Favourite Army Scoff

[jcj]

Nick this is a very interesting thread.How about we develop it further and list our favourite Army scoff, fresh or Compo.

Anytime you were freezing soaked to the skin etc has to be a good hot all in stew.

Quick morale snack:
Sweetend milk part of 24 hr compo circa 60/70s. Ate from the tube or spread on biscuits.Served with a decent mug of tea.

10 man pack Compo sausages, braised in brown sauce with onions & mash

I could go on.

[mikedonnelly]

Bacon Grill cooked in the tin at the bottom of a trench with those black bits stuck to it. Breakfast has never tasted so good.

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Colin, I did think of that but decided against it just in case we lost the plot and I dont get my "Recipe". Good idea but lets not forget the "SPOTTED DICK"

[Keith Jones 989]

Top prize MUST go to the multitudinous varieties of SPAM we used to be served when doing border duty at Fanling Camp in Hong Kong?

[britaylor49]

Got to agree with you Mike bacon grill was superb. Still buy the odd tin now and then. Best pudding was Chocolate sponge with chocolate custard.

[Paul Davies 701]

I agree with jcj you couldn't go wrong with a mess tin full of all-in stew. Best army brew I ever tasted is when I did my nco's carde in Lemgo stood freezing up to my knees in water in a trench and the training staff came around with a norwegian container full of hot, strong, sweet tea..........it was like nectar from the Gods. Worst ever grub gotta be the compo tin cheese!!!!

[Dai]

Chicken Curry and pilchards mixed with cheese posessed.

[Barry69]

Chicken Curry gets my vote too Dai, Oatmeal Block with a cuppa and not forgetting the Egg Banjo of NI fame, Hi Bob could be a Vote in order for this thread - Compo Best Ever !

[dutchman]

worst has to be when i was jinx 38's apc driver cheese and jam sandwiches ,god gives me nightmares now the best has to be a tie between as mike said bacon grill burned and 10 man ration pack suasages mmmmmm my idea of heaven p.s hope the mrs dont read this or im dead

[TRAV 24]

Cant go wrong with a gurkha bhat/curry chicken or lamb

[chadders]

Got to be the egg banjo in n.i...........with real butter, if the cooks were kind enough to leave any out!!!!!!

[bennyball2]

Got to be Golash, wish I could get a tin of it. Worst grub, excercise Cold Comfort in Germany when Irvine brought us down to the APC from the trench and on the way said there is all in waiting for you all (great we all thought as it was freezing) when we got there, all a certain person had cooked us was a boiled egg, can still see him hitting the floor as Irvine hit him with his helmet???

[Ray Edwards 31]

Mike, I think it has to be duck egg sandwich made from bread nicked from the cooks tent,

[nasher546]

Got to be a "full monty" breakfast in the cookhouse after a three hour early morning patrol in "N.I". Worst has to be "Pink Death & Yellow Death". I'm sure everyone can remember what that was!

[Gwyn Nicholas]

And who can forget the "SPOTTED DICK" Recipe please Oh ACC magicians!

[Clive Rees (08)]

I agree with the egg banjo, a can of Tennants lager to swill it down with. Or the two we were rationed with.

[keith darlington]

Compo sausages and eggs fried over the hot exhaust of a 432. Cans of beans boiled in the can in the boilers on the rear door of an APC. Not just any old food.. RWF food.... Yum

[Clive Rees (08)]

And who can forget the "SPOTTED DICK" Recipe please Oh ACC magicians!

Hey Nick,
Wasn't that what you had to go and see the MO for after coming from the 'BIG C' in Belize City

[jcj]

Worst memory for me was one of the main FTX in Germany early 80s.The powers that be cocked up the rotation of the menu packs and all my Platoon ate for two f****** weeks was chicken supreme.Just the mention of it makes me run to the toilet.I agree with the comments regarding cheese possessed bloody awful

But another favourite was the large tins of jam out of the 10 man packs.

[Gwyn Nicholas]

Hey Nick,
Wasn't that what you had to go and see the MO for after coming from the 'BIG C' in Belize City

Actually Clive I did go for a test before I left Belize, (after visiting a small establishment in Guatamala with a few well know characters who will remain nameless -unless they wish to comment?) and the poxy medic waited right up until the bus was leaving the camp for the Airport before he jumped on and gave me the all clear - LOUD and CLEAR! No Doctor patient confidentiality there mate. I will add that I was 20 and single at the time.

[neil(george)wilson]

What about on the range, when for whatever reason, you found yourself with just one mess tin. 'All-in stew and rice puddin,' Luvely...

[nasher546]

Gwyn,

You must have the constitution of the "Regimental Goat". As I remebr the cookhouse "Spotted Dick" it was like chewing a sponge!

[richie264]

I'm with the old ones...Spotted Dick, Jam Roly Poly & Jam & Coconut Sponge, I even liked the braised hearts & rabbit we used to get.
Compo sausages, corned dog & I never quite made my mind up about Chicken in Brown Sauce ?? Rolled oats made with drinking chocolate yum! Fly grave biscuits (fruit) the Rat packs really improved over the years especially when they got rid of the tins. (missed the bacon grill)
A bottle of cheap plonk, compo cheese, jam & biscuits on top of the APC at the end of the day.

Yuk... The tubes of milk, marge & cheese we used to get in the 70s, they froze in winter & just turned to liquid in summer, the marge tasted like rifle oil !! how do I know?? I reached into the back of the 432 after a night attack in Canada found a bottle & gulped down a few mouthfuls of "POP" Stick out

Talking of Canada " Soda pop" (cream soda) yum.

[John Turner]

Arctic rations S Georgia.

Breakfast:-

Mix together -

Porridge
Apple flakes
Chocolate powder
Puddings, mixed fruit.

Lay in your gut like a 20 stone whore in a hammock!


Loved those old (non arctic) ration packs - where else would you find a tin of matches and sweets!

Are those compo folding can openers still going? One of those will turn up on antiques roadshow one day!

How about the folding stoves - and the hexamine blocks, are they legal these days?

[jeffdj]

And who can forget the "SPOTTED DICK" Recipe please Oh ACC magicians!
had to be the all in at the end of a ex didnt know what you where getting

[rikoshea]

I used to like the all in stew also especially on a cold day on the ranges. a few slices of bread off the boys who had no cigs, and you were always warmed up...

[kenny]

After a nasty incident which involved body parts (theirs not ours) in the Falls/Divis area, I was unable to eat anything cooked for over two months. The slop jocks at NHSM made me toast and I bought Milky Ways from the choggie; it was all I could keep down.

As one Aldershot Concrete Co guy said to me 'The human body can take good food and turn it into **** in 90 minutes; we can do that in less than five !'

[sox3044]

Im sure all the boys who served in Gorazda will agree PASTA has to be way down on the food fav's

The good old egg banjo has to be the main Moral booster, layerd in salt and dripping in brown sauce.

[mikedonnelly]

Mike, I think it has to be duck egg sandwich made from bread nicked from the cooks tent,

Good memory Ray how about grilled canadian gouffer sandwich a bargain at one dollar.

[Mark Allen]

Fish finger sandwichs on a Saturday morning after a night out in Berlin gets my vote anytime.

[karl7125]

I agree with Mike and Sox, It doesnt get any better than a couple of egg banjos and a brew after an all day patrol. Where ever you are in the world.

Also being the sprog in Ballykinler and having to make 30 banjos at a time for the multiple, you start to enjoy them more.

The Drina mash in Gorazde is not on my list of favorite scoff.

[Ianto 10]

Worse memory! taking over a stag in the 432 capola on a night move in Soltau:realmad:,only to find the Radio Headset and microphone covered in sticky Rasberry Jam after the Pl Comd who shall remain nameless! had been nicking the bread and jam

[mikedonnelly]

Big Rose's breakfast at the RUC station in Newry after an early morning patrol.

And i must admit to enjoying those self warming cans that we used to obtain from the RUC if they were daft enough to leave hanging around or leave the odd door open.

[brian olly algate]

Got to agree with mike ,best grub was in corry square ,soda bread,potato bread,and all the lovley grub rosie dished up ,my mouth still waters just thinking about it

[richie264]

Had a line repair today in Llangollen, turned out it was for Merv Ellis (I've met him once since he was my neighbour in Berlin) I mentioned the Forum & the many topics it covers I told him of this thread & without a thought he came out with Egg Banjos after patrols.
My first encounter with the "Egg Banjo" was in the Depot I was baby sitting for one of the PS, he came home half cut & asked would you like an egg banjo? I said yes (you always said yes to PS) I did'nt know what I was getting... an egg butty.
Stay with me.. ..I was trying to light one of the large grills in the cookhouse (I liked my bread toasted) in Glasmullin camp Andytown 76, I turned the tgas on but could not get it to light so borrowed a lighter, by now the gas had built up & when I struck the lighter the whole thing back flashed & I burned my lips & neck quiet badly :wacko:
Burgers from the Chogy were good too.

Where does the term "Banjo" come from ? is it like so many army terms a throw back to the days in India?

[Barry69]

i those cans which heated up the food prity dam good, We use to collect them of the RUC too - they seemed to have problems with them the instruction I think - Open Lid "Stand in boiling Water" they kept burning thier feet lol - Nope not the same ones I know but yer great on Exercise.

What about RUC Strand Road as much as you could eat at no cost !!!!

[John Turner]

Where does the term "Banjo" come from ? is it like so many army terms a throw back to the days in India?

No, the best egg banjos have runny yolks and sometimes when you bite in to one, the yolk will dribble out on to your shirt, jacket, flak jacket, whatever.

So, what do you do? (Go through these motions with an imaginary egg banjo in your right hand)

Well, you lift the banjo out of the way to the side so no more yolk drips on your clothing and wipe off (or in!) the yolk that has dripped on them.

Looks like you're playing an air banjo!

:guitarist

[chow]

eyes closed, I can taste it now,i can see the drbbled egg on my flak jacket..nice..thanks for the memory john....by the way i never got to do the air banjo,till tonight,skrett allways left the dribbles till i finished my banjo..lol.