In France, its tipping down and we had a crap meal last night. Inspiration needed!

[OrangeSunset]

Just that, really.

Spent €70 on a decidedly average meal for 4 last night, because essentially DH and I were basically too lazy and disorganised to cook.

It's now tipping down, so I need face this holiday full on before I succumb to the urge to flounce home!

Best meals made from basic ingredients available in your average Carrefour? I don't really eat red meat (particularly not cheval) but will happily cook a one pot day with lentils and meat and just not eat the meat.

We have a cadac and a small gas burner.

I can't even have a coffee because the milk is outside and I don't have a waterproof in the tent and it is really TIPPING down.

[EmilyAlice]

Tins of cassoulet?

[PaleAzureofSummer]

Do they sell hot rotisserie chicken and have a salad bar there like they do in supermarkets here? That with baguette?

[FauxFox]

I don't know what a cadac is but my suggestion, especially if you are with children, would be to eat simple, cheap meals at camp (baguette and pate/cheese, pasta with jar sauce etc) and go out for dessert - ice creams, crepes etc and a walk in a pretty town or marina. We did this when I was a child and we loved it! to go out for just the treat part of a meal was amazing and it never occurred to me until I was an adult that it might have been a cost-cutting exercise

Also much wine - essential camping staple

[Dawnedlightly]

Cassoulet, also lentils come in tins with bits of meat, carrots etc.
And you're not lazy
You're on holiday and ate out. It's hardly extravagant or spoilt behaviour! I cooked for 9 for a week in a fit of martyrdom (stingy cotravellers and I didn't want to pay for outside meals!) but that was a lot of bread and cheese, pots of carottes râpées, taboulet, beetroot etc. Chicken rôti?
Really hope it gets better soon. ☀️

[Dawnedlightly]

x post ^great plan fauxfox

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Sausages, nice tinned lentils, instant mash was always our traditional camping meal. Don't camp any more, but always bring back lentils when we go to France to recreate it at home!

[Puggsville]

Can't you go onto booking.com and find a cheap holiday apartment?

[hp2]

Tins of aubergine Provençal, delicious we always bring some home. Nice with pasta, rice or even better chunks of baguette!

[ClaudiaWankleman]

You could do a risotto as a one pot meal - most of the time you won't need to be doing things to do it can leave it on its own while you shelter from the rain?

[smerlin]

Sometimes Carrefour have a cooking stand where you can buy paella, couscous royale etc ready, but freshly,
made and then you can just heat up.

[youarenotkiddingme]

My childhood camping experience in France was pretty much like faux was!
We went to get fresh bread/ baguette for breakfast with jam.
We had bread/cheese and crisps/fruit for lunch.
Evening was usually something from a tin hotdog sausages in a roll, beans/spaghetti. Also scrambled egg is good or my mum made these raisin pancakes. Basically very thick batter with raisins in and fried!

We would also get a portion of Chips from the campsite restaurant.

Whatever the weather we use to love going and getting the bread as children.

Also we use to love going to the pool even in the rain - it added some kind of excitement. We'd then spend loads of time in the hot showers - have lunch and play games in the tent wrapped up in sleeping bags.

[ChilliMum]

Yes. Second all the pp with the baguette, cheese, pâté, ham and ready made salads for lunch. It's what holidays in France are all about. Then a 4pm goûté of gâteux or crêpes just like the French.

If you want to pad it out you can add some frites from the take away or the cartons of ready made soup are not too bad in French supermarkets.

Most supermarkets do the rotisserie chickens now (ours also has a lovely deli counter with quiche, lazagna, caserole etc and a sushi counter ).

You are not being lazy, holidays are not for cooking. Get out in the car for a drive, a supermarket and bit of a look around the area while the weather is not good, my kids love a good car picnic in the rain and fingers crossed the weather will pick up tomorrow.

[OrangeSunset]

Ah brilliant all, thank you. Tinned goods sound perfect, will give them a go. We wholeheartedly embrace the baguette and cheese for lunch so try to avoid too much of the same for dinner.

And also like the idea of paying for desserts after a cheaper main course.

It's stopped for now

[PaleAzureofSummer]

If they do rotisserie chicken they might do hot cooked sausage that you could have with tinned ratatouille or ready made pasta sauce and pasta.

[HippyChickMama]

Have you got a big enough pan to do a big pot of mussels? You can usually buy the ready to cook packs in a sauce. A big pot of mussels, crusty bread and wine.

[OrangeSunset]

Yes I can do mussels - haven't cooked them in years. There is a great fishmonger close by.

[Fourmantent]

Try Trip Advisor for recommended local cheap eats.

Buy some really posh fancy cakes from local patisserie to extend the eating experience.

Moules and frites are a fairly cheap and fun meal out.

More wine...

[Stillwaitingforsummer]

Paella on a cadac is easy.
Where in France are you?

[OrangeSunset]

We're in Aquitaine. Def more wine!

[porolli]

We're in France too and the weather has been really disappointing!

[Stillwaitingforsummer]

We had a year like that on the jura. I could quite easily have come home!

[tarheelbaby]

go Alpine: fondue and glüwein. the weather's miserable here in Blighty on the south coast: chilly (16C!) and wet.

[OrangeSunset]

Tonight much more successful - chicken and cannelloni beans in a tomato and paprika sauce on the cadac. And it's stopped raining a bit!

Had a peruse of the tins at Carrefour - all looking quite meaty so will have another look tmrw.

Any it's nearly stopped raining (I think)

[PaleAzureofSummer]

It's been torrential rain in (much of) South East England today.