No cooking/fridge facilities help

Peggybabcot

Hello everyone we're travelling to France next month and we need to keep costs down food wise. I'm happy to buy the evening meal but was hoping to save by creating breakfast and packed lunches. The only problem is as we're in a hotel we have no cooking or fridge facilities in our room. I'd be grateful for suggestions for breakfasts and lunches. We're a family of four adults with one diabetic and one vegetarian (who eats fish) but other than that we'll eat most things. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Torry_Quine

Isn't breakfast included in the hotel? A vegetarian doesn't eat fish, you mean a pescatarion

Peggybabcot

Yes if I want to spend about £40 per night extra and I know it's pescetarian but wasn't sure everyone else would!

Torry_Quine

Peggybabcot wrote: »

Yes if I want to spend about £40 per night extra and I know it's pescetarian but wasn't sure everyone else would!

How was I meant to know breakfast isn't included and costs extra and yes I've stayed in a French hotel!:D ETA will the hotelallow you to keep food in the room? Lunch shouldn't be a problem as you'll be out then probably.

missbiggles1

If you're going to France and want to save money I'd suggest having your main meal at midday rather than at night because many restaurants offer good value menus de jour for 3 courses around 13 euros. For breakfast, go native and have croissants or similar from the bakers and have sandwiches/salad/bread and cheese in the evening.

If you have (or can borrow) an electric chiller box you'd find it useful.

FairyPrincessk

Do you know if your hotel room will have a kettle? If so, that will considerably expand your options. Either way, I'd plan on taking a tin opener, a sharp knife, and a bowl and spoon if you aren't flying carry-on only. If you're driving, then I'd take a set of bowls and a set of plastic lunch boxes, a set of spoons, washing up liquid and kitchen roll.

A lot of french supermarkets have a sort of deli counter which might be worth exploring and may get you some interesting sandwich fillings.

You'll find plenty of bread around, but if you can get to a supermarket then you can slice a loaf. I'd also suggest fillings like tinned tuna, cheese (don't rule out things like feta for variety), tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, lettuce/spinach, and avocado. You can also do salads if you have or can buy containers to pack them in. I'd add tinned pulses to these and use a squeeze of lemon or lime to dress or add a dollop of greek yoghurt. You can also do peanut butter and banana/jam.

For breakfast you could do cereal and milk (buy a bottle of milk each evening and keep it in a sink of cold water overnight, should be fine), yoghurt and fruit/nuts/meusli, bircher meusli/overnight oats. You'll need serving containers and spoons for this.

It might be easier if not everyone eats the same thing, presuming the diabetic and pescatarian are not the same person. I imagine that cold meats might help cut down on too much bread to manage blood sugar, whereas the pescatarian could eat more starch for a few days.

Of course you can also find lovely pastries in a bakery for breakfast.

If you have a kettle that will open up far more possibilities, from hot porridge to cous cous.

Gigervamp

I would go native. Pop out to the boulangerie in the morning and get croissants for breakfast and a baguette or two for lunch. Pick up some meat, cheeses and fruit later to have with the baguette.

If you buy daily, there's no need to keep them chilled, although an electric coolbox, if you have a car would be handy.

ouraggie

I would also go native for breakfast, as French bakeries have so many lovely things. You may be able to buy a cheap sandwich toaster in the hypermarket. We did this one holiday.
You could also take some of those sachets of microwave rice. Obviously you can't reheat them but the rice is cooked so you can add tuna, ham etc olives, tomatoes etc to make a rice salad. You can buy those rice sachets in France too, but may be expensive.
One thing I always take on holiday is what my OH calls "the plunger". It is a heating element that plugs in the mains, looks rather like a kettle element. Armed with this I have rustled up boiled eggs, soup, custard, etc I bought mine years ago in Boots but they're no doubt available online. It's a Pifco.
Just remembered couscous is HTH if you have a kettle. Just pour on boiling water, cover and wait a few mins, stirring regularly.
HTH

krlyr

Torry_Quine wrote: »

How was I meant to know breakfast isn't included and costs extra and yes I've stayed in a French hotel!:D ETA will the hotelallow you to keep food in the room? Lunch shouldn't be a problem as you'll be out then probably.

Probably a clue in OP asking for breakfast ideas

suki1964

Deifinately go native and eat pastries for breakfast, take the main meal at lunchtime and just snack in the evening

Torry_Quine

krlyr wrote: »

Probably a clue in OP asking for breakfast ideas

As I've never come across a hotel where breakfast wasn't included I wanted to make sure and not assume.:o