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Original poster

Food for a holiday - WWYD?

39 replies

PandaOrLion · 21/05/2022 09:55

DH, two friends and I are staying in Argyll and Bute for a week in June. We’ll be 30 mins drive from the nearest small town (with a little Co-op) and 40 mins from a larger town with a Morrisons.

Hello fresh, gusto and supermarkets won’t deliver there as it’s rural. We’re taking one car so don’t have much room to take food from home or to do a weekly shop on the way.

Options are:


  • 1/2 price Hello fresh to home the day before, plus milk etc then shop the next day for breakfast/lunch.

  • click and collect the evening we arrive (extra 80min round trip on top of 7hr drive)

  • Full shop on the way up, squash it in somehow.

  • Take or buy a small shop, click and collect the next day.


Just trying to work out the cheapest way of doing it, without spending lots extra on food or petrol. Any great suggestions?

OP posts:
Workingmomsrule · 21/05/2022 09:57

I would take dinner and breakfast for the first night/morning then top up when you go out the next day.

Original poster
PandaOrLion · 21/05/2022 10:00

@Workingmomsrule thats def what I’m thinking. I’d rather we did click and collect than shopping on the Sunday simply because I think we’ll spend less than if we wander round just picking things up but currently Morrisons seems to want the order done immediately rather than adding to until the last day like the others seem to offer.

OP posts:
Reallybadidea · 21/05/2022 10:01

Is click and collect on the way not an option? Either way I would make and freeze a lasagne/chilli beforehand and it can defrost on the way there so you can just reheat for dinner when you get there. We always do this when self-catering, if takeaway not an option, it works really well.

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Original poster
PandaOrLion · 21/05/2022 10:04

I just don’t know how much room we’d have for a click and collect on the way. It would need to be Glasgow which isn’t a problem, so would only be another 90mins with it but it’s likely our boot will be pretty full and I’m concerned we won’t be able to fit it in.

OP posts:
Zemw · 21/05/2022 10:07

Bute is lovely. Just fill every spare inch of the car with food at Oban. Its such a quick hope over to Bute.

Clymene · 21/05/2022 10:08

I'm astonished that people find the idea of life with a hello fresh or gousto delivery problematic Grin

I would take something for dinner and breakfast like a pp said and then write a shopping list to take to Morrisons. Just two people should go to the shop then there's less likelihood of random adding to the trolley.

And also if you wait until you get there, you'll know if they've left you 1 loo roll or 10 for example.

Original poster
PandaOrLion · 21/05/2022 10:10

@Clymene haha. It’s only because we’ve got vouchers! So it would cost £20 for 5 meals for 4 people which we’d spend more on if buying the ingredients from the shop and have more wastage or only use half an item so would need to bring it back.

OP posts:
TomatoorChips · 21/05/2022 10:13

Not sure most rentals have the range of utensils and pans required for gusto/hello fresh type cooking.

taking your own food doesn't support the local economy.
Buy as close to the place that you are staying a you can, go to the local pubetc

chipsandpeas · 21/05/2022 10:17

take less stuff so you have more room to fit the food shop in the boot, or hire a bigger car

Clymene · 21/05/2022 10:37

PandaOrLion · 21/05/2022 10:10

@Clymene haha. It’s only because we’ve got vouchers! So it would cost £20 for 5 meals for 4 people which we’d spend more on if buying the ingredients from the shop and have more wastage or only use half an item so would need to bring it back.

Oh I see! I'd just meal plan

If you go for a week, you eat all the leftover bits on the last day and make weird and exciting combinations you'd never previously considered. It's fun!

nzborn · 21/05/2022 11:00

Hi just a helpful tip, we also holidayed in that area away from shops but as only two of us in our car with a friend coming separately we took all our food for Christmas/New Year.
Arrived in our accommodation and didn't notice the hosts hadn't turned the fridge/freezer on which meant we lost a lot of our food.

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 21/05/2022 11:04

I'd make something like a big lasagna and take salad and garlic bread with it in a cool box with cereal and milk for the next morning then I'd incorporate a shop in the next days activities. On the way back from a day trip to a local landmark if there is one.

Matchingcollarandcuffs · 21/05/2022 11:04

What about farm/local shops? I always try and do this on holiday to support the local economy and often spend less as not encouraged to buy all sorts of nonsense like at the supermarket

BlancmanegeBunny · 21/05/2022 11:05

Take enough for the first night and breakfast and then book a click and collect shop for the next day. Try and combine collecting the shopping with visiting somewhere so it's not just a shopping trip.

Madmog · 21/05/2022 11:10

I'm sure we'd take enough for evening meal, breakfast and lunch (just in case). Then plan a day trip the next day in the direction of click and collect and do that on way back.

savoycabbage · 21/05/2022 11:20

When we do similar holidays we literally pile the food on top of the passengers for the last hour. Blush Take things out of the packaging and stuff first. Don't buy a pineapple. Too prickly apparently.

hilbil21 · 21/05/2022 11:30

What town are you near? Dunoon?

BrieAndChilli · 21/05/2022 11:32

Are you sure HelloFresh won’t deliver? Ours is delivered by DPD and as far as I am aware DPD deliver to all addresses??

hilbil21 · 21/05/2022 11:36

BrieAndChilli · 21/05/2022 11:32

Are you sure HelloFresh won’t deliver? Ours is delivered by DPD and as far as I am aware DPD deliver to all addresses??

There's a lot of places up here in Bonnie Scotland that they don't unfortunately lol.

helpfulperson · 21/05/2022 11:47

Have you asked the owners? Some of the big supermarkets do deliveries to remote areas on a given day of the week.

Du0Chocolate2 · 21/05/2022 13:41

I've been to the Isle of Bute before covid
There is a beautiful crescent bay with a tea room that sells the most delicious home made cakes
It was so good, we went more than once
Ask a local, they will tell you where it is

We also went to the castle

Du0Chocolate2 · 21/05/2022 13:46

Ettrick Bay tea room is a must !

Holidayroundthecorner · 21/05/2022 13:53

Meal plan simple stuff. Tesco at Oban is great....

Original poster
PandaOrLion · 21/05/2022 13:56

Dunoon is the nearest “big” town - about 40mins away. Co-op will deliver to the house but no one else I can find.

The house is owned by some friends and I’ve stayed there before so know the set up re cooking equipment. We’ve stayed in some airbnbs/SC properties that only have the fridge or freezer space for one meal but thankfully this is okay.

I was last there in 2015 and don’t remember any farm shops- there is a butchers 30mins away which we can use but I’m not aware of many other local shops, other than post office/news agent type places.

OP posts:
Redactler · 21/05/2022 13:57

Zemw · 21/05/2022 10:07

Bute is lovely. Just fill every spare inch of the car with food at Oban. Its such a quick hope over to Bute.

It's over 2.5 hours to Bute from Oban. Hardly a quick hop!