Australian Hiker

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Outdoor Gourmet Mediterranean Lamb and Black Olives Review

The Outdoor Gourmet Company provides dehydrated / freeze dried meals to the Australian market. As far as commercially preprepared meals go and as the name suggests, they are a high end, high taste product. I’m a big fan of nearly all the Outdoor Gourmet Company meals and while I will very happily eat any of them I have my favourites.

Lets start with taste. The Mediterranean Lamb and Black Olives, packs plenty of flavour which comes from the large chunks of real food you will quickly notice when you open the bag. As flavourful as this meal option is, it does this without going heavy on the spices. I’m a spice lover but many of my friends aren’t so this is a great option if you like tasty food without the heat.

As much as I love rice it causes me digestive issues so the fact that this is a couscous based meal is something that I greatly appreciate. The chunks of meat and vegetables in this meal are very recognisable which is always a bonus.

Unlike other companies, Outdoor Gourmet focuses on providing meals for two. These meals are larger than their competitor’s offerings (produced by the same company) by approximately 8-9% which doesn’t sound like much but does help to explain the premium price.  I’m a big eater but after a two week long trip I am looking for extra food so will often throw in the occasional twin serve meals to satiate my hunger.

The obvious negative with any freeze dried meals, and in particular with Outdoor Gourmet offerings is the price. The normal price is AUD $19.99 RRP mark and at about $10.00 per person that isn’t cheap. Having said that, the products do have a long shelf life so you can stock up during the regular sales at the outdoor stores. While these meals used to only be available in a two person option it is now available in a single serve/entree size

The argument that many offer against using commercially prepared meals is that you can prepare meals more cheaply in your own kitchen. While this may be the case if you make meals in bulk, unless you are a good cook the quality is often not as good. I love to cook but there are other activities (such as hiking!) to which I would rather devote my time.

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. I have yet to use cold water (and there is no reason why you can’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.

The Outdoor Gourmet Mediterranean Lamb and Black Olives is a great meal option that has plenty of taste with minimal spiciness so will please everyone.

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 (allow 11-12 minutes to get a better meal)
• 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 meals to choose from 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
• Now available in 1 and 2 person sizes

We don't like

• The main negatives of any commercially preprepared dehydrated / freeze dried meals is the cost. The Outdoor Gourmet meals are not cheap at approximately $10.00 per person for a meal

Best Uses

Great choice for an easy to prepare meal whether it be on a short or long trip. The Outdoor Gourmet meals are really good for couples being just that little bit bigger which make all the difference after a week on the trail

Buy One

You can purchase the Outdoor Gourmet Mediterranean Lamb and Black Olives meal online from Macpac, Snowys, or Wildfire Sports

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!

If you have eaten the Outdoor Gourmet Mediterranean Lamb and Black Olives meal or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Other Versions

The Outdoor Gourmet Company provides a range of nine main meals in a twin serve size and now in a single serve/entree size. In addition to this current review these include:

Beef Bourguignon

Coq au Vin

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) 

Tandoori Chicken with a Creamy Yoghurt Sauce

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Vegan Lentil Dahl

Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto

Investment

AUD $19.99 RRP

Outdoor Gourmet Mediterranean Lamb and Black Olives as purchased

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 out, you will get ‘dry pieces’ in your dinner

Picture of the uncooked meal in the now open bag. There a lot of large chunks of real food in there

The meal now rehydrated and the bag ‘torn down’. The real food is recognisable in these meals

Disclaimer

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

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