Allan,
nothing nearly as uncivilised in my time.
The troops got very sniffy if there wasn't a soup course before the main meal, and if there wasn't a minimum of at least two veg portions the cook had little chance of staying dry.
We were lucky as one of the troops was in the catering section, so all sorts of goodies found their way onto the wagon. Hell, I even attempted pepperd steaks once when it was my turn, not a great success but they fried up nicely anyway.
The main consideration was that it had to be tasty, filling and quick. The pub generally beckoned and that was the main evening's entertainment.