Camping meal ideas need to be lightweight and preserve well outside of a fridge. That leads many people to look at dried ready-meals for camping. But cheap camping meals that also give your hard-working muscles the nutrition they need… those are hard to come by.

So where do you find your own nutritious and affordable camping food – without compromising on flavour? Look no further than this trail hummus recipe.

Imagine relaxing at camp after a full-on day and munching down on delicious, tangy, fresh hummus and flatbread… Yum. And what’s more, kids love it, especially with carrot sticks. Hummus is great… but not usually portable. Until trail hummus came along!

I’ve adapted this recipe to be quick and easy peasy. No boiling dried chickpeas, no zesting lemons or grinding sesame seeds.

(If you are keen on those things, you could probably make this even more lightweight – and I’d love to hear your recipe in the comments.)

Ingredients

Makes enough for 4-6 hungry campers.

• Half a 400g can of chickpeas, or about 120g cooked chickpeas
• 2 teaspoons citric acid powder (this is equivalent to lemon juice but in a powder, and it can be bought in the supermarket)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon tahini (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cumin (optional)
• 3 cloves of garlic, or equivalent garlic powder / garlic salt
• Five tortillas, pita breads or flatbreads to serve

Preparation

Put the flatbreads in a baggy, cutting them in half if too large.

Drain the chickpeas. Blend all hummus ingredients in blender or mini-chopper to make a firm paste. (You can use a mortar and pestle to get rid of the lumps if needed.)

Bag securely in heavy-duty baggy.

At camp

Add about a quarter cup water a little at a time, stirring, until you reach a good dip consistency. Let sit for a few minutes while you warm your flatbread on the fire, then enjoy!

Vital statistics

Weight to carry: 140g

Calories: around 80