When a chilled out project grows and takes on a life of its own!

[ttcycle]

Some friends of mine and my partner do a small grassroots campaign at Glastonbury every year. I helped them out last year and am down to go again this year.

I said that I wouldn't be able to help with the campaigns side as I wasn't feeling up for it and volunteered to take on the task of feeding a small group 6-8 for the week we're there.

Taking into account we only have two hobs powered by gas and a tiny refrigeration unit, I thought for the numbers involved this would be fine.

It's grown - we're the largest team we ever have been at a sum of 12 people to feed!!! It's actually quite overwhelming and the thought of it is a bit stressful and to think I agreed to cook as it was supposed to be the chilled out, low stress option. I foresee I will be busier than those doing the campaigner and talking to people. Breakfast will be sorted to then lunch and then evening meal...regretting it a bit as the numbers have just increased!!! Something about the numbers tipping into double figures has raised the blood pressure!

Just putting together a grocery list and it really is immense when a meal contains 8/9 tins of chopped tomatoes and 8 courgettes...and a 1kg of rice...!!! I'm sick of putting down the same vegetables (it's a very varied menu but I think I'm reaching fatigue at typing this out all day!)

I'm sure it will all be fine, I will rope people in to help each day but anyone had experience of catering for larger numbers - any tips?

 

[vernon]

I cater for up to twenty people using a four ring gas cooker and have catered for sixty plus with a team of helpers and six four ring hobs.

I enjoy the praise for the quality of the food but get het up during the prep and cooking itself.

One thing that you might like to consider is start prepping the next meal during the cooking of the first especially if the first is a stew or the likes and needs little attention.


Chopping onions and bagging them up for the next meal is not to bad. Slicing and salting courgettes and aubergines can also be done well in advance of them being needed in a recipe.

You can throw a bit of a strop and demand assistance as it's no mean feat to cater for twelve on two rings.

Go for couscous as the carb source - there's no cooking involved just pour on boiling water and let it expand.

Tinned chickpeas in a savoury tomato sauce made from tinned tomatoes and fried onions plus herbs of choice is a no fuss meal to be served with cous couse or rice or even pittas.

Refuse to wash up!

 

[ttcycle]

Thanks Vernon - I'd twigged to the cous cous and bulgar wheat being easier alternatives.

Am I going insane, it all starts looking the same to me with the same veggies even though they're different meals.
I like the bit about the onions - good idea!

I will definitely rope in helpers and I think I will have to negotiate dish washing!

 

[vernon]

Here's a fast dish to serve four
Two medium onions
Two tins of chickpeas
Tin of tomatoes
One red pepper
salt pepper cumin
Olive oil

Coarsely chop onions and fry in olive oil until softened and turning golden.
Add tsp of ground cumin and fry for a minute or so
Add drained chickpeas and stir for a minute or so
Add tomatoes then slice pepper
Add salt and pepper to taste

Scale up to suit number of servings

 

[vernon]

And another quick one - Patak's curry pastes make very tasty curries so much so that I only cook from home formulated spice mixes on special occasions.

A vegetable madras or masala made with a Patak's paste only requires the frying of onions adding the paste then the chopped veg and tins of tomatoes.

 

[vernon]

Oh and another idea - how about pre-cooking a dish, freezing it and serving it for the first lunch to give yourself a head start getting things under way.

 

[ttcycle]

We only have cool boxes to store veggies for a week and a very small gas powered fridge for dairy/ meat etc.

It's going to take us a while to get there (several pick up points for tents/furniture etc so the frozen option probably wouldn't be safe as there will be issues with keeping it cool after it inevitable defrosts

I've worked out a menu, have mostly compiled the grocery list - will review it properly tomorrow and alter it over the next few days.

Prepared muffins and banana bread will make easy and quick breakfasts.

Thanks for all the feedback - I have drooled over photos of your pies...mmmm!!

 

[classic33]

http://www.scoutingresources.org.uk/downloads/cooking_camprecipes_001.pdf

 

[Andy in Sig]

Have a chat to the owner of the local kebab joint and give them all vouchers for one Doner each.

 

[Black Sheep]

can you draft in a couple of the volunteers to help with serving up leaves you free to just cook and get planned for the next meal etc

 

[Melonfish]

urgh, hippy food
you need a sous chef i.e. someone you can vent your frustrations on whilst cooking like a madman!

 

[Arch]

When I was on digs with the archaeology dept students were drafted in in turn as helpers, two per day. The cook was catering for 40-50 people, on a single 4 ring hob and oven, I think.

Dishes were all along the lines of stuff with pasta, or curry, or chilli con carne, or sausage and mash, the sort of hearty stuff you need after a day of physical labour.

With regard to the limited palatte of veggies - that's pretty much how I eat. I buy onion, pepper and courgette and put them in either tomato sauce for pasta, (maybe with mince, or tinned tuna), or a cheese sauce for pasta, curry sauce (made with patak paste), or chilli, with rice. It helps that I'm happy to eat repetitively, but the same stuff in different flavours helps to ring the changes. Big jars of olives by Crespo are a welcome addition.

If you're short on hob space, but have plenty of pans, remember that pasta and rice can be cooked by bringing them up to the boil and then leaving them to soak in the hot water (wrap them up in towels to retain heat), so that you can use both hobs to cook the topping.

And plus 1 for doing veg prep in bulk. It's doesn't take twice as long to chop two onions as it does to chop one, I reckon: scale that up and store ready chopped stuff in bags or tupperware - unless it's very hot, you can probably get away without putting it in coolboxes. Grated cheese - do that in bulk too and keep in bags, then you only have to wash the grater up once.

 

[ttcycle]

Thanks for the posts, have taken break from meal planning today and will look at it again tomorrow. I think the stress yesterday was the addition of more bodies and a request if the food was baby friendly!! However, all seems to be going ok, have meat options and veg options and will go through the list again so that the veg doesn't get repetitive.

 

[Arch]

Thanks for the posts, have taken break from meal planning today and will look at it again tomorrow. I think the stress yesterday was the addition of more bodies and a request if the food was baby friendly!! However, all seems to be going ok, have meat options and veg options and will go through the list again so that the veg doesn't get repetitive.

Everything's baby friendly, if you have a blender...

(well, ok, I know you're not supposed to give them honey, or lots of nut stuff, but you get my drift...)

 

[ttcycle]

Whoa maggot that is expensive!! Looks like a great piece of kit though!

Arch, good suggestion but we don't have access to electricity at the field, even the small fridge will be gas powered. I reached a compromise with that and baby will have extra bits brought along and her mum will sort out meals for her if she can't eat something that's on the menu.