BRITISH troops from Colchester on the front line in Afghanistan are tucking into improved ration packs.

They include new lightweight packs for patrols lasting 12 hours or less, which contain a sandwich and a main meal, like chicken curry or steak and vegetables, that can be heated up with a chemical water heater.

The updated menus – among them Hindu, Sikh, halal and vegetarian options – are designed to meet troops’ nutritional needs in different environments and supply the 4,000 or more calories a day they burn up while on active service.

They were developed under a £140million contract with Purple Foodservice Solutions, based in Petersfield, Hampshire, which is expected to save the Ministry of Defence £1.6million a year.

Private Ryan Salmon, from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, welcomed the new menus.

He said: “The new 12-hour ration packs are a great change from the normal rations. It contains beef jerky and a sandwich which are great for a quick meal.

“The chemical water heater and main meal are good when you are on short ops. You can get a quick warm scoff and not worry about messing around with a cooker.”