Self catering in France for two weeks

[Offtofranceforfirsttime]

In a gite. What shall we take with us (car) and what shall we buy there (supermarket 10 mins drive)

have never done this so appreciate any good list sharing/ any tips!

Have been warned wifi patchy, first on list is a ton of board games 😂

Going round the supermarkets in France is part of the holiday for me so I don't tend to take much out with me.

Toilet rolls might be useful - but be careful. Some gites are not on the mains drains and require sepcific toilet roll - the ordinary stuff will cause blockages. It will be clear in the instructions when you get there if that is the case.

If you kids love their sauces then I would take ketchup and salad cream as it's so expensive in France. Other than than buy everything out there. Except maybe a few washing tabs if you have a washing machine - cheaper than buying a box in France and having to leave most of it behind.

Take plenty of Iboprofen/Paracetamol - you can't buy them in supermarkets - you have to find a chemist which can be a pain.
Be aware that supermarkets are not open on a Sunday.
I can't see that you'd need to take anything else - unless there's something very specific such as marmite that you simply can't live without.
Enjoy discovering all the lovely French food and wines!

Oh yes, chemists are expensive in France. Take sun cream, paracetemol, mosquito spray (they seem to be spreading in France).

Many supermarkets are open on a Sunday, we live near a very small town and ours is open until lunchtime.

I agree about paracetamol and ibuprofen though, it's a pain that you can only buy them from a pharmacie.

I guess you've never met anyone with a restricted diet, then?! For example many young children are extremely fussy and will only eat familiar foods; it's just easier when on holiday to be able to give them at least some of their familiar safe foods. Also, not just young children, but older children and adults with autism, for example, may have strong preferences for familiar and safe foods, even more so in an unfamiliar holiday environment.

My DS is awaiting assessment for ASD and ADHD. Last summer we made the mistake of bringing very little food to France as we figured we'd buy most of it here. We learned our lesson, this year we have brought several cartons of the particular brand of oat milk he likes (he rejected all the similar but different oat milk we found and offered last year), we even had to bring the pain au chocolat from home that he likes, because he rejected all the far superior pain au chocolat that we can find here. We also brought favourite breakfast cereal - mornings are tricky so it just helps for breakfast to be "normal". And a couple of tins of baked beans.

I don't have ASD but I like to drink Diet Coke and it's hard to find here (it's all full fat Coke or Coke Zero) so we brought a bunch of Diet Coke cans

@Offtofranceforfirsttime
Do your teenagers have any favourite foods or drinks that they'd miss while in France? Are they quite open minded when it comes to trying new things?
I agree with all the recommendations for Picard, it's brilliant. We get Picard stuff from Ocado but there's obviously a lot more choice in actual Picard in France.
Anyway, enjoy your holiday!

I always take a roll-on mozzie thing for ankles as sitting outside eating dinner means I get bitten and you may not find a chemist open on the drive down. Love visiting french chemists though and Stocking up on decent skincare brands.

We bring back shower gel (Le petit Marseillais in verveine & citron) to home. Blackcurrant jam is something that is much better in France and perfect with butter with salt crystals.

@NameChange30 I am sorry if I hit a nerve. Obviously if dc have dietary needs arising from ASD or anything else, they must be catered for.

However, as a general rule, I think children and adults should be encouraged to be adventurous about food choices at home and abroad. Why don't you try some Tessier with sparkling water?

You didn't hit a nerve exactly but you need to be careful about coming across as judgemental of people who are not adventurous with food.

i agree with you that in general it's a good idea to encourage trying new things but there's a fine line between encouragement and pressure.

I have tried Tessier and I'm not a huge fan but there are plenty of other drinks I enjoy when I'm in France

I love France. Especially the rural roads.

Been watching the Tour de France and it's just so beautiful.

And yes - the supermarkets are great. I don't think they sell live lobsters from the tanks anymore unless I just haven't seen them but the fish counter, the cheese counter, the deli. I could happily live there.

@NameChange30 oh but I am very judgemental of people who aren't adventurous or are fussy with food if they haven't or won't try it and they are neuro typical. I find them excruciatingly tedious and think they should stick to Bognor and MaccyD's

A mug of PG Tips I understand, sitting po faced in front of a bowl of moules lifting the corner of each mussel gingerly with their fork, and a quizzical look, I do not. Insert almost any foreign dish for moules.

Not all gites have soap so take some for when you first get there. Or hand sanitiser as a lot of the motorway services don't have soap either (especially the smaller ones).

You will usually also have to buy stuff like dishwasher tablets so could take a few of those with you to save having to buy a whole pack out there.

In the supermarkets buy apericubes. They are processed cheese cubes, which sound disgusting, but come in a huge range of flavours and are perfect nibbles with a glass of wine. Also browse the yoghurt aisle for a vast selection of desserts. My favourites are Marron'suis chestnut mousses (but only if you have a sweet tooth).

Lol, I see your point. I was never a hugely adventurous eater but I did try and eat moules as a teenager and actually polished off a load of them today 😋 The kids wouldn't try them but I told DH not to push it. Hopefully they'll try when they're ready.

Do be aware, though, that it's not always clear who is neurotypical and who isn't. Ditto other reasons behind restricted eating. I was judgy before but I've had to reassess my priorities!

This thread has been super helpful - we're off next week and I'm trying to get packed up in advance. We're pretty adventurous but we do have food allergies (gluten and one also dairy) - has anyone got any advice on things we should bring? I'm bringing gf flour and cereals and vegan butter and almond milk. Am hoping they'll have decent gf biscuits and snacks? Anyone know about that?

Definitely bring Marmite - it's €9 for a small jar if you can even find it. Don't worry that you can't bring cheese, Leclerc sell good cheddar and Intermarché have one too, though it's more expensive. A small bottle of sun cream will be fine, because you can replace it cheaply in Lidl or Action. It's only the branded ones in supermarkets that are expensive.

@dramalamma almond and other vegan milks are everywhere in France. Not sure about gluten free, but biscuits generally are a bit disappointing IMO.

I took various things that you only need a bit of (so you don't want to buy a whole bottle/jar/whatever of over there and leave it behind barely touched)

So I took malt vinegar, oil (in a little bottle...we don't fry much) and various other favourite sauces/condiments. Also foil and cling film, a few laundry tablets/pods and some decanted fabric conditioner.

Then just favourites you can't get there (Roses lime juice for me)

Make sure you have enough credit on your cards when you prepay for petrol at the supermarket pumps. Starlight wouldn't accept my card and I'm still waiting for them to reimburse me for the automatic amount they take to pay for the fuel.

Most autoroute service stations sell coffee from machines now. Feels like sacrelige somehow but they still taste good.

You made me laugh!

I remember my first Fruit de Mer, i tucked into the prawns and the mussels, then the waitress came out with a tray of what looked like dentistry tools, i asked what they were for?, she replied "for the snails, they are not how you say...." and drew a finger across her throat... i ate them but that night dreamed they were breeding in my belly!!!

100% going on hols is about exploring the local foods and there is no better place than France for that.

Picard is on Ocado. Love it.

If you kids love their sauces then I would take ketchup and salad cream as it's so expensive in France

This may have changed as we regularly saw large bottles of Heinz Tom sauce for 2.99 euros on offer.
£3.99 in my local Tesco atm.

We both agreed that we ate more cheaply in France than the UK, which is the exact reverse from pre CV

We saw some Heinz baked beans i "the English" section of a supermarket in Chamonix. There was a big mark up...

Also quite interesting to see what they thought should go in this section

For those of you who like Picard, look out for Thiriet which is a very similar thing and imho better.
The English section of of my local supermarkets all look like the 1950s have somehow survived, amazing, those little jars of sick for sandwiches, pies in tins, all sorts of weird (to us) things. But also delicious black chocolate digestives and wonderful ginger jam which I love.

My must brings are toilet paper, kitchen roll and bin bags. A good knife and decent chopping board if you cook (and basic oil, herbs, spices, salt if you want to keep costs down). I also brought a kettle as they’re rarely supplied (unless the gite is English owned). Muslin cloths are great as tea towels, and dry out super quickly.

If travelling by car, I highly recommend packing everything into shopping bags. They’re great for using as toy boxes/ bins/ sectioning clothes, laundry, and obviously as shopping bags too.

I throw in a packet of ziploc bags for coming home. And I never travel without a scissors, roll of tape and a tweezers.

I always brought a sachet of saline for sandy eyes on the beach, anthisan for bites and a few plasters.

Things I struggle to buy in France:
decent crackers for cheese (it’s all Melba toast or French bread)
Halloumi (for veggie DD on BBQs- I freeze it so it’s still cool enough on arrival)
Corn on the cob in mid-late august (for BBQ for DD)
Vegetarian meals!
Flavoured green tea (probably normal tea too, but I don’t drink it)
cordial if you drink it- the French equivalent is very sugary

Things it’s handy to take
Dry pasta/ pesto in case you miss the shops
ditto crisps/ biscuits
cereal for the first morning
salt
pepper
small spray oil

Bring your shopping bags to avoid paying for carrier bags.

A lot of OTC medical type stuff is only available in pharmacies in France when it would be in supermarkets in the UK, and it can sometimes be difficult to find an exact equivalent. So I would bring a small selection of whatever medicines you most often use at home as well as your normal first aid kit.

Bring scissors (gîte will probably have them but useful on days out) to open packages.

Pens and paper for games, and for shopping lists and any general notes.

Personally, I wouldn't bother bringing the small things like herbs and spice, dishwasher tablets etc. I would wait to see what's supplied then buy what you need and be prepared to take the leftovers home at the end of the holiday.

It sounds obvious, but don't forget a sufficient supply of plug adapters. If you have to buy new, I prefer the ones with USB ports and two or three plug sockets for one adapter, then you can plug in 5 devices on one socket.

A tip that people in Toulouse (and the Southwest in general) can get touchy about the term 'pain au chocolat', although mostly in a light-hearted way. The word they use is 'chocolatine'.

If you've left applying for the Crit'Air sticker for the last minute, you can print out and display the online confirmation for use until the proper sticker is delivered.