Australian Hiker | Back Country Cuisine Three Fruits Cheesecake

Weight 150 grams
Calories/serve 464

Cost $12.95

Back Country Cuisine Three Fruits Cheesecake

Rating

Rating: 7.6 / 10

Value for Money 1.5/2.5

Taste 1.1/2.5

Convenience 2.5/2.5

Weight 2.5/2.5

Back Country Cuisine Three Fruits Cheesecake 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. This dessert packs in the calories and if you’re purely looking for ‘bang for your buck’ on the calorie front then this is the dessert to choose.

The Three Fruits Cheesecake is very easy to prepare and is able to be eaten as soon as you have added the water. 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 this dessert is cheesecake but that’s about as good as it gets. Appearance wise it looks like baby food but really that’s not a major issue. Having said that for me this is the least favourite of the Back Country desserts I have tried and while it doesn’t taste bad it just doesn’t compare to the other options available from Back Country which I think are far superior.

The normal price sits around the $12.95 mark. Most of the larger outdoor stores offer member 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.

While I wouldn’t choose to purchase this dessert again I would definitely eat it on a cold night after a long days hike; just so long as there’s nothing else on offer. I’d suggest giving it a try as your taste buds may be different to mine.

Features/Advantages/Benefits

How many backpacking meals can provide 464 calories per 75 gram dry weight. This meal is loaded with calories and will keep you content on those cold nights
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
Zero preparation time. All you are doing is rehydrating this dessert so once you add cold water you can eat straight away
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 desserts unless you are on a really long hike
Freeze dried. This takes much of the weight out of the meals and helps to limit the impact on your body

The Negatives

The main negative of any commercially preprepared dehydrated / freeze dried meal is the cost. The Back Country Cuisine Three Fruits Cheesecake works out at $6.50 per person but given the calorie count the price per calories is pretty good
Twin serve only. I hope you are hungry!
While this tastes like cheesecake the appearance looks more like baby food. Just close your eyes and you will be fine!