting (not seriously, it is interesting!) pamphlet from the MOD's Defence Logistics Organisation about ORP's here - http://www.mod.uk/linked_files/dlo/defence_equipment/EPAF_%20Brochure.pdf
Interesting.
During the Ray Mears programme. The Heros of Telemark. He made refrence to the Norweign rations. They looked light weight and once prepared very substantial. Has any one tried them?
Tex, I have no problems with buiscuits brown, I used to quite like them, but they come from years of developement.
Before buiscuits brown there were buiscuits white which were about as palatable as a fossilised piece of cardboard with the same density (this was back in the days of spangles and tinned rations).
Mercury, you forgot the arctic rations which are also dehydrated and taste like cardboard after a while, best used with spices;), they also contain more than double the calorific value of a normal ration pack.
Have they done away with the old four man ration packs as well???
Are servicemen finally looking at the end of "Cheese Possessed"
If I recall correctly when doing cheese on toast with chees possessed it went something like this, take slice of bread slap onto heat resistant surface, carve slices of cheese (sharpening knife after each slice) till you have enough to cover the surface area of the bread.
Take one times MAP burner and light it, direct at cheese, the bread will be blackened at the edges and totally toasted through by the time a corner of the cheese melts:D
i've not heard the name of that sweet mentioned for eons, think we both showing are age. :lmao:
Is "cheese processed" the one that's in a tin about 5" in diameter, 2" deep?
sounds like the one. I think it may have also packed in a primula box and prior to that a sausage shape with red packaging. I think it should have read cheese projectile not cheese processed.
Is "cheese processed" the one that's in a tin about 5" in diameter, 2" deep?
No - they reduced it to a 3" x 1" tin in the late 90's. Then all the tins exploded, so they recalled all ORP's of the appropriate letter, unpacked them, cleaned them up, substituted the cheese for tuna/chicken pate, repackaged them and slapped "CHEESE REMOVED" hazard tape all over them!!!
The 4 manners are still around. There's a note in our Routine Orders at the moment saying that "due to operational commitments" 4 man ORPs may only be withdrawn for the foreseeable future. It's mentioned in the MOD/DLO document I posted earlier.
NickBristol
13-10-2005, 13:06
I prefer the Patrol pack deydrated stuff in a lot of ways. Some of the boil in the bag food was a little greasy... tho beans and sausages is always a classic.
You actually ate cheese processed? :eek: How? We used to shove in our body armour in place of the ceramic plates.... rounds used to just bounce off :lmao:
[QUOTE=Batfink]No - they reduced it to a 3" x 1" tin in the late 90's. Then all the tins exploded, so they recalled all ORP's of the appropriate letter, unpacked them, cleaned them up, substituted the cheese for tuna/chicken pate, repackaged them and slapped "CHEESE REMOVED" hazard tape all over them!!!
Thats the explanation for the cheese removed. I bought some rats with these stickers on. I had visions of the training areas or battle fields strewn with these small tins that no one ate, A very uneasy feeling if your out for a stoll on Dartmoor. Coming across a small :lmao: tins looking for all the world like an anti personel mine.
Thats the explanation for the cheese removed. I bought some rats with these stickers on. I had visions of the training areas or battle fields strewn with these small tins that no one ate, A very uneasy feeling if your out for a stoll on Dartmoor. Coming across a small :lmao: tins looking for all the world like an anti personel mine.
I would say that the potential damge that a mine field could cause is bearable in comparison to the potetial damage that this many tins of Cheese Possessed are capable of:lmao::lmao::lmao:.
Nick, yes I have eaten it:eek:, however since then I have had a lot of dental work done:D.
A friend of mine had a theory that it was included in ration packs so that if you ever got captured by the enemy you would get the sympathy vote or once they had tried eating it they would run screaming in sheer terror of you:D
To be honest I used to quite like the stuff, but as people will have gathered it was pretty much like yellow chobham armour tasting of cheese.
batfink good to hear that they haven't got rid of them totally, thanks for the info:)
Strangly enough I find the cheese possesed rather nice BUT it is a bugger to melt, once tried to melt some by turning my gas stove upside down whilst lit, nearly burned my truck down. I think the cheese in the new 10 man rations comes in 5" diameter tins. I recall removing tinned pilchards from rations and burying them during my tour in the Hebs , there's a hill called Clettraval on N Uist with a cache of them , fortunatly they were all holed before disposal. Not very enviromental mind you
The dehydrated rations I was thinking of were the artic ones I think
happy constipated days
shadow57
05-11-2005, 12:15
Hello....Do any of the ex forces lads remember the suet covered steak and kidney type (meat loaf for Americans) roll that was referred by us RAF type as "Babies Heads".?
Does anyone know where you can get it? :)
Ta John
peds8045
05-11-2005, 16:02
I do remember them but we also called them Snake and Pigmy, or Jake and Sidney. The army does not use that sort of 'Tinned' compo anymore. As far as i'm aware they tend to use boil in the bag stuff now. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan would also use up the rations as soon as they are manufactured.
I have seen individual Jake and Sid puddings in sainsburys and other supermarkets, i think they are made by Goblin...not sure though.
Can't you still find the Babies Heads in the 10manners?
Interestingly - and along these lines - their was a "cook off" competition not long ago, the results of were published in an article in the MoD news...
AA Gill praises commitment of Service chefs
Notoriously acerbic food critic and Times columnist AA Gill was genuinely impressed by the efforts of young military chefs competing in the Combined Services Culinary Challenge (CSCC) at Sandown Park in Surrey this week.
He was particularly impressed by those competing in the unique, weather beaten environment of the military Field Kitchen. Their mission was to compile a menu, prepare, cook and present a two course meal for 20 personnel, outside in a tent, using just Operational Ration Packs and a few additional basic items which must cost no more than £5 in total.
Gill was astonished by the complexity and inventiveness of the menus they produced - and he was fascinated to hear that their talents had been honed and market tested on the frontline in Iraq earlier this year while deployed on Operation Telic 4 and 5.
The menu produced by Team 1 from 40 Commando Royal Marines comprised:
Creamy chicken and sweetcorn risotto topped with tomato and pepper
concasse and stir-fry vegetables.
Beef Balti Pasty served with sweet onion chutney and oven roasted potato
wedges.
Chocolate and apple flapjack with a fruit coulis.
Bread and Butter pudding flooded with chocolate and vanilla sauce.
Corporal Bernard Broadhurst, Royal Marines, was thrilled his menu impressed not only the judges but arguably Britain's most feared food critic.
"In this job you get used to people criticising your work, especially out on operations when people are working so hard and missing the comforts of home. Then getting it right becomes doubly important. But I couldn’t believe it when Mr Gill got so excited about my Beef Balti Pasties!"
Teams from the RAF and Army matched the Navy for presentational artistry and culinary originality. Their results would have happily graced a sophisticated dinner party table.
It was Mr Gill's first visit to the Combined Services Catering Showcase but he said he hoped to make it an annual event:
"I've been so impressed with the incredible levels of commitment, the talent, the hard work and the amazing inventiveness of the service personnel competing here today, particularly those in the Field Kitchen competition.
"I think it's so important that people in the wider service industry get to see what our servicemen can do, particularly in arduous situations when they've got very limited ingredients and they are catering for such vast numbers. Their dedication is amazing and they are incredibly self motivated. If I were running a hospital, school or large scale industrial catering organisation I'd be crying out for some of these guys to come and work for me."
Now in its ninth year, the Combined Services Catering Challenge sees the finest chefs of the British Armed Forces competing against each other in a variety of live classes reflecting the diversity of modern Armed Forces Catering. Butchers and Bakers, many having returned recently from operational tours, demonstrate their skills. The primary aims of the Challenge are to develop culinary skills, nurture pride in professional achievement and build team spirit.
http://www.news.mod.uk/news_headline_story2.asp?newsI tem_id=3718
Babies Heads, Peas and Pom, now thats a meal that sticks to your ribs :D
just the name shoud stick fear into the enemy. You mean they eat the heads of there young
peds8045
06-11-2005, 15:33
Does anyone know who supplies the army with the boil in the bag part of the latest compo ration packs. I had one at the recent Northern meet and the food isn't half bad and with a bowl of rice certainly makes a good meal.
Failing that does anyone know how to get hold of the stuff........hmmmn food ;)
Pedro
Isn't it sold as "wayfarer" in Millets etc?
peds8045
06-11-2005, 16:07
Yeah i've seen them but there is a considerable mark up on them, just wondering if it was possible to get them from a less expensive source.
I've bought them from ebay before. I'm fairly sure I've seen one of the surplus sites selling them too.
Does anyone know who supplies the army with the boil in the bag part of the latest compo ration packs. I had one at the recent Northern meet and the food isn't half bad and with a bowl of rice certainly makes a good meal.
Failing that does anyone know how to get hold of the stuff........hmmmn food ;)
Pedro
Take a look at this web site the 24hr rats are quite resonable.http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/index.html. Considering what you get i dont think you can beat them. I think the civey version are about 4Pounds each, bf, din and pud 12 pound and no hot choclate :rolleyes:
Forgive the late intrusion.
Biscuits Brown - are they the same as Biscuits AB? (all binding / anal blockage :eek: ) ;)
Ogri the trog
07-11-2005, 12:57
Forgive the late intrusion.
Biscuits Brown - are they the same as Biscuits AB? (all binding / anal blockage :eek: ) ;)
Thats the ones, the anti-personnel biscuits ;)
ATB
Ogri the trog
There's an interesting (no, seriously, it is interesting!) pamphlet from the MOD's Defence Logistics Organisation about ORP's here - http://www.mod.uk/linked_files/dlo/defence_equipment/EPAF_%20Brochure.pdf
Interesting.
Contains something even scarier than Biscuits Brown though - the submarine survival rations on page 26. I'd always thought being trapped on the sea bed in a defunct sub was about the scariest thing I could think of - but it's not half as frightening as the stuff you'd have to eat! Looks like Satan's nougat :eek: Hell there's even instructions: "small bites should be taken and allowed to dissolve in the mouth". What would happen if you swallowed an undissolved bit... :eek: :lmao:
Biscuits Brown - are they the same as Biscuits AB? (all binding / anal blockage :eek: ) ;)
Also known Ar$eBursters! The actual definition is even more interesting, "Alternative Bread". I'd love to know what idiot came up with that one! Biscuit Browns are nothing like bread!!!
As for the submarine rations, I dread to think! And what happens if you dropped them in the sea? It could be an interesting way to catch fish!!! Maybe that's the secondary use - "if you do not like it, you can always use it to kill fish" :lmao:
Cheers Fellas,
I'll stick to Farley's Rusks :D
Dennis Mapletoft
15-11-2005, 22:10
Well what can i say ok this "each to his own taste" i happen to like the brown biscuits( my a-se aint bust yet) :) with the pate (usualy chicken), also who in thier right mind would listen to AA GILL, hes the bloke that said fishing was a waste of time and boring, (he aint been fishing with me) and how much did he get paid to put that article in at that TIME, and after the Ray article havn't we learned not to take any notice.......i Haven't met up with the tined cheese, it sounds like a beast to avoid,
Peds 8045 i have heard of snake and pigmy,,and i got some part packs from a shop called DENVER, LOWMOOR RD, KIRKBY IN ASHFIELD.. 4 packs for a pound, they had last weekend ( bacon and beans , fruit dumplings and custard, and rice pudding) i know its not a lot but its a start, and they can get more variety, if there is a outlet,, Yours Den ;)
snake|UK|
11-12-2005, 19:54
U.S. self heating rations are bigger than uk ( you fat b------), and pack far better than a uk cardbord box. and dont nead cooking. :) also avalible on e-bay
Not really anything to do with were to buy Army Rations from, but a good little post about them on another forum.
http://www.bushcraftliving.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1809&postcount=1
and this one
http://www.bushcraftliving.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1810&postcount=2
Cronos
Graham_S
11-12-2005, 20:29
us mre rations are one meal. the british rat pack is for 24hrs and contains three meals.
the uk ones are supplied in the box but generally get broken down and dispersed through your kit.
and the new brit rations are allegedly starting to get self heating packs too.
they are only compareable if you compare 2 mre to every one 24hr rat pack.
new brit rations are allegedly starting to get self heating packs too.
Not seen these yet, and not herd anything about them yet. Still getting issued good old Hexi TV
Cronos
Not seen these yet, and not herd anything about them yet. Still getting issued good old Hexi TV
Cronos
They could be getting the Canadian heaters - I bought a couple in last years January sales (in the Swansea branch of Blacks).
http://www.mreinfo.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66
Interestingly, they had been re-packaged and sold under the Wayfarer brand name - the same people that make some of the British ration meals.
Forgive the late intrusion.
Biscuits Brown - are they the same as Biscuits AB? (all binding / anal blockage :eek: ) ;)
Biscuits Ab were white, not seen them since the eighties, biscuits brown are BGMB, and the garibaldi ones are biscuits, fruit AB!
Don't know what the initials stand for but it is sad enough remembering what I do! :22:
A nice little picture to get the heart pumping and to bring back all those memories.
10 man Rat Pack, Bacon Grill.
Still in date and eaten for breakfast today, yum....... :p
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/silenthare/bacongrill.jpg
Cronos
simonsays
12-12-2005, 16:50
Biscuits Ab were white, not seen them since the eighties, biscuits brown are BGMB, and the garibaldi ones are biscuits, fruit AB!
Don't know what the initials stand for but it is sad enough remembering what I do! :22:
As I understand it the 'AB' stands for 'Alternative to Bread'
Cheers,
Simon
Greywolf
12-12-2005, 21:45
BGMB=Bread Guaranteed for Major Blockage?
MRE=Meals Ready for Ebay?
:D
Greywolf
Ryan Woods
14-12-2005, 07:45
MRE - meals rejected by Ethiopians or Meals Rats wont Eat :D
Ref the link: 10 nickers for a ratpack!! :eek:
As I understand it the 'AB' stands for 'Alternative to Bread'
Cheers,
Simon
I was told that it was "Vitamins A&B added" :confused: It was all a long, long time ago...
;)
But let's remember guys......
Some people use "Cheese Posessed" as a sporting accessory... Look at these two guys fighting over the last bit (It's that old, the cheese has turned black!)
http://www.iran-daily.com/1383/2181/html/013017.jpg
British Red
28-01-2006, 00:09
Aaah cheese possessed had its uses......
Take:
1 tin cheese possessed
1 block hexi
3 small stones
place the small stones in a triangle srrounding hexi block
Light hexi
place tin on stones with the "seam" facing your mates basha (about 2' away)
Sneak away and be somewhere else innocently whistling in front of witnesses
After 3 mins the cheese liquifies and boils
After another 2 the pressure splits the seam open and sprays liquid cheese in a wide arc
Ho hum, little things & little minds :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
hawsome34
28-01-2006, 01:17
I found the only use for cheese posessed was as a diversion tactic. Flies used to swarm round it, and leave us alone, maybe that was the idea. Not necessarily thinking inside the box, try the outside sometimes.
www.surplusandadventure.com do some packs, but would much rather take some ingredients and make do rather than start to torture my digestive system once again.
pierre girard
28-01-2006, 09:10
During the Ray Mears programme. The Heros of Telemark. He made refrence to the Norweign rations. They looked light weight and once prepared very substantial. Has any one tried them?
We have Norsk home guard show up every year at our state Na'tl guard camp. Very well behaved bunch. Had a chance to try some of their rations about 20 years ago. Didn't seem like anthing special, but maybe things have changed. Are they still using mausers?
PG
Asterix says (in "Asterix the legionary"):
"The better the army, the worse the food. This keeps the soldiers in bad temper"
Spikey DaPikey
08-02-2006, 09:10
Errrm, i quite like the British 24hr rat packs :o
Ryan Woods
08-02-2006, 10:49
true, just some toxic things which are put in there deliberately to keep you on your toes!
All in all cant complain...
Hi,
I joined in on the hysterical about buying these £10 axes from http://www.genuinearmysurplus.co.uk/pages/home, which has been going on in the edged tools forum (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=11059&page=1&pp=20).
About an hour after placing the order for one by phone (very nice people) I had a look at the web site and saw they did British Army ration packs for £4.50 each, so I rang back and they added two to my bill and said they wouldn’t increase the postage. Everything arrived the next morning by APC! Great price and nice people.
bogflogger
20-02-2006, 15:10
MRE actually stands for "Mainly Rat Excrement." All of it, UK or USA is minging! I would rather eat egg noodles with bugs then have to eat military gak! :p
Spikey DaPikey
20-02-2006, 15:26
Each to there own i guess :)
Topcat02
20-02-2006, 15:30
I dont think their two bad, bangers and beans, and "steak" seemed alright. Not quite sure why there are so many sugar sachets though!
Spikey DaPikey
20-02-2006, 15:31
energy perhaps ?? besides, i use all mine in the tea and coffee :o
WelshTriffid
08-03-2006, 20:03
Snake and Pigmy pies and cheese possessed..................... Those were the days.......................... ...... :approve:
If anyone is interested...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FREE-RATOINS_W0QQitemZ8775503024QQc ategoryZ16036QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewI tem#ebayphotohosting
bothyman
14-03-2006, 14:16
If anyone is interested...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FREE-RATOINS_W0QQitemZ8775503024QQc ategoryZ16036QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewI tem#ebayphotohosting
Thats interesting I could buy them ,then go down and collect them and save on postage. :rolleyes:
Have sent an Email so will see what the answer is??????
MickT
woodwalker
14-03-2006, 16:19
the boiled sweets in the british 24h ration pack are all different colours and some of them taste pretty wierd. Also the different types of biscuit (brown and fruit) either give you (supposedly) diahorrea or constipation. Our NCO told us to eat one of each just to make sure.
Everything else though in the box is really nice though
Thats interesting I could buy them ,then go down and collect them and save on postage. :rolleyes:
MickT
That's what I was thinking :)
-Switch-
14-03-2006, 20:37
Was anyone else as stupid as me and empty a sachet of 'non dairy whitener' over a lit hexy? :nono:
All my coffee and tea was taken black after doing that - there's no way something that reacts that violently to flame was going in my stomach! :eek:
Ryan Woods
14-03-2006, 20:40
Its just because its powder... heard same thing happens to flour... Afaik
weekend_warrior
14-03-2006, 20:45
Flour mill explosions weren't that uncommon. see the attached link.. Dust Explosions (http://www.chemeng.ed.ac.uk/~emju49/SP2001/webpage/intro/intro.html)
I did a little experiment years ago with a length of hose, a large biscuit tin, some flour, a funnel and a nightlight candle - Bang! :D
Heard somewhere that the most explosive is Lycopodium powder.
http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/demos/lycopodium/lycopodium.htm
Under normal conditions it won't even burn......unlike the dried milk :rolleyes: :D
Cheers,
Toddy
weekend_warrior
14-03-2006, 21:02
:D That's pretty much my experiment, 'cept i blew the flour over a candle inside the tin. Made a lovely pop and demonstrates the Grain Elevator Fire cause very well.
bogflogger
14-03-2006, 21:20
Flour Mill Fires, or any other powder process factory fires, are the ones that Fire Brigades Dread. I remember the Hovis flour mill at Battersea, on the river Thames, burnt for more than18hrs, with repeated glass shattering explosions!
Do not underestimate the explosive power of airborne particles!
Yep – good in it! Didn’t you do the exploding custard powder experiment at school?
tagnut69
15-03-2006, 19:30
:D I remember a science teacher blowing up tin cans with custard powder, great fun :D :D
Spikey DaPikey
13-04-2006, 04:13
my teacher at school blew a hole in the false celing with the custard powder in a can trick ;) :D