Food for a holiday - WWYD?

[PandaOrLion]

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?

Are you staying near Lochgoilhead OP? If you are there is a Costcutter store on the big holiday park. Or there used to be.

@Redactler yes, between there and Straccur. Good to know, thanks.

I was going to ask if it was Lochgoilhead too 😂. The costcutter is fairly well stocked. Better than it was when you were last there. I’m sure I’ve seen delivery vans there but think it might only be on certain days they deliver. Which isn’t ideal for you. Your best bet is to probably get your essentials for first few days from Dumbarton and then depending on where you go for day trips (coop in Inveraray) Morrisons in Dunoon. Or actually there’s quite a large coop in balloch too. Stock up there midweek when you have more space in the car?

There is great food shop in Inverary too, just under the white arch where the road turns off to Oban, past the castle entrance. It's not on the main street so people often miss it. They have all the basics and some more luxury items and locally sourced food too. Worth a visit.

Thanks - that’s really helpful. When I’ve been before it was with the house owner who had a shopping routine - I imagine there are some places I’m not aware of as it wasn’t where she went.

We need a fairly good selection of gluten free and dairy free food (coeliac and colitis) which I’m doubtful smaller shops will stock, but expecting the Morrisons and possibly coop will stock some. The benefit of hello fresh etc was that we’d know beforehand at least five meals so I’d just bring wheat and dairy alternatives!

Double check Tesco, they have delivered to me very rurally

I'd just do a shop and take most stuff. Unless you have an unusually small car or are having to take duvets or sports equipment or something I'm sure you can fit 4 adults, their luggage for a week and a food shop in the car.

I'd drive to accommodation, unload then go to the coop and get everything you need there.
Hello fresh is expensive rubbish IMO unless you are utterly clueless about food.

Do any people live within a 5 mile radius? What do they do for food shopping?

I'd stop at Morrison's or Tesco in greenock. Co-ops dear as feck. Fil lives in the kyles of Bute area, I HATE having to try get a shop for him.

Can I also recommend the cothouse services shop between sandbank and kilmun for their awesome selection of drink 😀 can't mind what their food selections like though...

Have tried lots of different ways of doing this and we always do a shop/click and collect/delivery before we go. We've got a plug in cool box for the car which is really helpful.

Meals usually consist of easy stuff in case the kitchen set up isn't great so pre-made spag bol, chilli, pizza, salad, jacket potatoes. We also have lots of cheese and biscuits. We also take stuff for sandwiches and eat out a bit.

I can't be bothered with shopping en route. I just want to get there usually!

I was going to say same as PP. Drive through Dumbarton and pick up stuff there. Asda or Morrisons.

Or feel free to get a hello fresh delivered here to me in Helensburgh and pick it up en route I'm a fussy eater it will be safe here it's all too vegetable filled for my liking lol.

I like to minimize cooking on trips like this. If you have room for a cool box I would pack one filled with various frozen enteees/casseroles. A lasagne, a meatloaf, etc. pre-make your dinner mains or some breakfast dishes that way. Since it is all frozen and you pack it tightly it should transport just fine. Stop at the small shop for milk and bread. Then head to the big shop the next day for fresh produce and such.