On the Christmas menu

[melot]

I'm planning vaguely to be on a 2-4 day walk somewhere in Kosciouszko NP, including on Christamas day ... so I'm keen to gather ideas for a Christmas themed lunch or evening meal. Last time I had Christmas away on a multiday walk,lunch on Christmas day was the last meal on the track before wegot back to civilization. We had a Christmas lunch of cryovac. turkey slices (kept for 4 days ok deep in my pack, because it was VERY cold that Chrissy in Tas.), snowpeas and dried cranberries (for the red & green),all on some kind of ryebread with a processed cream cheese spread. And red & white candy canes & mintleaves (lollies) for dessert.
This time I expect we'll be out for tea as well. Dessert is planned: one of those Aunty Betty style self saucing puddings designed for the microwave but they heat through really well if you steam them in an oven bag in your cookpot.(maybe with some dehydrated cherries in rum or brandy) But please,I'd love some other menu suggestions. I have a home dehydrator and Vacuum sealing machine and don't mind going to a bit of effort to make the occasion memorable.

[MartyGwynne]

Melot
You seem to be on the right track for getting tasty food together, I have cooked a roast leg of lamb on the second day of a hike before. I had it boned and marinated it with tandoori paste and yoghurt then wrapped it in seven layers of foil, it then went into the freezer (you can do that part a week or two in advance).
I kept it wrapped up in a cool place in my pack till the second night - taken out of the freezer friday afternoon, drove to start friday night, walked all day sat and sun then cooked it slowly over small camp fire (used banksia nuts as fuel as they burn slowly and cooly). I also packed some potatoes each and some fresh cabbage.
Yum.
Unfortunately you may get some fire danger days over Chrissy day so you may need to work out a recipe/method which does not need small camp fire.
Best of luck, I am sure you can use cryovac (?) pack meat of some sort and can boil-cook it in a billy or trangia pot still in the bag. Using the freeze first method you should get it to last till day two.
A butcher may be able to help you out with the cryovac packing, I am not sure I have never done it or used it.
Marty

[melot]

Thanks Marty!
Good food always tastes even better in the bush & a lamb roast... Just Brilliant! I haven't had much experience cooking much more than sausages on a campfire (most of our National Parks here in SE QLD are fuel stove only areas all year round) but I'm turning over whether I might stuff, vacuum seal & freeze a lamb fillet or chicken breast fillet (or why not kangaroo fillet). I think I could brown & cook it reasonably quickly, so as not to use up heaps of fuel, with the MSR cookset we use ... maybe wrapped in proscuitto and perhaps served with couscous withnuts or dried fruits to fit the festive theme . Thanks for a bit of inspiration.

[Jaxter]

Here's a link to my menu for Christmas Day on the SCT in 2007:
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=294