Instant mash flavoured with cup-a-soup is good. My experience with beanfeast is not to be recommended - the stench in the two-man tent will never be repeated!! And you could lose a friend, unless you're both contributing to it, I suppose.

A few years ago we were invited by kiwi friends on a 14 day tramp in the Kaimanawas, NZ. The arrangement was that each couple or individual would take food for everyone for 2 or 3 evening meals, to save on planning etc. It turned out that all the kiwis had their own dehydrators at home, which meant we were treated to the likes of coq au vin, goulash, green beans strawberries, etc., which was great but made us look a bit cheapskate when we dished up instant mash and 'beanfeast'!!!
On a different note, the range of freeze dried stuff in the US seems much better than here, but I expect there are restrictions on importing it here?

I've been having a go at dehydrating my own food , it's a bit hit and miss , but it can be done in the oven. There are proper Dehydrators but they tend to be expensive.

If space isn't an issue...Pot Noodles!
What...did I say something funny

If you feel like being more adventurous there are plenty of books around about how to make and dry your own meals for backpacking etc. Have bought a couple of these books recently but not had a chance to try any out yet.

I agree with the previous guy
www.expeditionfoods.com
I use them for all my camping and climbing trips
in Europe and the Hymalayas
Lightweight Freeze dried but still tasty
Also ready to eat when weight is not an issue
Sometimes will do a ready to eat at home when I cant be bothered

Martins Norwegian stuff sounds excellent, not sure the cost though. If you are looking for cheap + light + filling, and easy to prepare - ideal for a day or two if you just want calories and aren't too fusy.
Head for the supermarket and look at Smash dried potatoe - comes with various additives cheese/onion etc - just add boiling water and carry and ounce of butter! Bulgar wheat, noodles, anything else that you just heat and add boiling water and gives calories for weight carried. This is all cheap stuff if you are on a budget. Matt.

Expeditionsfoods.com in Pickering supply the very best that money can buy - freeze dried norwegian Army arctic rations - you just pour boiling water into the bag, wait five minutes, and eat. No fuss, no bother, no washing up, good grub, and very light. uses a minimal amount of gas to heat the water, just the tops. i use it on all the mountain marathons I do and also for expedition stuff. the cod in potato sauce is the best you can get of a very good range. online ordering, delivery by post. what more do you want?

The problem with most of the meals sold in outdoor shops is that they're not actually freeze-dried. They're still hydrated (eg Wayfarer) and therefore very heavy. When Vaughan and I did the Marathon des Sables last year, we bought Reiter Travelunch freeze-dried meals from Go Outdoors and they were excellent. They can also be obtained by mail order from a couple of companies, but the ranges are limited. Go Outdoors seemed to have the whole range. Don't buy the meals that have to be fried and therefore create grotty pans. The ones that you just add water to in the pouches are great and no washing up.
The main meals and puddings are very good, but you still can't beat 'oats so simple' and instant custard for breakfast!

I suggest getting hold of a copy of CAMPING magazine. It's very good for giving info on these type of products. I go camping with my eldest boy and he usually only wants noodles. I've used dried food years ago in the TA and it wasn't bad. The ready meals sold in Blacks (etc) are good (pop the bag into boiling water), hope this helps. Andy

does anyone use these on a regular basis?.id be interested to try a couple but ive been unable to find a uk company that allows me to buy online.id welcome anyones thoughts/experiances about them.