Heather's Choice  Grass-Fed Beef Shepherd's Pie - 1 Serving

As a fan of both traditional shepherd's pie and a few trail versions - I was very excited to sample the offering from Heather's Choice. This brand consistently gets high praise among reviewers. The ingredients list is comprised of high-quality real food with none of the sketchy additives and fillers from lesser products. This is borne out when you open the bag and look at and smell the contents. It was both visually and aromatically inviting, In addition, the weight, calories and other nutritional measurements are all within the range I usually seek out. ~ 127 calories per ounce and good carbohydrate and protein grams should provide the necessary nutrition after a hard trail day, without carrying excess weight. Once we start to rehydrate, however, things are less rosy. I poured exactly 11 ounces of boiling water, stirred well, evacuated excess air and sealed the bag. The directions indicate a 20-minute rehydration time, which is a bit long, but understandable because of the high-quality ingredients. Living at a mile high, I'm fully aware that any meal will require extra time to fully reconstitute. After 20 minutes, I reopened and stirred the contents, then resealed the bag and let it sit for another full 10 minutes. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed after just a few bites. The mashed potato component disappeared into the soupiness of the meal after just those first few mouthfuls. In addition, both the grass-fed beef and other vegetables had still not fully plumped back into shape - leaving a meal that was somehow both watery and chewy after a 30-minute soak. The flavor did match the initial aroma, however, but was really just a reminder of so much promise unfulfilled. This Heather's Choice Shepherd's Pie is but one of several shepherd's pie trail meals I've sampled over the last year, but it's not the one in my food bag for my next backpacking adventure.

This is a meal that would be delicious at the end of a long hiking day. Even after sitting for 20 minutes it was hot, which was such a comfort to the soul. The only thing I didn't like about it, is that the ground beef did not fully rehydrate so the texture was a bit off and the beef was hard. The general flavor was delicious. It reminded me of a home cooked meal.

In general, love Shepherd's Pie. I was very excited to see this offering from Heather's Choice and ordered a couple to stash away in the pantry. I had a chance to give this meal a try when some big storms knocked the power out for a couple days at the homestead. While I thought this meal was decent it did not blow me away with a complete shepherd's pie experience. Perhaps I have too high of standards. The flavors were mild -- perhaps a touch of salt or other seasonings could help. I'd definitely eat it again but there are other offerings out there that I'd reach for first given the opportunity.

Honestly this meal (and all the other Heather’s choice meals I’ve had for that matter) is one of the best backpacking meals I’ve ever had. It’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real meal out of a bag in the mountains. Tastes like REAL food—you can actually taste the ingredients, flavor was amazing, not too salty, and the texture was great. I did not have issues rehydrating, although I was diligent about waiting the 20 mins before eating and stirred it well a couple times. Also, the bag is 1/2 to 1:3 the size of regular freeze dry for the same calories and weight — huge benefit on my multi day backpacking trip.

I got the shepherd's pie and while i LOVE the idea of all the veggies, meat, and potatoes, in a backpacking meal - this one wasn't awesome. Or at least not this time. Followed the instructions to prepare, but when it came time to eat, there was still quite a bit of undisolved mix and very hard/chewy pieces (a couple i literally could not chew). It had me questionning whether i had used enough water or whether the water had been hot enough for long enough. If everything had been cooked through i think i would've loved it. A little bland from a seasoning persecptive, but just a great mix of veggies and accompanying flavors. I'd give it another shot but wasn't impressed this time.

This was a very good meal after a day's hiking. Very flavorful (though it could have used a touch more salt). It takes a bit longer to cook than other brands - 20 minutes - but all in all, that's a minor inconvenience for a good meal. Maybe add slightly more water than it calls for, because not all the beef was dehydrated at the end of cooking time, but that's par for the course with dehydrated meals. As a diabetic, healthy food on trail is very important to me. This fits the bill!

For the fancy name for mashed potatos, some random veggies and maybe some meat, this shepherd's pie was better than average. It tasted like it might have even had some wine in the cooking process- not to oversell it or anything. It was good Not the best backpacking food ever, just good. I ate it, it wasnt difficult to eat, it tasted reasonably like it says it should given it's still backpacking food, and I'd buy it again. Do I want to eat it everyday in the woods? no. But I wouldnt mind if someone told me i had to eat it two days in a row. I just wouldnt plan my week to go like that on purpose.

It was very easy to boil water, dump in, seal and wait for it to cook. Both the vegetables and the meat was a bit chewy , although I know that happens with dehydrated food. The taste was pretty much on for shepherds pie. I would get this if backpacking!

Flavors were boring and it didn't rehydrate well, despite using an insulated coozy and letting it sit for enough time. Wouldn't purchase again based on flavors then add its high price and this is a pass for me.

I thought the taste was very good. I did add onion salt to it. I would also suggest adding a bit more water than it suggests. As other reviews noted it was a bit chewy but that didn't bother me. I would definitely buy this again.