Essentials to take when going away to holiday cottage?

[grenlei]

We're going away this weekend for a week in a sc cottage in the West Country. Am going through my packing...I can guarantee I always forget something however much I plan. So can you give me your essentials - or alternatively the things you always forget!

Thanks for all the suggestions, a few others on there I'd not remembered.

Just waiting for today's 4th washload to dry ( you know when you ask if anyone has anything they want washing, and they present it at 4pm the day before...) then I can finish packing the clothes and towels as well.

Have emptied all the bins, cleaned the fridge out, watered the plants and a few other bits so the house is clean when we come back.

@Breathmiller happy birthday! I love that you are taking your flowers with you, that's exactly something I would do

I would check what is available first. We've just come back from a week in a cottage and they had plenty sharp knives (no bread knife though) and supplied 2 tea towels, 2 toilet rolls, dishwasher tablets and 2 bin bags. They also had washing up liquid, coffee, tea & a pack of cookies.

I took:
Kitchen roll
Sugar
Olive oil spray (seemed less messy than a normal bottle)
Laundry pods (to wash food covered baby clothes)
Dishwasher tablets (I didn't know they supplied them)

Depending on location and length of stay can you not do an online shop.

We went away recently (cottage by the seaside) and we got the basics / heavy stuff delivered.

Good heavens - almost everything on these lists we supply as standard at the holiday let - even a bread knife and oven gloves!

Chocolate!

@Elphame

Good heavens - almost everything on these lists we supply as standard at the holiday let - even a bread knife and oven gloves!

Me too - slippers, raincoat & bungee strap excluded though. One of my guests brought all her garden flowers a few weeks ago as they would have been over when she got home. Three jugs of flowers from Wales - they were beautiful though. Can't imagine the kind of places people are renting

I always take practically a mini kitchen with me!

I've started a packing list for my self catering holiday (see photo!)

Also added kitchen roll now too.

Oh yes! I second foil. Can use it to cover food, wrap sarnies etc. - also recyclable unlike cling film.

sharp knives
Chopping board,
slow cooker (depending on plans)
teapot,
cafetière,
plastic cups/bowls etc for children,
bin bags
dishwasher tablets
dishcloth

I take a baking tray too as I’m veggie and bacon fat smell is hard to remove.

Soap cut a bar in half so there’s enough for 2 sinks.

at the moment due to covid no foodstuffs allowed not even salt pepper etc, so make sure to take them!

oh - tweezers!

Mossie killer plug in & tabs/liquid.

Bars of soap.

Corkscrew.

@mallowa

at the moment due to covid no foodstuffs allowed not even salt pepper etc, so make sure to take them!

Not necessarily true; we were in Northumberland last week and got salt, pepper and oil. And tea, coffee, sugar, coffee pods, milk, eggs, butter, marmalade, bread, chocolate covered ginger biscuits, crisps and wine - it was the best 'welcome' hamper we've had in 40-odd years of self-catering holidays.

Can't imagine the kind of places people are renting

Luxury ones hopefully but I find it so hit and miss.
Some places say their kitchens are fully equipped and maybe they were when they started out but the knives are blunt, chopping board is ingrained with garlic or something, teapot lid broken etc or the owners idea if fully equipped is to use it as a graveyard for unwanted crockery and appliances.
On the other end of the spectrum we've been surprised by things like coffee machines with a supply of pods that weren't listed etc.

Loo roll X 2
Soap and flannels
Teatowels
Sandwich bags
Pack of coffee
Frozen 2 pints of milk
Salt, pepper, oil

Everything else we buy in big shop on arrival or first thing the next day.

Also
Nightlights
Groblinds as curtains are always really light (but less of a problem at this time of year)
Cuddly toys!

We are due to go to a holiday cottage in two weeks and have just been notified that the condiments and spices, etc have been removed from the cupboard due to Covid.

Wedges. So annoying if you want a door open and it won't stay that way.

Chargers.

Soap
Hand sanitizer
Antiseptic wipes.
Sharp knife.

Insect/bite pen!
We where away when I was stung by an enormous wasp and it was the one thing we didn't have that we usually always do.

We stayed at a holiday cottage last month and there was everything in the kitchen you could possibly need (apart from food!) , would never have thought about taking knives or tea towels.

Things I have brought home from holiday ( bought from supermarket) : baking trays, roasting tin, clothes horse, bucket ( rinsing wetsuits) wooden spoon,

Things I take, sharp knife, potato peeler, tin opener
Salt pepper vinegar, herbs and spices
Enough food for thought the first few days
Towels, tea towels, washing up gloves, brush,sponge and detergent. Laundry detergent, one of those sock airers, torch, mobile pharmacy ( all the OTC meds one may need) soap, plastic jug, tinfoil, sandwich bags, duct tape,