Writing this article I’m currently in my 9th hour spent in Inverness airport after a long, long delay. Not a very fitting end to what was one of the best trips I’ve been on so far but a great chance to write a fun little post on the food consumed this week. On trips so far we have been fed very well in the field: three meals a day consisting of a hearty breakfast, a meal deal vibe packed lunch (of which I particularly think an egg sandwich is a win which is somewhat controversial) and a sometimes three course dinner. This particular trip however department decided we were adults and in order to prepare for our independent mapping projects this summer we were let loose in the kitchen each evening to nourish ourselves. If I’m totally honest, my skills in the kitchen are somewhat lacking but luckily for me I have friends which much more talent that I do (big shout out to Holly and Aria, much love)!
So in honor of that and to bring you some more field trip content after I’ve spent 10 days in northern Scotland here is an account of some of our meals:
Quick disclaimer, my photography skills were lacking and frankly I was too hungry after a day in the field to try any harder so the meals may not look that appealing but hey, at least its realistic.
Night 1: A curry type meal of veggies, rice and curry sauce.
First thing to say is the six of us that cooked together are all vegetarian and second thing is I can famously not handle spice which proved to be a somewhat limiting factor on our cooking as me. So again, apologies to my friends for my lack of spice tolerance.
Rating: 7/10 - bit too spicy but I was starving after a day traveling and it was yum!
Night 2: Veggie fajita type thing with homemade guacamole (big win!)
This was a banging meal, the guac was fantastic so great work from Aria there and it felt like a very wholesome sit down family meal which was ideal after it had spent most of the day raining and we were very cold.
Rating: 9/10 - would be a 10 but again I can't handle spice
Night 4: Vegetable and rice stir fry
A particularly shody photo but I promise it tasted much better than it looks. This was a quick, easy and cheap meal and one I do actually have the capacity to cook myself so often pops up in my weekly meal plans when I'm back in Oxford.
Rating: 8/10 - simple but good
Night 5: Risotto
I'm normally not a major fan of a risotto (something about the texture upsets me) but a warm meal was really the only requirement once you're on day five of field work so no complaints there. The offering of left ofter risotto rice from some of the boys on the trip as well as Agnes repeatedly talking about risotto on the bus made the meal a no brainer.
Rating: 7/10 - I don't really like risotto so it wasn't going to go much higher than that.
Night 6: Pasta Bake
This was one of my favourite meals on the trip! I'm a big, big pasta fan and the addition of vegetables and cheese along with the baking made it really quite beautiful. This meals also gave us a bunch of leftovers for use on the days we came back late and tired.
Rating: 10/10 - no complaints, nothing more to say.
Night 7: Veggie sausages, chips and veggies
The chips was a highly requested addition to the meal after seeing other groups cook them the night before. Overall a very hearty meal and I mean you can't really go wrong with some tenderstem broccoli.
Rating: 8/10 - I'm not a massive fan of veggie meat substitutes but the chips and vegetables were fabulous.
:
Night 8: Pizza on the beach
After a long day in the field the lure of the pizza van on the walk back from the bus to the hostel was just too much and we decided that pizza on the beach was the only acceptable option. No regrets there, top quality pizza and top quality views!
Rating: 10/10
Night 9: Leftovers
At this point we were very tired and luckily had leftovers to use up. Added in some cheeky garlic bread from tesco and actually made a great meal! Again a very shody photo but leftovers aren't known to be very aesthetic so I think we can forgive that one.
Rating: 9/10 - Was basically pasta and garlic bread which is a perfect for me!
Night 10: Fish and Chips on the beach
After a long 9 days in the field, and having fall into multiple bogs, climbed some near vertical hills and just got a bit lost we decided to reward ourselves for finishing our trip by getting fish and chips. As previously mentioned most of us are vegetarian so it was chips and beans for them but I do tend to eat fish every now and again and consider myself more of a pescatarian so it was fish for me.
Rating: 10/10 - I love fish and chips and the feeling of knowing we were done in the field made the meal all the more special!
Bonus: A photo of my packed lunch
Lunch in the field tends to be a sandwich which gets a bit squished in your back pack, some fruit, some crisps and a snack. We are very lucky to be provided with lunch everyday and if I'm being honest, all I need to a chance to sit down and a egg to make lunch something I really look forward to all morning.
Comments