Dig out your vacuum flask for a good long walk and you’ll never have to be home in time for tea… you can take it with you!
A Thermos full of tea on a spring walk (tartan blanket not essential) is always pleasing, but are you using your Thermos flask to its full potential? Obviously you can fill it with soup or a chilli too but thinking further outside the box is always fun. We’ve put together a few ideas for ways to use a Thermos you might not have considered to help you make more of your outdoor adventures.
A sausage supper. Cook sausages at home. Fill your Thermos with boiling water, empty it, and pack it with the cooked sausages and fasten the lid on quickly. Throw some bread rolls and ketchup in a bag with it and voila! Instant hot dogs at the end of your walk.
Have breakfast outdoors. Fill your flask with porridge, top with honey and a few dried fruits and nuts if you like, and go and watch the sunrise over a hot breakfast.
Go for grains for lunch. Things like quinoa and couscous are a great Thermos meal if you want a hot lunch on a hillside or on the beach. Warm your Thermos by filling with boiling water and emptying it, then throw in your chosen grain plus enough boiling water to cover it. Ignore it for a few hours. Pack a few cold toppings - maybe some cold chopped meat or cheese and some chopped herbs, nuts and salad veg - and when you open your Thermos, throw them on top of your fluffed grains for an instant warm grains salad.
Make a party of it. You can keep things like sausage rolls, quesadillas and mini pies both warm and crispy by lining the bottom of your Thermos with a few folded pieces of kitchen towel and piling the hot food on top. No more soggy sarnies.
Keep cold things cold as well as hot things hot. Did you know you can use a Thermos to take ice cream out with you? Be everyone’s best friend on the beach by filling the bottom part of your Thermos with crushed ice and then either slide your tub of ice cream in if it will fit, or decant it onto the ice. Seal the lid quickly and prepare to sing a tinkly version of Greensleeves as you unscrew it later and offer round the cones.
Read more about why we all love a Thermos in our feature by Tim Hayward in our February issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe
