REVIEW: Firepot dehydrated meals

By Will Hawkins

Dehydrated food sounds unappetising, but the Firepot range, by Dorset-based Outdoorfood, is surprisingly tasty and straightforward to prepare.

And, when you want good food with minimal fuss on camping trips, the Firepot meals are ideal. Dehydrated meals mean they weigh less than their 'boil-in-the-bag' meal alternatives. They are less bulky too so that you can carry more of them in less space.

Another joy of the Firepot meals is that you can eat them straight from the bag, so all you need to wash up is the spoon or fork you used to eat it.

I tried the Porcini Mushroom Risotto meal, which took 15 minutes to cook plus a few minutes to boil the water to add to it. The bags have a simple measurement system on the side of the packaging to tell you how much water to add. Pour in the boiling water, wait 15 minutes and, hey presto, you've got a delicious meal.

Although the risotto tasted good, I added some grated parmesan onto to add a little more depth to the flavour. But that was a luxury which some campers might have to forego if space and weight are tight.

The Firepot Porcini Mushroom Risotto contains 540 calories, a reasonable amount of energy for an active day. At £6.50 a pack, it's quite pricey. But, if you want an easy meal with lots of taste, you will like the Firepot meals and won't mind paying for the convenience.

www.outdoorfood.com 

MORE INFO
Firepot meals are handmade in Dorset, using ingredients sourced locally. John Fisher set the business up after being frustrated by the lack of good-tasting expedition trip on various trips he’d made to Greenland, Iceland and Siberia. Outdoorfood say their food stands apart because the whole meal is dehydrated after being cooked rather than each individual ingredient being freeze-dried separately then mixed together.

Four meals are available: Chilli Con Carne, Orzo Pasta Bolognese, Porcini Mushroom Risotto and Dal and Rice with Spinach (both vegan friendly and gluten free).