Meal planning when caravanning in France

debbsi

Hi

We are off to France this year with our caravan, we have been several times before and have averaged spending (including fuel, food, drink etc) anywhere between £700 the first time we went 6 years ago to £1000 the last time we went 2 years ago. We are going for 16 nights, one of which will be spent on board the ferry.

We are a bit strapped for cash this year and normally there are 4 of us, but our DD is now 18 and staying at home (I will have to provide food for her too!!). So hopefully we will spend less this time anyway - but has anyone got any advice for budgeting whilst there.

Normally we go to the supermarket every other day - I would like to do this less often this year. We do spend quite a bit on beer and wine (but not as much as if we would in a bar).

Any money saving advice much appreciated

Thanks

Deb x

judy2357

Take as many cheap items from this country as poss by buying from Asda or Tescos cheap range eg blue stripe washing powder, Smartprice shower gel, teabags, coffee cereals etc thereby leaving your money to buy fridge or fresh stuff when you get there in the French Supermarche.

squirrelchops

Hi, we had 16 days in France in our campervan last year. We found it helped to take some British branded stuff such as sauces, squash and even a bag of pasta and sauce! If you want your baked beans take them with you as very expensive otherwise.

We mainly made our own meals such as bread or croissant and eggs for breakfast - normally a late brunch so only really ate twice a day. If we did have lunch too we would just buy baguette and bought ham and cheese and salad. For supper we often had a bbq but did have the emergency pasta and sauce with some sausage chopped in when we broke down one evening!!

This year we are off again and shall do the same. We have a CADAC bbq that apparently you can cook a whole chicken in so may have a go at that too. Anything that is able to be cooked in one pot is always good whilst camping I think.

debbsi

Thanks for the advice guys - really useful:beer:
I always make sure I take a couple of curry sauces cos the ones over there are pretty yuck !!

We have a george forman bbq - its really good, but we only have a tiny table top oven so cant cook much in there - no full chickens for us

Thanks
Deb xxxx

squirrelchops

You could make some lovely fresh and simple pasta sauce...tomato, onion, garlic and basil..yum. Their produce is always so much more flavoursome than here I find.

We will take a curry sauce too as we love thai curry!! We had french bangers, new potatoes mashed and baked beans one night washed down with a bottle of vino or two just cos we fancied it and it was raining that evening so wanted comfort food!!

Omelette would be an easy one too. We find that as we drive from destination to destination a lot we like quick and simple foods where possible as are often sooooo tired. We ate out once or twice and did have a takeaway pizza one night that was lovely. The price of drinks out was so expensive that we didn't bother...occasionally just had one out so we could people watch but ususally too tired after our days activities!

debbsi

mmm pasta sauce sounds a great idea, and the bangers and mash - yum yum

we will eat out a couple of times too

keep the meal ideas coming - I always run out of ideas of what to cook - and then I end up spending more!!

Thanks
Deb x

NJW69

Take a slow cooker and then you can cook whatever you find cheap, coq au vin, beef in red wine, gammon in cider (if you don't have one you can generally buy a 1.5l one for about £10-15).

Serve with jacket potatoes or crusty bread and salad.

Take packets of savoury rice and chop in some chorizo or similar.

Pate and french bread.

BBQ sausages and salad and bread.

Making me hungry!

mikey72

I usually buy a box of couscous from the local supermarket, then throw anything leftover into it one night, along with fresh garlic and shallots, and maybe a couple of tomatoes.

debbsi

yum - I think the rice and couscous ideas are great - I get sick of bbq's too much meat!!
Good idea for home too - using up veggies etc

Deb xxxx

furndire

If you have Kelloggs cereal, take them with you, they are really expensive over there.

debbsi

great ideas everyone - thanks
I'm writing a list and will take it with me for inspiration

Deb x