RAF South Cerney, winter '61 in the Brecons, no hot locks. Lunch first day, peel spuds, put in water dixies, bring to the boil and boil and boil. Some hours later they were still like rocks.
Lunch time approached and minced beef and mashed potatoes served and all fellow cadets satisfied with our efforts.
Post lunch the DS made us retrieve the rock like spuds from the river, chop them up into smaller pieces and try again. They were ready for summer.
No one any the wiser and we his the powdered potato tins.