Food just tastes better out bush. As I wrote in my Ed’s Letter a few issues back, even bland meals seem like culinary delights once you’re tired and hungry after a long day on the trail. Heck, I even think dehydrated and freeze-dried meals taste great. I’m not joking. Now, I know not everyone is with me on enjoying freeze-dried meals. I also know that part of their attraction is that they’re super easy to prep, and most importantly, that they’re, well, dehydrated; the weight savings almost seem to add to the flavour.
But the thing is, you don’t always need to be skimping on weight (especially on short trips like overnighters or three or four day-ers), so why then skimp on flavour? If it’s solely because dehydrated meals are easy to prep, then here’s an alternative that genuinely tastes great: Offgrid Provisions. The Aussie company cooks proper meals, seals them in a long-life pouch (no freeze-drying involved, no preservatives either, nor gluten for that matter), which you can then chuck in the cupboard until you’re ready to take them out on an adventure. And once you’re out there, just boil the pouch in some water for five minutes—just be aware that you’re going to need a pot large enough to do this in—and you’re good to go. (You actually don’t even need to do this; you can eat the meals cold if necessary.) I’ll admit I was genuinely dubious as to whether they’d taste much better than dehy or freeze-dried meals (remember, I actually like them), but literally within seconds of opening a pouch of ‘Not Butter Chicken’ during a three-day trip in the Blueys, I could smell, and then see, this was different. The sauce was rich and thick, a genuine curry, like nothing I’d eaten on the trail before. With me on that trip was my son—who is 11 years old but has started cooking amazing butter chicken from scratch, no sauces involved—and he was impressed. So was I. This was in a different league to usual camp meals.
We had four different types of Offgrid dinners on that trip, as well as pouches of rice and of saltbush potatoes (the latter are really good; I presume they’re meant to go with other sauce-based meals, but honestly, you can eat them on their own), plus some of their energy bars too, which we both loved. We also ate a braised-goat curry (delicious), a venison stroganoff (I liked it, but my son, who hates mushrooms, was not a fan) and a wagyu bolognaise. The last of these was exceptional. I’ve definitely eaten worse bolognaises at dinner with friends at their homes. I’ve since eaten their frank and beans (this was the first miss for me, although I’ve heard other people say they like it), and their outback-lamb curry cooked in spices—coriander, ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, star anise, cinnamon. It was delicious.
Look, I’m not saying I’ll never eat freeze-dried again. It definitely still has its place, especially for me because I like it. And there are loads of trips when weight-saving trumps all other considerations. But for shorter trips when I want a bit more flavour and authenticity, or for anyone who wants convenience but just is not into freeze-dried meals, Offgrid’s meals are definitely a great option. Go to offgridprovisions.com.au to learn more.
