Australian Hiker

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Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert 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 foregoing this luxury on the trail. Back Country has five desserts in the range but it is rare to see all in any one store as most retailers tend to pick the best two or three to sell.

This dessert comes in what Back Country calls ‘regular size’ and while that’s supposedly a single serve this is a big calorie hit for one person coming in at 695 calories per packet so really this is best as a two person dessert option.

Taste wise the Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert is not as yummy as others in the range and I still think you can’t go past the Apple Pie. The Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert is more like a mousse than an ice-cream and the addition of the little cylinders of marshmallow make it very, very sweet. I have tried most of the Back Country desserts and this one is my least favourite not because of the taste, but because of the excessive sweetness at least from my perspective. Having said that I do finish off my share when on the trail but that is more because I’m hungry and need to support my sweet tooth! Be warned this one is also on the chewy side – chewy strawberries and marshmallows is an acquired taste.

This meal is easy to prepare – you just add cold water and wait 15 minutes. Be patient and wait the full 15 minuets! 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. You can 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. The other reason for not tearing the top off the bag is that you minimise any mess after you’re done because you can re-zip the zip lock – you discover days later this a major plus as your rubbish bag starts to increase in size and becomes very messy.

While the recommendation is to use 188 ml of water, I suggest you use just a bit less (about 10-15 ml less) which creates a thicker serving but that’s personal preference. Dehydrating desserts is one of those things that sounds like hard work to me so I prefer to use the pre-prepared products.

The normal price sits around the AUD $16.99 RRP mark. Most of the larger outdoor chain 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.

If you’re not sure on the dessert front, then the Strawberry Ice-cream Dessert may not be the best place to start. Having said that if you have a sweet tooth then this option may be for you.

Note: that this dessert was previously known as Strawberry ice cream

We Like

• If you are after a sugar hit then this dessert will make you very happy
• Three-year ‘best before’ date 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 the Strawberry Ice-cream Dessert by adding cold water and waiting 15 minutes so minimal effort
• 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
• 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 Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert is not my favourite as I find it a bit too sweet for my taste. However if you take the leap of faith and try it on the trail rather than sitting in your lounge room – you will appreciate it more
• The main negatives of any commercially pre-prepared dehydrated / freeze dried meal is the cost. The Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert works out at $14.99 per serve but in all honesty this work out as a good share for two people
• Regular serve only, but I hope you’re hungry!

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 and want a sugar hit that’s when you’ll really appreciate it

Buy One

You can purchase the Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert online from Macpac or from Snowys or from Wild Earth

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

• Apple Pie
• Three Fruits Cheesecake Dessert
• Fruit Salad Trifle
• Apricot Crumble

Investment

AUD $14.99 RRP

Disclaimer

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

Bottom of the bag opened out. Always open out the bag to ensure you get the dessert mixture evenly moist

Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert in open bag without water added. You can see the dried strawberry, marshmallow and chocolate pieces

Back Country Cuisine Strawberry Ambrosia Dessert with water added. The recommendation was to add 188 mls of water. While this made a tasty dessert, a bit less water would have been better

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