Australian Hiker

Dry Weight 110 Grams
Calories/Serve 542 Calories

Cost $15.95

Campers Pantry Lamb Casserole

Single serve

Rating

Rating: 8.2 / 10

Value for Money 1.6 / 2.5

Taste 1.8 / 2.5

Convenience 2.3 / 2.5

Weight 2.5 / 2.5

Campers Pantry Lamb Casserole Review

Campers Pantry is best known over the past couple of years as producers of high quality freeze dried vegetables but in late 2017 they became the newest entry into the Australian freeze dried meal market releasing ten main meal options in addition to three dessert choices. I was lucky enough to test out some of the prototypes and based on that, I was eagerly awaiting the appearance on the market. These meals are progressively becoming more commonly available and can also be ordered both online, in store and through the supplier.

On simple overnight trips, I find the single serve offerings from Back Country work well but on multi week trips they are just not enough. The larger single serves from Campers Pantry suit those of us with bigger appetites who don’t want to go with the full twin serve option. In addition these meals offer some great variety rather than trying to repeat what is already on offer and in doing so, expand the freeze dried meal choices on offer. This includes two vegetarian offerings, that means that everyone should be happy.

The first few spoonfulls of this meal left me in two minds about whether I liked it or not but the more I ate the more I wanted to eat. The best way I can describe this meal is ‘comfort food ‘as it left me feeling warm and content.

The ratio of meat, pasta and vegetables are good, the texture is good and the quantity works well. Campers Pantry meals are noticeably less artificial than many of the existing meal choices on the Australian market. In addition there is less salt and as someone who doesn’t add salt to food, I appreciate this.

Campers Pantry meals have a high protein content which is so important particularly over the longer trips. The Lamb Casserole has 38 grams of protein per single serve pack compared to under 16-17 grams per serve from other meals on offer. Other meals from Campers Pantry have much higher protein content again. And the calorie count for a single serve is also much higher meaning you can minimise the weight you carry to get the appropriate amount of food (listen to our Podcast 057 on nutrition on the trail on the importance of protein on longer trips).

The Campers Pantry bag recommends adding a minimum of 250 grams of boiling water to rehydrate this meal but the supplier informed me that when the bags are reprinting the recommendation will increase. I added 300 mls of water and this quantity worked well creating a good consistency.

Campers Pantry recommend allowing 20 minutes for rehydration with an occasional stir and partly this is due to the extra protein in the meals requiring this additional time to absorb the water but also because the 10 minutes that the other manufactures recommend is not enough. From my perspective 14 minutes works well.

The normal price for these meals sits around the $15.95 mark for a single serve pack which if you compare this to the offerings from Back Country Cuisine single serves is expensive. However, lets talk value for money rather than cost. These meals are great tasting, have a much higher protein content than the other choices currently available on the market which while not an issue for short trips is very important on the longer more physically demanding trips. They also have a higher calorie content which helps to reduce the food weight you carry – particularly important for longer trips. These meals have a two year shelf life so you can stock up at the sales in anticipation of an upcoming trip.

The meal comes in a bag that is well designed and the bottom opens out to provide a flat base if you want to leave the bowl at home. Unlike Back County and Outdoor Gourmet, the Campers Pantry meals don’t have a tear point to make the food easier to access. This doesn’t bother me as I prefer to use a long handled spoon and leave the bag intact otherwise you can end up a big mess in your rubbish bag.

So what is the final verdict? This will definitely be a meal that I add to my hiking mix and and more than happy to recommend it.

We Like

A good lamb option that you can’t stop eating
Size wise this is a filling meal for one hungry hiker that leaves you feeling contented
Minimal preparation time. All you are doing is rehydrating these meals so once you add boiling water there’s only a 20 minute wait. 14 minutes is fine for this meal
If you eat from the bag there is only your eating implement 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
Two 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

We Don't Like

The main negative of any commercially preprepared dehydrated/freeze dried meal is the cost. These meals are more expensive but having said that they are great value for money for what they deliver in terms of taste, nutrition and calories versus weight
The recommended amount of water to add is off a bit but the supplier is aware of this and remedying this in the next print run of the bags. Add 300ml not 250ml

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 Campers Pantry Lamb Casserole meal from Wild Earth or from Campers Pantry

If you have tasted the Campers Pantry Lamb Casserole meal or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or questions below

Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our gear reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!