From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

themadvix

Surely a block of frozen curry or veggie bolognese with a freezer block and in a freezer bag would be ok on the first s/c night? It will have only defrosted slowly in the boot of the car (depending on temps maybe not fully until the morning after your PI stay)? It’ll be the end of October so much cooler by then in all likelihood. Understand if you don’t want to risk it, but definitely not the same risk as if it were meat.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

rt - I've been looking and plotting, and on the route to the s/c accommodation I've located a MrL, that potentially we can call into.  We'll need to pick up things like milk, spreadable butter and such, so could potentially pick up something along the lines of your suggestion. Thank you 😁 The night we spend at the PI (outward), I'm pretty sure there is at least a MrAs within walking distance, so there may well be options there - I think it is on sort of a retail park, and I know that there is also a chippy.  The only thing we need to be aware of, is we're travelling/staying overnight on a Sunday, so obviously places close earlier in the day.  I've got to balance getting a day's worth of fun at the attraction we're stopping off at, with perhaps needing to shop before closing time.  Juggling - a MSE'rs favourite occupation 😁

Cherryfudge - yes we've made good use of the kettle in PI rooms. And yes, we too use things like tinned fruit to have a pud etc, and DH and LG will eat those porridge pots, so they are definitely deployed for breakfasts.  I keep on vacillating with regard to the purple breakfasts.  Just when I think "this time we will" (because they do offer free brekkie for kiddos), I read the reviews, which slate the food/food service/lack of choice etc or we pick a hotel that has closed it's kitchens, or only opens them on certain days or only for evening meals etc etc.  Although I must admit, there have been 2 PI's in the recent past that we've come downstairs, and guests are queuing out the door to get into breakfast, so there must clearly be some good places left. You mention butter in little tubs, do you manage to keep it cool in a coolbox or something?  I've never had any luck with keeping stuff like that and have to either do without or part use things and be prepared to throw stuff away.  Am I missing a trick?  

I must wander over to ed's thread at some point (not when he's midst BH), and enquire about breakfast burritos.  I seem to recall he was making a batch and freezing them at one point.  I'm pondering about doing a 'prepped' brekkie when we head out on holiday - rather than DH prepping porridge and creating washing up (which to be fair, he always attends to), when we're trying to head out first thing.  One of my ponderments is whether the frozen/defrosted burrito was reshown the microwave before eating.  Possibly not, if egg was a component.

DH is possibly going to watch a work colleague today competing in an event - he hadn't actually mentioned it, but LG spilt the beans.  I suppose it'll entertain them for a couple of hours - and LG will want to go and be with their beloved papa. 

I've popped a wash on - there might be a drying window before lunch.  I've put on a load of school uniform and general clothes.  Pretty much lighter fabrics, so they should stand a better chance of getting partially dry.  Having said that, yesterday's load was bone dry when I brought it in.  I was impressed, as although the sun was strong, there wasn't much breeze, which is usually the clincher in getting a load dry.

I need to establish whether a pack-up is required, or whether the wanderers will be 'at home' for lunch.  I also need to get on and do the curry and dhal, so that I can relax and watch the rugger this arvo.  

I can't recall if I mentioned the second quote is in for the windows.  It's a bit difficult to fathom out, but initially it looks like it is more expensive.  If the product isn't far superior, then I think it will be discounted, but I've not looked at it in the necessary deep detail at this moment in time.  I am, however, delighted that 2 companies have turned up and supplied quotes.  It's been far more straightforward than trying to engage trades previously.  

I will probably pop into Greying Town later to move some money about, and will check the status of my bank balance at the same time.  Fingers crossed 'pendings' have been dropped.  

Can't think of anything else spiffingly MSE at the mo, and my coffee cup is empty, so I'll shuffle orf.

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

Baileys_Babe

themadvix said:

Surely a block of frozen curry or veggie bolognese with a freezer block and in a freezer bag would be ok on the first s/c night? It will have only defrosted slowly in the boot of the car (depending on temps maybe not fully until the morning after your PI stay)? It’ll be the end of October so much cooler by then in all likelihood. Understand if you don’t want to risk it, but definitely not the same risk as if it were meat.

This is exactly what I was going to suggest.

Greying_Pilgrim said:

You mention butter in little tubs, do you manage to keep it cool in a coolbox or something?  I've never had any luck with keeping stuff like that and have to either do without or part use things and be prepared to throw stuff away.  Am I missing a trick?  

I feel you are over thinking about the butter, jam etc. I would decant some butter into a small tub or jar, if I was taking a cool box anyway I would put it in there otherwise I would just pack it with my other catering supplies and try and put it out of the sunlight and away from being directly blown on by the cars heater.

Or I would just take a pack of butter (decanted into a tub for ease of transporting once started) or tub of spread and jars of jam etc, use them at the PI and then continue using them at SC accommodation.

This is something we have been doing for years, we have had tons of SC meals in TL/PI rooms.

I know you can't start a SC box yet but could you gradually buy suitable things and put them away in the cupboards like normal, so LG doesn't suspect, but keep a list somewhere they can't find it and then it will be a case of quickly grabbing what's on the list. Without you having to spend time and energy remembering what you planned to take. I find remembering uses a disproportionate amount of my time & energy.

🤞Good luck with the bank today, hopefully the pending payments have disappeared 🤞

Cheery_Daff

All your holiday food preparation is making me think of the little books produced by Stork Margerine, back in the 1960s I think. We have several, including something like 'Stork goes on a caravan holiday' - hang on, I'll see if I can find it, it's got some right gems in it...

Cheery_Daff

Hmm, no idea where ours has gone (it'll be somewhere - I can't find any of them and they'll all be together) but someone's selling a copy and has helpfully shown a few pages from the inside: 

Food to take with you and food to cook while you're away

It's delightful (although less delightful if you're the person expected to do all that cooking, I expect!!)

Cheery_Daff

Love the fact that it suggests making several pastry cases in advance and taking them with you Don't seem to be any leftovers in the 7 day meal plan either, every meal seems different. Quite a feat of cooking!

Greying_Pilgrim

tmv - You snuck in, I missed your post, apologies.  We have done exactly what you describe, but never for the day after.  So we've done in the past, a block/curry taken out of the freezer at 6am, and cooked/used by 6pm, or in the case of some olive oil spread (PI), packed at 6am in a cool bag, and used for breakfast/sandwiches for the morning after - so 24, 25, 26hrs type scenario.  I have only ever had one cool box - c0leman brand, and despite ice blocks and bagged ice, it didn't keep anything cool - it had melted/defrosted by the end of day 1.  OK, in the summer, but not a hot summer, not left in a hot car etc etc.  I could have a dry run though, with what I have - I've got time to do that.  

Baileys_babe - I am the queen of over-thinking! I should have earnt my blue peter badge in over-thing by now 🤣 [very much sending self up 😁].  Jam I'm not so worried about, but I will experiment with the spread etc.  We do eat meals in the PI room, I usually do something pasta based, although it does make the day a bit wheat heavy so I try to incorporate more fruit etc to balance things out.  Thanks for posting.  tmv's point about the weather is entirely valid too, although DH does feel the cold and is apt to whack the heating up in the car.  But then I'm more likely to pack the car, so I can take that into consideration.

Cheery - ha ha - I bet in the 1960's we were all implored to take stork on hols in a lead lined camping refridgerator - or champagne bucket if you were posh 🤣 Generation X'rs don't fear no food poisoning 🤣  I was raised on stork margarine....... never did me no harm....... 😁  I am looking forward to any gems you may wish to share, I suspect they are going to be peachy 😁

Back from the bank.  The money is still showing as pending, which I think is ok - as TL are now less, and less likely to take the money? from what you lovely folk on here have said.  I have moved money about, so we're all set for October - without, at this moment - having to worry about the £200 that is ringfenced.  Never have I been more glad of budgeting and managing finances, so that I'm not at the limit - and an incident like this push us over into the red.  

I didn't spend any money, just walked into Greying Town, did the banking and walked back out.  

Ta for popping in, and all your advice.  It is always appreciated and you know that I listen and take things on board, or try them out. so thank you.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Crikey Cheery - I'd have to pack my pinny and my hostess trolley to do that lot justice 🤣  

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

I know 😂😂😂 I'm tempted to try it one day (substituting the meat) - I bet it'd be a lovely spread but I might not have a lovely holiday 😂😂

We've taken veggie chilli to festivals before now, and it's been fine to eat after 2 nights. Our standards are pretty low though 😂😂 That was transported in big 4 pint milk containers, if I remember correctly 😂😂 Didnt look very appetising being poured out 🙄 but fed quite a few people! 😂😂

LotsOfTea

My top tip from a lot of experience of taking a coolbox camping is fill it up with as much frozen stuff as possible (e.g. frozen cartons of fruit juice, milk etc that you can use on hols when it's defrosted) and don't open it at all until you get to the holiday cottage. The stuff will probably all be still frozen and definitely still cold when you open it. You can pack some stuff you want to be just chilled in there as well as long as there's a good load of frozen stuff in there too to act as the ice packs. I find stuff like frozen tubs of curry, cartons of juice and bottles of milk work better than ice blocks, maybe because they're denser 🤷 The other key bit is not opening it so the cold doesn't escape.