Wayfayrer expedition food put to the test by DofE participants

When it comes to reliable expedition food, Wayfayrer comes to mind. Proudly featured on the DofE Recommended Kit List, Wayfayrer offers a diverse selection of meat, vegetarian and vegan meals and puddings that can be easily stowed in your rucksack and devoured on your adventures, without the fuss of cooking.

To gauge the true taste and satisfaction of Wayfayrer food, we decided to enlist a group of hungry participants to put it to the test on their expedition training days. With grumbling stomachs and high hopes, they embarked on this flavourful mission to see if Wayfayrer could truly satisfy their hunger whilst out in the wild.

But first…what is expedition food?

Expedition food is the ultimate culinary companion for outdoor adventurers. Specifically designed to meet the needs of explorers embarking on expeditions, it offers a convenient and nourishing solution to keep you fuelled and satisfied in the great outdoors.

For your DofE expedition, we advise that your expedition food is calorie dense, compact, and easy to carry.

All DofE recommended expedition food is designed for ease of use on the trail – the packaging won’t split in your rucksack, and you don’t need to keep them refrigerated. The DofE recommended ready-to-eat Wayfayrer range is a very popular choice – with a variety of flavours and are ready to eat straight from the pouch.

Our top tip? We recommend using the pouches as a nourishing, warming breakfast or as an energising snack on your journey. We don’t recommend it as a dinner option because part of the conditions of completing your DofE expedition is for your group to prepare your own hot main meal to show off your cooking and campcraft skills.

What’s included in the ‘Taste Test’:

We teamed up with two fantastic organisations/schools involved in the DofE Award and invited their participants to join us for an exciting Wayfayrer taste test. We had the pleasure of working with Glastry Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland, where 12 eager participants took part, and Barr’s High School in Coventry, where another 20 enthusiastic participants volunteered to take part in our taste test.

Our mission? We were curious to know not only which flavours would be the most popular amongst the participants, but also how likely they’d be to purchasing these products after trying them.

This great opportunity not only allowed us to showcase Wayfayrer to these hungry participants and witness its triumph (fingers-crossed!), but to also get them thinking about food and nutrition for their expedition. Every participant willingly stepped up to the plate (pardon the pun!) and explored a mouth-watering array of flavours, including All Day Breakfast, Vegetarian All Day Breakfast, Meatballs & Pasta, Chilli Con Carne & Rice, Vegetable Curry & Rice, and Chocolate Pudding.

The results:

Over 85% of our taste test participants were already aware of the availability of special expedition food and even provided suggestions on where to purchase them – our DofE recommended retailer GO Outdoors being the main contender. This shows our participants actively seek out such provisions when preparing for their expeditions, recognising their vital role in providing nourishment and energy during their journeys.

We then asked for their considerations when they plan their meals for the upcoming expedition. Their responses revealed a variety of factors that influenced their decision-making.

Taste was top priority for half the participants, while 1/3 emphasised the importance of wanting food pouches that are rich in energy. Easy carrying and convenience were also factors that resonated with 1/3 of participants, alongside considering the weight of the food.

For seven participants, factors such as texture and a high calorie/nutritional content were also deemed essential. Similarly, seven participants mentioned the importance of ease of cooking and not occupying excessive space in their rucksack.

It was also interesting to note that even though Wayfayrer food can be eaten hot or cold, it was a unanimous answer that the majority would want to eat the food hot.  As Wayfayrer is just warmed up in hot water within its packaging, and eaten straight from the pouch, participants can have a warm meal without any washing up!

So, what did they think?

The participants took their time with each food pouch and mulled over the taste, texture, smell, and nutritional content. We’ve collated their feedback and displayed their top picks from the bunch (it might even help you to decide which pouches you’d like to try for your expedition):

The verdict

The great news is that 70% said they’d consider taking them on expedition. We asked if they had any other feedback they’d like to add to their score sheets – this is what they had to say:

• ‘Handy and easy to pack’
• ‘Doesn’t take up much room at all so that would encourage me to buy them’
• ‘Really good for emergencies’
• ‘Good to pack in case you can’t cook properly in bad weather, etc’
• ‘Would pack as spare food for an energy boost’
• “It didn’t take long to cook and was filling. I’d take it on expedition for lunch.”

What else?

Never fear the hunger pangs on your expedition! Our online ‘Expedition Food’ page has got your back with the ultimate tips to guarantee delightful dining during your adventure. Discover our top-notch product recommendations, money-saving tricks, and expert advice on optimising your expedition food. And guess what? You can even download our handy, free Expedition Meal Planner, to plan scrumptious breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks for every single day of your expedition!

And that’s not it! Our ‘Eating on your Expedition’ poster gives you great advice for cooking outdoors – including tips and advice on stoves, cookware and even snack ideas.

Whilst you’re here…It might also be useful to brush up on your stove safety skills with our handy ‘DofE expedition kit tips: use a stove safely’ resource – including tips on optimal stove placement, fuelling and refuelling techniques, as well as essential do’s and don’ts for maintaining stove safety.

Don’t forget – you can save at least 10% on Wayfayrer food pouches using your DofE Card at our recommended retailers. Find your nearest store.