Food, and cooking on the trail

I planned the amount of food by how many days it was to the next supermarket. For most of the route I never had to carry more than three days' worth, but there were areas where resupply is harder and I had to carry a week — which really weighs the pack down. I am also a big guy and I eat a lot. You also need gas, which is sold in outdoor and sports shops and is not hard to find. I always bought a 250 g canister. That usually lasted almost two weeks and cost about 10 euros on average in Europe. Breakfast was porridge, nuts, dried fruit, and bread with spreads — honey, chocolate, jam. During the day, snacks. Chocolate, biscuits, whatever was in the pack. Dinner, after a lot of trial and error: couscous or mash. They need the least water and the least time, which also means they burn the least gas. I would add lentils and a tin — tuna or salmon — and sometimes slice in some sausage and seasoning. A full cup of the base, one packet of whatever went with it, an onion, and sometimes vegetables or fruit. If I knew I did not have far left to walk and I had been in a supermarket in the last few hours, I would put together a proper lunch out of the shop: fruit, bread, vegetables, salmon, cheese, sausage, sometimes a hot meal. Mostly I tried to treat myself at midday, in a hut or a restaurant. It usually came to around 35 euros, but that is because I eat a lot — a starter, a main, usually a dessert, and a coke, a beer and a coffee on top. For the amount of food it is not expensive, and it is completely worth it. And the meals in the huts are worth it too. Breakfast is a buffet, usually around 10 euros: porridge, coffee, juices, everything you would expect. It is not fancy, but it fills you for the day. I recommend it mostly for what happens around the table. You sit with people and hear a completely different set of opinions — and honestly, after walking alone all day, or several days without really talking to anyone, having a conversation is one of the best parts of it.