UltraAlex Review – Expedition Foods
“In 2019 I was running a 215 mile ultra-marathon known as the ‘Race Across Scotland’, however, due to injury I wasn’t able to complete the full race. In preparation for the event at the time, I was on the hunt for meals that were lightweight, full of kcals and easy to prepare. After many recommendations and much research, I came across Expedition Foods which provide a wide range of freeze-dried meals.”
Unfortunately, the race didn’t go to plan and I never actually got to use the meals and now that I have tasted two meals from Expedition Foods, I’m gutted I never got sink my teeth into my last purchase from this company.
“Expedition Foods were kind enough to provide me with two free samples for ‘test and review’ and when they arrived, I was really happy with their meal choices. ‘Porridge with Blueberries’ and ‘Thai Green Chicken Curry with Rice’. Now they sound amazing but did they taste amazing?”
Expedition Foods are known for their large calorie content meals, which for me is important when it comes to my sport, racing on the trails. The ‘Porridge with Blueberries’ had a calorie count of 450 and the ‘Thai Green Curry’ was a whopping 800kcals. This might sound like a lot of calories, but these are the sort of numbers I would need to keep me going in a major ultra over several days. Expedition Foods have a proven track record in endurance meals for multi-day events and have a large selection of meals available in different calorie quantities, regular (around 450kcal), high (around 800kcal) or extreme energy (around 1000kcal).
“Another bonus with this type of meal is the strict kit requirements for a lot of ultras. Most need you to carry at least a 1000kcal as an emergency food option. With Expedition Foods I can buy one meal to fit this requirement rather than several, saves on space and weight without compromising safety.”
Packaging – it was great to see that the packaging hadn’t changed over the last few years as I was impressed last time. I always worry about food package’s splitting in my running pack and ruining the contents, but I can honestly say the packaging looks bullet-proof and this definitely wouldn’t be a worry for me.
“The packaging clearly shows full instructions on how to prepare the meal which is printed not stuck on with a sticker. A big tick in the box for me. Most of my ultras are in the rain and last thing I would want to happen is the label to come off and having to guess how to prepare my meals. I’m shocking in the kitchen, so working it out without instructions would end in tears.”
I’m one of those eaters who hates getting my hands in my food, so I was happy to see that the Porridge packaging was small enough to get a spoon in without getting food all over my hands. Even though the curry packaging is taller, Expedition foods have nicely placed another tear point to make the packaging smaller once its cooked.
“Preparation – Easy enough, pour in 250ml of hot water and leave it for 4 to 8 minutes. I left mine to cook for 8 minutes and I found all the food was fully rehydrated and still piping hot by this time. The only negative for me at this stage, is that there isn’t a fill line, so your left guessing when pouring in the water without our measuring jug.”
Taste – The most important part of the review and honestly, I can tell you they smell and taste amazing. Now I’m a Personal Trainer and when I meet a client who’s decided to have porridge in the morning with water rather than milk, I always show a face of horror. So, I wasn’t really looking forward to the breakfast but I was pleasantly surprised that this breakfast tasted better than my normal breakfast. And obviously, the Thai Curry was always going to be a hit. What’s not to like in a curry.
“Conclusion – It’s a massive yes from me, I was super happy with all aspects of this product and will definitely be using them for future endurance races!”
- Great value
- Lightweight
- Taste great
- Easy preparation
- Strong packaging
- High kcals
Test and Review by Ultra Alex, Alex McMunn for Ultrarunner Magazine