Army-style food experience at Tewkebury Food & Drink Festival
Visitors to this year’s Tewkesbury Food and Drink Festival will be given a taster of how soldiers serving in the Army survive on food rations.
For the second year running Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Sports Development Officer and ex-Army Sergeant Major Neil Meynell will be demonstrating how soldiers make the most of the British Army operational ration packs.
Neil will be demonstrating at both days of the festival with slots at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
The display will look at the different foods that come in the ration packs and will demonstrate how to use a temporary cooker and solid hexamine fuel, which are issued to all soldiers.
The ration pack is designed to feed a soldier for 24 hours and has been modified from last year’s version – it is now designed to cope with heats of up to 40 degrees Celsius.
Neil, who served in the British Army for 24 years said: “The Tewkesbury Food and Drink Festival offers a wide range of activities. The ration pack demonstration is informative but also very entertaining – the audience will be able to try the food that we cook.
“It’s important to remember just how important these ration packs are - there will be many occasions where surviving in the wilderness is a necessity for modern soldiers and the majority of the time these packs are what keep them alive.”
Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Lead Member for Economic Development and Promotion Cllr Phil Taylor said: “Neil’s demonstration was incredibly popular last year so it’s great that we have him back on board for 2010.
“The audience will be given the opportunity to try out meals that soldiers are eating while on operations all over the world – it’s a fantastic experience.”
The Tewkesbury Food and Drink Festival is taking place on 1 and 2 May 2010 at the Vineyards, Tewkesbury.
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15 April 2010
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