Make use of the outer wrapper - unless you are particularly averse to carrying the extra 5g that the outer wrapper weighs, we suggest that you keep the pouch in it until ready to use. Not only does it help protect the pouch outer, it can also be used to hold the pouch during eating if it's a little too hot for your hands and then used to help contain the empty pouch thereafter for disposal. The back of the outer wrapper also tells you how much water is required to rehydrate the meal.
Prepare the pouch contents for mixing - due to the use of vacuum packaging, the contents of your pouch can compress together so it's a good idea to use a long-handled spoon, if required, to gently break up the pouch contents on opening, especially at the bottom and corners of the pouch. Once done, ensure that the base of the pouch is 'flared' out to give a stable base to the pouch.
Add boiling water...carefully! - when adding your water it is best to stand the pouch on a flat, stable surface and ensure that the pouch opening is as wide as possible to facilitate easy addition without scalding yourself.
Don't add too much water... or too little - measuring out water in the field is a bit of an inaccurate science. However, although you don't need to get it right to the nearest millilitre, you shouldn't be slapdash neither. Too little and your meal will be too dry and may not rehydrate fully; too much and your meal might be like a thin soup. We use a Swedish folding cup (see 'Accessories') to transfer boiling water from the pan to the pouch - they hold 200ml to just below the top and 125ml to the fold.
Mix well, then keep warm - use a long-handled spoon to mix the water into the contents right down to the bottom of the pouch. Mix for about a minute, then expel excess air from the pouch and re-seal it. Whilst the contents are rehydrating, keep the pouch as warm as possible - a pouch cosy is good but a hat or, if it's called for, a protective pocket in your clothing, will suffice but if you do this beware of any activity that might burst the pouch's seal!.
Leave sufficient time for rehydration - the times for rehydration quoted on the outside wrapper of the pouch are guideline times for use at all altitudes in the UK. However, as long as the pouch is protected from the elements during rehydration, a little extra time may enhance the flavour and texture of your meal. You are not advised to shorten the quoted rehydration time as this may result in incomplete reconstitution of key ingredients of your meal and impair the flavour and texture of your meal.
Last but not least... - try to ensure that your meal has been consumed before the Best Before End (BBE) date on the pouch. Our pouched products are in general bacteriologically inactive due to the use of very low moisture freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients, our use of vacuum packaging, and the fact that in most cases our meals are prepared using boiling water. However, even though your meal might be entirely safe to eat after the BBE it might not be as tasty as it would have been if eaten prior to the BBE date.