(Help!) Last minute self-catering OS!

After reading this post:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...=1#post2391954

I've gone and booked us a freebie break next week. It'll be a great break for us all after the stresses of the last 3 months - i can't wait. Now my attentions turned to how am i going feed the 4 of us in a self-catering flat? I've never self-catered before, and never been on holiday as a parent!!! Obviously Pontins expect to recoup on the free holiday by thinking we'll be spending in the on-site shops/restaurants/bars - how disappointed they will be!!

So I'm turning to my OS buddies for tips/suggestions/advice (please?).

I understand i'll have use of a grill, (maybe small oven-unsure), toaster, kettle, fridge&freezer compartment, usual pots/pans/cutlery. NO microwave.

..breakfasts are simple = UHT milk, cereal, sugar, bread, butter, jam, tea, coffee. Lunch is a sandwhich or something light like a salad? Tea on maybe 2 nights will be takeaways probably then a couple of main meals to plan for - I'm thinking of the slow cooker (but what is simple to use?)

It's 2 adults, 2pre-schoolers.... any help greatfully recieved.
Thanks

Comments

  • catznine
    catznine Posts: 3,192
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    I've always found pasta meals easy to do on holidays. Could you cheat a bit and buy a ragu type sauce rather than take up time making one from scratch?
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  • There is a thread around somewhere about self catering OS, I'll try and find it for you.
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  • Official DFW Nerd no. 082! :cool:
    Debt @ 01/01/2014 £16,956 Debt now: £0.00 :j
    Aims:[STRIKE] clear debt, get married, buy a house[/STRIKE] :D ALL DONE!!
  • kittiwoz
    kittiwoz Posts: 1,321 Forumite
    When I went to Dublin at Easter, staying in a backpackers' hostel, I packed sandwiches and apples for lunch and bought some bread and cheese spread to have for breakfast when I was out there (some hostels provide toast & not being the one who booked I didn't know til I was out there. There was tea and coffee in the mornings but no milk or sugar so I just had it black and drank water in the evenings.) For dinner I had a packet of wonton noodles to which I added a small packet of bacon bits, a packet of cheese and broccolli pasta and sauce made up with water (you're supposed to use milk and a little butter but I didn't have any) with a small can of tuna added and a packet of flavoured instant couscous and a can of sardines. Using instant packets of noodles, pasta and couscous was more expensive than cooking from scratch but allowed me to keep down the weight in my bag by minimising ingredients and saved me time in the evening which was in short supply. Adding the tuna, bacon and sardines upped the weight, though not too badly since they were all in individual packets, but made me feel I'd had more of a proper meal. I also bought a packet of almond fingers in Dublin which I ate as dessert and with my packed lunch. I planned my meals to be easy to make using a hob, toaster and electric kettle since those are the facilities normally available in hostels.

    Pontins should be easier since you will have better cooking facilities and your own fridge so can have milk and butter without worrying about them getting stolen. Plus you are pressumably driving and do not have to worry to much about weight and space concerns in packing. I would want to minimise effort though if I was on holiday so would probably stick to simple things like beans/cheese/ egg on toast, canned or packet soup and bread and pasta and sauce. I might make a pasta sauce from scratch since it's not too hard but would probably use Cambell's condensed soup and add something to it (eg. cheese, tuna, bacon, ham) or just have pesto.
  • annie-c
    annie-c Posts: 2,542 Forumite
    A great tip that I have used is to get a Tesco 'home' delivery to deliver to your chalet in Pontins. Much cheaper than buying on-site and you can plan, order and make payment arrangements ahead of time, leaving you free on holiday with more time to enjoy yourself and more of a grip on your 'spending money' budget.

    When planning your shop, you'll be able to take advantage of the usual special offers and put more money into your favaourite things. Personally, I would try to balance moneysaving with having an easy time. So, in order to have a night off, why not order a job lot of ready meals for that freezer compartment - eg, let everyone pick what they fancy from the 5 for £4 frozen meal range and all you'll need to do is whip up a big salad and some bread while they go in the oven/microwave.

    For easy slow cooker meals, maybe buy a couple of bags of ready prepared root veg and potatoes and a packet of stewing steak and leave them in the slow cooker while you are out for the day. The ready prepared veg that seems expensive on a day-to-day basis will probably be much cheaper bagged up and washed in Tesco than the raw stuff available on site - so you can justify your indulgence and spend more time on yourself!

    Well done for finding the mone for a holiday - hope you enjoy it!
  • Essex-girl_2
    Essex-girl_2 Posts: 3,503 Forumite
    Which Pontins are you going to?

    We self catered at Camber Sands & there are no shops neaby - think you would have to drive into Rye. We had fish and chips one day (luckily chippy was right outside) but never ate in the restaurant as it was very expensive and not very nice. However the onsite shop sold rotissere (sp) chicken and fresh rolls etc and handmade pizza's - they wernt as cheap as Tesco's obv but wernt that bad.

    Hope you have a lovely time.
  • Rikki
    Rikki Posts: 21,625 Forumite
    Homemade pizza using bread. Toast one side. spread the other with tomato sauce grated cheese and anything else you want to throw on.
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  • Zziggi
    Zziggi Posts: 2,485 Forumite
    Essex-girl wrote:
    Which Pontins are you going to?

    We self catered at Camber Sands & there are no shops neaby

    Prestatyn on mon-fri morning next week!:eek:

    Grandparents taking grandkids to Southport next weekend.:D

    After reading everyones comments i think the message is not necessarily to go for the cheapest option but go for the easiest (and cheap-ish) option. I'm gonna give it a bit more thought and come up with a menu plan. Luckily we all love salads and will eat almost anything.
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