Quick/easy dinners for SC guests?

[ToastforTea]

Hello - NC for this one as it’s a bit identifying but v regular poster (and too regular follower of other threads 😂).

I’ve just started having paying guests in an annexe to earn a bit of extra cash… usually provide milk and a bit of breakfast food (bagels, yogurt, piece of fruit etc) and chosen those as could be breakfast or a midnight snack etc

One of our first guests is absolutely exhausted today after a long walking event that she’s not used to. I offered to make her a sausage sandwich for dinner but she declined when I mentioned it’s veggie sausages 😂

I’ve given her some eggs to scramble and she’s having those with a bagel for supper & then collapsing

Got me thinking: it might be good to keep a few simple bits on hand of this happens for another guest. I’m a lifelong vegetarian so a bit low on ideas … guests have access to a microwave and fridge/freezer plus toaster. So far my ideas are scrambled eggs, those microwave pizzas, beans on toast? Any other ideas?

My thinking is to make these available of people are delayed in their arrival or exhausted/feeling unwell etc (I am not planning to leave this out as a free for all, and hope most people would replace the food or leave a contribution to the cost: I will have a rethink if that’s not the case!)

What simple foods would you like to be on hand if you were in that situation?

Preferably can be microwaved but if I’m home/awake I could also do eg fish fingers/sausages etc in an air fryer. Ideally long lasting foods or things that are ok in a freezer. Heinz tomato soup? A frozen ready meal?

thanks in advance for any ideas :)

Macaroni cheese
a fish finger sandwich, oven chips and salad would be great after a long day of walking!

Are you renting Annexe out as self-catering or are you charging for breakfast, dinner etc?

If the first, then leaving some bread, milk, teabags and maybe some biscuits is sufficient. Everybody will know they've booked SC and should definitely not be expecting you to cook for then whenever they turn up.

If the latter, then you offer those meals during specific times of the day, perhaps menu agreed before hand. Again, nobody should expect you to cater for them during hours you might be asleep.

Hello - thank you so much for the replies!

Its SC so doing the milk/tea/biscuits as standard… I realise though that things often go wrong when people are travelling (I’ve had delayed flights and no dinner myself) so wanted to have a few bits on hand that I could either prep for guests or leave out / in the annexe freezer for them if they arrive in the wee hours. I anticipate this might happen every few weeks so going heavy on the ultra processed foods 😂

Oven chips & a (frozen) macaroni cheese are both great ideas, thank you and it made me think you can also get microwave chips … just standby food so someone who has been delayed, maybe doesn’t want to keep us up by going out for food, has something more than biscuits/toast for dinner if there is a hold up. Many of our visitors are driving 3-4 hours so don’t know the area/maybe don’t feel safe out v late

@Whenwillitallmakesense : thank you for being specific, I agree tbh based on my own experience, but realise part of succeeding as we start this is being better/offering things a hotel won’t (like free beans on toast at 2am) 😁

She’s a legend! She can do me a food parcel anytime

Oops, wrong post. Lol

Maybe frozen pizzas or pasta with stir in sauce/pesto.

I think you’re in danger of making a rod for your own back.

Either SC - and provide tea coffee etc
or Catered - and provide a nice meal

You’re caught between the two here, and your generosity could backfire if you start getting people expecting a meal of choice and complaining.
I would honestly keep it simple with self catering, clearly advertised as such. I would not expect the host to provide food, guests should sort themselves out.

Honestly I would stay with self catering. Otherwise the lines get blurred quickly. On booking maybe send a information sheet with local shops/takeaways/pubs/restaurants and their opening hours so they have an idea about openings etc so they have an idea if their flights is due to land at 9pm and the local shops are closed at 9.30pm then it is a good idea ro bring snacks. Otherwise you could stick a pack of pasta and some pasta sauce in the cupboard

Everything purple wrote.

Surely in this situation they can just order a takeaway from a list of provided takeaway menus?

In a lot of S/C I've stayed in, things like dried pasta, rice, salt, pepper, oil, random other long-life bits and pieces have built up over time from previous guests.

A tin of beans and tin of tomato soup and/or a supernoodle type thing in the cupboard for this eventuality is more than fine in my view - they can have that with one of the "breakfast" bagels if arrive late or want a hot breakfast. If they want something more they can either order a takeaway or organise themselves: if they know they're going to a self-catering place they should think ahead and bring food for at least dinner and breakfast, or stop en route!

Jacket potatoes.. beans.. tinned soup.. part baked baguettes..

Have you got food hygiene certs, insurance etc in place to cover being a-bit-catered? You could have a mare if trying to do a nice thing backfires with an allergy or food poisoning.
The above suggestion of a couple of tins of soup in the cupboard sounds like a great solution, given you already provide things like bagels.

A couple of cans of soup is fine, if they have bagels, yogurt and fruit.

Stick a couple of pot noodles and tins of soup in the cupboard.

I'd just keep a couple of frozen ready meals which can be microwaved, such as macaroni cheese, a lasagne, and a veggie lasagne and then offer them if anyone is desperate.

I wouldn't do anything more complex than that because it's supposed to be self catering, but I'm sure people would be grateful if they needed them.

If people turn up to self catering they need to think about theirselves - they’re paying guests not visitors. In those cases I’d have bought some soup and bread on the way.

Either SC - and provide tea coffee etc
or Catered - and provide a nice meal
**
You’re caught between the two here, and your generosity could backfire if you start getting people expecting a meal of choice and complaining.

Sadly I think this is totally spot on. You will get folk complaining about the food if you cater for them. They will leave reviews bemoaning the lack of smashed avocado on sourdough if you (very kindly) offer beans on toast as an alternative to going hungry.

Agree that it would be best to leave out a selection of takeaway menus.

scrambled egg on bagel is a good enough dinner if you get a repeat.

Can I clarify- the annex is marketed as self catering, but the only cooking device is a microwave? Is that correct? 😕

I agree with others, provide info on local home delivery options, later opening restaurants etc and at most, provide some pot noodles in the cupboard.

If I arrived late and found some frozen meals in the annex freezer, I'd either assume the previous guests left them, or they were yours- Unless it was clearly marked as being for my use. I'd also be wondering how much they were, again, unless it was clearly marked as £x or free.

You got a good heart OP and seem very caring of your guests bless you. We have booked SC many times and in a few places have found welcome packs of some fresh bakery items, cake and sweets.
Anyone like us who book SC should be prepared for meals ahead, we always do some research of the area and places to eat and shop from before we go. We take our own food with us to reheat or cook, frozen and fresh, and go to some takeaway or local store/supermarket to pick up more if needed. On the first day we're always prepared and take cooked food with us and we do travel up to 4hrs. So I wouldn't worry too much OP as people should be prepared for this as its clearly a SC place. You do the standard of tea/coffee milk...and some condiments and I'm always happy to receive a welcome pack it's a nice gesture so maybe just do that.

I absolutely agree with this ^.
if you really want you can have at home porridge cups for microwave or just variety of small cereals or stash of frozen bread and small jars of marmalade for the emergencies to give people a substantial snack to survive until the morning but nothing more.
I wouldn’t aim for veggie non veggie sausages or anything else but I would expect you having toast or cereals to share with me if anything happened.
However I wouldn’t mention this in your advert, I would keep it as you have been a thoughtful host always ready for emergencies.

Not sure if I'm missing something but why are you making meals for someone if it is SC?

Keep to the basics. You are doing fine as it is.

Leave details of deliveroo on the table. Job done.

We've done SC twice now, both times the supplies were minimal. In the last place there wasn't even salt and pepper!
The first place the owners were living nextdoor and they left some freshly picked tomatoes and peppers from their greenhouse in the morning. The kitchen had salt,pepper and basic spices as well as some condiments in sachets and tea, coffee and sugar.
We went with zero expectations and I'd basically taken lots of cooked meals already as well as a packet of pasta and some pasta sauce.
If you're advertising as self catering, the minimal supplies is enough.

If I were you I would keep a few one portion meals from Cook in the freezer. They are the nicest I have found, and heat up in minutes in the microwave. Then it's proper food rather than just a snack.