Farewell to freeze dried food

We only walked a couple of kilometres from our house and into the woods. The camp was set at dusk just far enough away that we disappeared into our own world as darkness spread through the pine trunks.

It was on this trip that Sif grew into her role as the family’s wilderness chef. Whether it was because she was tired of freeze-dried food, couscous, rice, sausages, oatmeal or other basic outdoor food I’m not sure of. What I do know is that she spent most of the afternoon at home frying minced meat, caramelising onions, grating cheese, cutting vegetables, making damper and much more, before she packed all of it into small boxes and bags. With a determined look on her face she raised the bar for our family’s future gastronomic ventures in the outdoors and served us wilderness pizza warmed on the fire later in the evening. The English style breakfast next morning with eggs, bacon, baked beans and damper heralded perhaps a new era – farewell to freeze dried food.