Australian Hiker

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Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto Review

The Outdoor Gourmet Company provides freeze dried meals to the Australian market. As far as commercially pre-prepared 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.

The Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto is another of these meals I have a love-hate relationship with. I don’t cook and very rarely eat risotto as I have an issue with the rice getting caught in my throat. This is an issue I have with other types of rice (but not all) and a few other foods as well which means when I do eat it, I need to eat very slowly and drink lots of water. Based on this issue you would expect that I wouldn’t eat this offering from Outdoor Gourmet however I like the taste of this meal too much and as a result will take a long time to finish off the meal.

This risotto is excellent, it tastes great, the texture is good and there is the right amount of seasoning. This rice based dish is different enough to all the other dishes on the market from both Outdoor Gourmet and Back Country.

Unlike other companies, Outdoor Gourmet focuses on providing meals for two however their website indicates that this meal is available in a single serve although I have yet to come across it in the stores I visit. I am happy to eat the twin serve particularly towards the end of a two week long trip when I am looking for more calories having used up my body’s reserves by this stage so will often pack some two person servings every 2-3 nights.

The obvious negative with any freeze dried meals, and in particular with Outdoor Gourmet offerings is the price. The normal price sits around the $18.99 mark and at about $9.50 per person that isn’t cheap. Having said that, how much do you pay for a fast food meal these days? However the products do have a long shelf life so you can stock up during the regular sales at the outdoor stores.

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. Although I will usually allow them to sit for 12 minutes and stir half way through. Like all the Outdoor Gourmet meals, the recommended amount of water to add is spot on and provides a good consistency. 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 because you can re-zip the zip lock.

The Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto is a very good meal option, and despite the issue I have with this type of rice, I will eat this occasionally on longer trips (with care). For most people this is an excellent choice and well worth considering.

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

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 $9.50 per person for a meal
• Two person meals only (or one person if your really hungry)
• I have a issue with eating risotto and while I will usually avoid it I do like the taste of it and will usually succumb at least once on a multi week trip and have this for my dinner.

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 Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto 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 Wild Mushrooms and Risotto 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 In addition to this current review these include:

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) 

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Mediterranean Lamb and Black Olives

Venison and Rice Noodle Stirfry

Beef Bourguignon

Coq au Vin

Tandoori Chicken with a Creamy Yoghurt Sauce

Venison Caserecce with White Wine Sauce

 

Investment

AUD $18.99 RRP

Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto 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

Unopened Parmesan cheese packet

Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto rehydrated

Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto rehydrated with cheese added

Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushrooms and Lamb Risotto in a bowl

 

Disclaimer

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

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