Australian Hiker

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Back Country Cuisine Apricot Crumble Review

The Back Country Cuisine range of outdoor meals is probably the best known in Australia. However for many people the range of desserts is not as well known with hikers often forgoing this luxury on the trail. While Back Country produces a range of five desserts it is rare to see the full range in any one store as most tend to pick the best two or three to sell.

The desserts come as twin serve sizings with no single serves available unlike the main course options available. However, it is not hard to convince me to eat the lot after a really hard day particularly as the desserts are high in calories compared to the main courses.

This dessert is very easy to prepare and as long as you can boil water then you are set with preparation time requiring only ten minutes. The dessert comes in a bag that is well designed and the bottom opens out to provide a flat base for those minimalists who want to leave the bowl at home. The option exists to tear the top off the bag to allow easy access to the food but you if you have a long handled spoon you won’t need to tear the bag. My other reason for not tearing the top off the bag is that you minimise any mess and after you’re done because you can re-zip the zip lock.

While the recommendation is to use 300 ml of water to rehydrated this amount provides an almost soup consistency. It has taken me four attempts to get the water level just right and I would recommend using 240 ml of water to get a consistency you would expect out of a crumble or a pie. I would also suggest rehydrating for 12 minutes rather than the recommended 10 minutes.

Taste wise this dessert is loaded with apricot and it’s nice and sweet. I would rank this dessert option as third choice after the Backcountry Apple Pie and the Strawberry Ambrosia but well ahead of the Cheesecake. I still enjoy the taste of apricot and would be happy to rotate it through the meal choice on longer trips when I will usually eat dessert every two to three nights particularly during the colder weather when I want something warm before going bed.

The normal price sits around the AUD $17.90 mark which works out to $8.99 per person. Most of the larger outdoor stores offer member discounts or have regular sales so it’s worthwhile looking around. These products do have a long shelf life so you can stock up during the regular sales.

We Like

• The apricots certainly delivers on the flavour
• Three year warranty which means you can buy these when you see them discounted thereby reducing the price. You also know the desserts will always be edible
• Minimal preparation time.  All you are doing is rehydrating these desserts so once you add boiling water there’s only a 12 minute wait
• If you eat from the bag there is only the spoon to clean up. In fact you may not even need to carry a bowl at all thereby limiting the weight you carry
• A variety of desserts to choose from in double serves so it’s unlikely you will become bored with these unless you are on a really long hike
• No artificial flavours and preservatives. These meals are as close to ‘homestyle cooking’ as possible without cooking. They just taste good!
• Freeze dried. This takes much of the weight out of the meals and helps to limit the impact on your body

We Don't Like

• The main negatives of any commercially preprepared dehydrated / freeze dried meals is the cost. The Back Country Cuisine Apricot Crumble works out at $8.95 per person
• Twin serve only. I hope you are hungry!
• Reduce the amount of water you use to get a thicker consistency

Best Uses

An easy to prepare dessert whether it be on a short or long trip for camping and hiking. When you’re feeling a bit flat after a hard day it’s hard not to feel chirpy again after eating one of these desserts

Buy One

You can purchase the Back Country Cuisine Apricot Crumble online from Snowys, Wild Earth, or from Wildfire Sports

Disclosure: We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Investment

AUD$17.99 RRP

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker

The dessert as purchased

The bottom of the bag opens out to provide a flat surface. Opening out the base will allow the dessert to more evenly rehydrate. If you don’t open the base fully, you can get ‘dry pieces’

Uncooked desert in the now opened bag

The desert now rehydrated

Last updated

5 January 2025

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