Australian Hiker

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Back Country Cuisine Cottage Pie Review

The Back Country Cuisine range of outdoor meals is probably the best know in Australia. These meals are stocked by the majority of stores and for many are considered the staple meal choice for outdoor activities. They do a huge range of meal choices and many stores seem to select a ‘top ten’ so you are unlikely to find the full range in stock. In addition to the large variety the company also provides single serving (entree) and two serve options although the single serve options don’t seem to have as large a variety. I’m still working my way though the very large range but without a doubt one of my personal favourites so far is the Cottage Pie. It reminds me of a favourite childhood meal.

These meals are slightly smaller than than the offerings form the Outdoor Gourmet range (by approximately 8-9%) and with this the price is also lower. The normal price  for a single (small) serve sits around the $14.99 mark while the twin serve is around AUD$21.99. Most of the larger chain stores offer members discounts or have regular sales so its worthwhile looking around. These products do have a long shelf life so you can stock up during the regular sales at the outdoor stores.

While I will prepare some meal options myself and dehydrate, I love to cook, I tend not to worry about making complex meals but rather devote my time to other activities such as hiking.

These meals are very easy to prepare  and as long as you can boil water then you are set with preparation time requiring only ten minutes. This offering comes with a seperate bag of mashed potato with the suggestion preparation being to add boiling water to each of the bags. I find this a duplication so I just add the potato mix to the main meal, mix and then add the combined amount of water which works well. I also tend to let the meal rehydrate for an extra minute or two. I have yet to use cold water (and there is no reason why you couldn’t) however you would need to allow more time (a couple of hours) to be ready for eating. The meal 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, you can re-zip the zip lock.

Taste wise you definitely know you are eating cottage pie and I am more than happy to eat this night after night, which for means means that it must be good. This is well worth a look for your next outdoor aventure.

We Like

• Three year warranty which means you can buy these when you see them discounted thereby reducing the price. You also know the meals will always be edible
• Minimal preparation time.  All you are doing is rehydrating these meals so once you add boiling water there’s only a ten 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 very large variety of meals to choose from in both single and 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 it gets. 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 meals are cheaper than their competitors however they servings are also slightly smaller

Best Uses

An easy to prepare meal whether it be on a short or long trip for camping and hiking

Buy One

You can purchase the Back Country Cuisine Cottage Pie (1 or 2 serve sizes) 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!

Other versions

Back Country Cuisine makes a large range of meals. See our top 5 here

In addition they also do a range of soups, side dishes, desserts and breakfast options. a number of the meals are available in one and two person servings.

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

Uncooked meal in the now opened bag

The meal now rehydrated and the bag torn down

Disclaimer

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

Last updated

18 October 2024

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