Helen's ideas on cycling and food:

Cycle touring is an ideal sport for food-lovers. You have the best excuse in the world for eating all your favourite foods. I pedalled a loaded bike around France for 6 weeks, consumed a mountain of pastries and 3 course meals and came home several kilos lighter.

Unless you are cycle touring in places where there are no shops and you have to carry several days supply with you, you can quite easily get away without cooking or carrying anything more than the odd Mars Bar. This is especially so in countries where meals are readily available in towns or villages that are only a few kilometres apart.

I think most of us would fit somewhere in between these two extremes. We cook some of our meals, we buy takeaways and we have some restaurant and pub meals. One of the joys of cycling in countries where food is an important part of the culture and taken seriously is the opportunity to try out the local food in all its forms. I just loved wandering around the markets in France choosing from the local produce on display what I wanted to cook for the evening's meal. I also loved trying out regional dishes when we had a restaurant meal, and I drooled over the ready made dishes that you can buy from the Charcuterie and heat up on your camp stove.

The following suggestions are for people who tour where foodstuffs are readily available so that you do not have to carry more than a days supply. Ideally you carry only the essentials and you buy the ingredients for dinner when you reach your camping spot

Wherever you are you will be constrained by what is available in the shops and at the markets. Make the most of what is available locally. Be adventurous and try out the local foods rather than wander around the supermarket expecting to find the same things that you would get at home. For example if you go to France and you are a muesli addict expect to get a shock. Muesli from a French supermarket has a texture and taste that’s nothing like the Australian product. If you like it that’s fine, but I would recommend you breakfast as the French do, on baguettes, jam and coffee. Go to another country not just for the scenery and the historic buildings but also for the food. Be adventurous with what you eat. You won’t like everything but you will have some memorable meals. Leave the vegemite and cornflakes at home. If you miss the foods of home then you will enjoy them that much more when you return.

I have a selection of cotton bags (made from used flour bags) of different sizes with drawstring tops so that specific utensils are easy to find and packing up in the morning is more streamlined. If you are really organized these bags would always go into the same pannier but I haven’t got that far yet! What I have learnt is that it really pays to make sure everything has its place and always goes in to it. That avoids spending ages fishing around for a knife or a spoon and getting panicky in case you’ve lost it somewhere en route.

MY PANTRY

These are the staples that I carry with me when touring in Australia or New Zealand. In Europe I would tend not to take staples for Asian meals as not only are Asian ingredients hard to find, but I prefer to cook as the locals do. Or at least make the attempt.

OLIVE OIL: in a plastic container with a lid that is ABSOLUTELY LEAK-PROOF . If you have had oil spill in your pannier you will know what I mean! Incidentally the same goes for any oily food. Its amazing how oil will find its way out of its rightful spot. In my experience the only really reliable containers are the ones you get from specialist outdoor equipment retailers. (Nalgene brand containers seem to work well). They do cost a bit more but it’s a once only outlay as they seem to last for ever – or until you mislay a lid. There are all sorts of sizes and shapes and it’s a good idea to use only these for all your staples.

SALT: I don’t like pasta or rice cooked without salt so for me a smallish container is essential. Again its best in a screw-top container rather than in the plastic shaker that salt is sold in.

SPICES: I like a mixture of cumin and coriander. Five Spice powder for stir fries. Curry powder.

SOY SAUCE: in a leak-proof container. Almost as bad as oil if it leaks.

GARLIC: I always have a bulb or two.

PARMESAN CHEESE: I take it grated but if you are a purist you can take it in the piece with a small grater. If all else fails you can always have a meal of pasta, olive oil, garlic and cheese.

LEMON: They are great for salad dressings and other dishes and are naturally leak-proof.

EMERGENCY RATIONS: A packet of pasta and a packet soup. Two minute noodles would be fine. A small (100 or 200ml) packet of UHT long life milk. You could take milk powder (lighter in weight) if you can stand the taste.

Everything else I aim to buy the day its needed. Of course this doesn’t always work out and you will find yourself carrying half a packet of rice or spaghetti as you can’t always buy things in small enough quantities. Aim to use the rest as soon as possible even if it does mean having rice two days in a row.

MEALS – Basic staples:

Carbohydrate foods that stick to your ribs are just made for cyclists, and generally they lend themselves well to camp cooking. The sorts of staples to plan meals around are:

Whenever you can buy just enough for one meal.

MAKE USE OF THE SUPERMARKET:

Even if you are not in the habit of buying convenience foods, packets or jars of sauces or seasonings are very useful. Its worth while browsing around the supermarket shelves to see what’s on offer, especially in a foreign country. You might not be able to buy baked beans as Australian's and English know them in a French supermarché but you will find jars of the most superb tasting haricot beans in sauce.

If you have any really good ideas and recipes email the site administrator (click here to email) and we will include the recipes on this site