Australian Hiker

Rating

Campers Pantry Cheesy Chive Mash

When I was given the opportunity to test out the Campers Pantry Cheesy Chive Mash I assumed that ‘potato mash is potato mash’ and this offering would be similar to other brands offered.  Without a doubt this is not just the best freeze dried potato mash on the Australian market but I was very surprised at the time of this review about how good it was and it is now my favourite hiking meal, which is reflected in the product rating score (see above) which is the highest for any product that we have reviewed since starting this blog. But why is that?

First up this while you would assume that a potato mash offering is a ‘side dish’ rather than a meal and certainly you can use it as such, but in our case we love this so much that we will use these as an ‘every second day’ standalone meal option interspersed with ‘traditional’ meal offerings. This mash is sold as a twin serve but if using this as a main meal then we would use one each. Now given the retail price of this mash is $6.95/pack that makes for a very cheap meal choice!

So what about the taste? If you look at the image of the front cover of this mash it look spectacular but unless you are car camping and carrying butter It will look like the image below that where we prepared it which is essentially just potato mash with bits of chive s. The biggest surprise for us was that even without adding anything like melted butter to the mix the taste of this was addictive and we realised that this was because of the added powered cheese. Campers Pantry talk about this meal as “Indulge in the comfort of creamy, cheesy chive mashed potatoes …. ” and they are right. This is a creamy mash that has a great creamy flavour and is very addictive without being to ‘chivey’ in taste!

The suggested amount of water was 325ml but we added 300ml which worked out well for our taste and we would suggest adding slightly less water because you can always add more. After adding the water we had settled in to wait 5-10 minutes like traditional meals for it to be ready but realised the packet didn’t ask for this and we ate this mash about a minute after adding water. The packaging for this meal is the newer compact packaging from Campers Pantry and with the shorter height of this pack you can get away with a standard length spoon if you aren’t a long handled utensil user. This packaging also allows for the base to be folded out when preparing.

Calorie wise the entire meal packet (2 serves) is 822 calories and yes this is a lot but thats what you need on trail, particularly for those colder nights. Protein wise this mash only contains 15.8 calories which is low compared to most meat based meals so I wouldn’t suggest trying to live on this meal alone 0n an extended hike. Salt wise its certainly not overpowering either.

For the price of this meal, the compactness of the packet, and the sheer taste this is a great meal offering and one that we can’t recommend enough.

We Like

• Very lightweight meal option
• Loads of calories to satisfy hungry hikers
• Compact packaging will free up space in your pack over non vacuum sealed bags
• Best before 2 year shelf life
• Saying it’s great tasting doesn’t do this mash justice!
• A great Sie dish or as a standalone meal
• Easy to prepare
• Price wise very cheap as a hiking meal

We Don't Like

• Nothing!

Best Uses

• A very easy to prepare standalone meal or as a side dish

Buy One

You can purchase the Campers PantryCheesy Chive Mash from Campers Pantry

Disclosure: Some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission 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!

PLEASE NOTE: As a special offer Campers Pantry is offering a 15% discount on meal purchases (information correct as at 4 May 2025). This discount will be applied at the checkout when you make your purchase via the above link

Other Versions

The following Campers Pantry Expedition Range meals also include:

• Chicken Cacciatore
• Penne Bolognese
• Cauliflower and Pea Dahl
• Spicy Mexican Beans
• Indian Chicken Pilaf
• Tuna Pasta Bake

Investment

AUD $6.95 RRP

Campers Pantry Cheesy Chive Mash as purchased

Campers Pantry Cheesy Chive Mash packaging base opened up

Campers Pantry Cheesy Chive Mash Nutrition Panel

Campers Cheesy Chive Mash in open packet unrehydrated

Campers Pantry Cheesy Chive Mash ready to eat. It doesn’t look anything special but it tastes great!

Disclaimer

This review was done with product provided by Campers Pantry

Last updated

4 May 2025

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