Self catering from your hotel room?

ceebeeby

We've done the pot noodles, noodles, cous cous - but not hotdogs - although think this is really good. If you've got a camping stove (they were selling them for a £1 in BnQ last week) you can heat just about anything (although we've only done heating up pre-made curry, beans n sausages and pasta's) served with a chunk of french bread! Yummy! And for breakfast if you needed that, we take the mini-fridge (everything is packed carefully in a green box with all the cutlery, plates etc.... there's a whole routine to this if you travel often like we do!!!) and buy milk the night before. Each person fills a food bag per day per person with their fave cereal from home (Tesco own brand!) and can serve with hot or cold milk. The rest of the milk from that day gets used to make the flasks for that day out and about. Also in the fridge will be the sarni fillings for that days picnic also.

Maybe that's more than you need - we do the £9 travelodges all the time - so very basic, but have got it down to a fine art and the kids love it!

nikki_angel

Don't forget the tin opener!

kitschkitty

When you say dinner do you mean evening meal on day 1 (or mid day meal on day 2)? Oh and are you traveling by car, or train/coach etc.

If you LO is only 3 you'll be wanting something healthy and safe (ie food hygiene).

xxvickixx

Yes I mean dinner in the evening, should be safe enough with couscous and chickpeas. I'll pack in a coolbag with icepack the bits that I'd normally store in the fridge though but will only be a few hours until we get there and put in the hotel fridge.

Thankfully we get breakfast in the morning. Still need to think about the lunch to take the following day, am wondering about taking pots of paste and rolls so we can make up while there and not have to worry about food safety and it being in the bag all day.

I really appreciate the ideas and thoughts so keep them coming!
ETA - we'll be going in the car. We do have a camping fridge we could take but would rather not take what we don't really need...

SailorSam

It's not hot but i sometimes do and take a rice salad, Rice; egg; peas; sweetcorn; peppers; onions; crab stix; perhaps chopped bacon,in a Vitalite box.

Pink.

Hi vicki,

I'm afraid that I would buckle and treat my lot to a takeaway so I admire you for your Old Style determination. :A In your shoes I too would go with couscous, but this thread may give you some more ideas:

Self catering from your hotel room?

Once your thread has dropped down the board I'll merge it with that one to keep the ideas together for others with the same problem.

Please don't boil anything in your kettle...use the kettle to boil water to make food, but just think of the guests who will be staying there when you leave. Also heating food with a hairdryer may not be a good idea from a food safety point of view, especially as you have a little one with you.

I hope you have a great time.

Pink

kitschkitty

I think lunch is much easier (especially if you can pop a few bits in a hotel fridge), so much choice. Fruit (fresh or in pots) any of the desserts: jellies, custard, rice pudding etc that don't need refrigerating (some ambrosia ones in asda @ 30p at the mo, and many others similarly priced). Cake, or healthier flapjack/oat bars.

Rolls with anything you like from a jar, and you can get cheese spread that doesn't have to be refrigerated (not hugely exciting, but very reliable and easy and you can have nice rolls like cheese topped baps, or honey and sunflower rolls etc.

Tuc biscuits, or other crackers or cheesy biscuits, crisps, snacks, rice cakes, pretzels, popcorn the list is endless!

You can also consider what items (that you'd enjoy) could be taken frozen so that you don't have to take up space with as many ice packs to keep food colder longer e.g. bottles of made up squash can be frozen, sausages can be frozen, butter/spread and even cheese can be frozen.

For lunch in the car on the first day, bananas, grapes, oranges and all sorts of other fruits can be enjoyed frozen for a change or treat.

TheThriftyScrumpers

Hi. I was looking through the bettaware catalogue the other day and they do a pasta cooker. I have just looked online and it says you put pasta or veg in and add boiling water. Pop the lid on and it cooks the contents. If you cooked Spaghetti you could stir through some pesto and grate some cheese on top. I think it was about £12 but you may find one on eBay. Hope this helps. When we go on holiday I freeze a plastic carton of milk and use this as a cool block for the journey to keep other stuff fresh and then when it defrosts you have milk for tea and for your 3 year old. Hope you have a nice time!

cooking-mama

someone mentioned theres a Morrisons nearby?..how about buying a rottisserie chicken,crusty bread and salad..not eating out,but not cooking in hotel room either.

scotgirl

I spotted Heinz concentrated sachets of soup in tesco the other day where you add hot water to make soup! They were with the tins of soup and were the usual basic flavours e.g. tomato etc.

Although I much prefer the cous cous idea but you could do the heinz soup sachets for the 2nd day lunch and make a flask before leaving the hotel and have with bread rolls and fruit which would all keep well?

Enjoy your holiday.