London trip - cheap food ideas

[AgileEagle]

Going to London for 5 days, staying at premier inn at Bank
Looking for cheap food ideas for family of 5, kids are not very adventurous eaters unfortunately. Thinking the food costs will mount up so any cheap ideas?
Any suggestions of must see sights also welcome

@Rockhoppperd thanks. I was trying to remember the name Pizza Union so I could recommend them too. @AgileEagle their food is really and inexpensive as well. Highly recommended.

We had Greggs for dinner and kfc for tea, no more expensive than my West Midlands town, and then the second day, Wetherspoons in Camden for lunch and pizza from Greggs for tea! Cheap and cheerful.

You can buy cheap buns and things from Chinese bakeries in Chinatown - I get char siu bao from Kowloon.

if you can face a queue, delicious cheap Malaysian food from Roti King.

great cheap pasta from pastation on Tottenham Court Road

at food markets, falafels always seem to be the best value

Too Good to Go app will sort you out.

Haven't rtft so sorry if this has already been said but last time we stayed in premier inn we paid a little more for one of their premium rooms - this came with a fridge and nespresso machine and we think we easily saved the extra cost of the room in breakfasts - could keep fresh milk in fridge and get pastries:yogurt/fruit etc from local M&S football We just asked in reception for more coffee pods when we needed them

Hi OP. When my children were young, we used to go to marks and spencer opposite Holland Park tube.

We bought all our fave things for lunch, plus a cake, then took a folding picnic blanket or even a couple of pashmina style scarves and sat on the grass in the park.

Then afterwards we walked through to Buck palace, then onto the playpark in St James Park.

I thought breakfast meals were intended to be eaten at breakfast, not filling your bags so you don't need to buy lunch and dinner. Very ingenious!!

You can't go to London and not have pie, mash and liquor.. At least I can't!

Tesco meal deals for lunch, rotisserie chicken, salad, bread for an evening picnic, stuff yourselves at breakfast if you're paying for it (kids eat free at premier inns I think so some evening meals there too maybe).

I carry a bread knife, butter knife, chopping board and plastic plates (technically disposable ones but you can wash them) and forks. Buy a baguette, sliced cheese and ham to make lunch. If you're really up for it, make couscous with boiling water, serve with feta cheese, salad and olives maybe ...

When we do road trips we often buy food that's mostly prepped but I'm happy to make salads. When my dc were small id heat frankfurters in the packet in boiling water for them

Go to Camden Lock and eat the free samples?

To feed a family of 5?

Wetherspoons are fine for food and some are in interesting buildings.

Greggs.

M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury's or Boots for sandwiches meal deal.

Premier Inn breakfast, fill your boots.

Premier inn dinner can be a good deal too.

I wouldn’t say london food markets and food halls are inexpensive, it adds up quickly for a family of 5. Around South bank / Borough market, there are often small old-fashioned looking italian type delis. I think the filled sandwiches there are big and enough for small children to share (half a ciabatta / panini / bap each). With a bag of fruit from the supermarket that would be quick and easy. They're usually takeaway, but there are plenty of open spaces to sit and eat. Sadly many of these are getting taken over by coffee chains or the likes of Wasabi, but they do exist and I always enjoy a freshly filled granary bap from the counters. If you find one selling rocky roads or florentines alongside the sandwiches, they make for a rather special treat after lunch.

A charming idea might be central London Mumsnetters inviting you to lunch. It would have to be a big place to accommodate your big family for lunch.

Borough Market is great for grown ups but is crowded and expensive with children. Malibu Street market near southern end of Tower Bridge is good.

If I had to go to a hospital canteen or feed a family of five on samples I'd slash the holiday to two nights and actually have a holiday.

Borough market etc are not cheap. Someone mentioned ginger pig for sausage rolls. I'm sure they were £7.

Greggs are everywhere in London now, supermarkets, but eating cheaply is not easy.

There’s a fairly decent sized Aldi at Old Street, easy to get to from Bank - you could stock up on multipacks of snacks there at the start of your trip. I agree Leon is decent, and their kids’ meals are good value if you find a branch with orange juice in stock, otherwise the drink is just milk which feels a bit rubbish.

Definitely swerve the markets - I seem to spend £10 just blinking around Borough Market.

Are you staying midweek? Be aware that some places (especially the smaller, cheaper independent places) will be closed at the weekend around Bank, so don’t rely on eg a dinner near your hotel without checking opening hours carefully.

Borough market is staggering nowadays, a small plate of paella composed of mainly rice and maybe two prawns £12, customers who don’t speak English charged £15. That’s just taking the piss really, they will loose their reputation and customers if they go on like that.

The multi mushroom mix and rice stand is luscious, nice and big, too. None of us could finish it in one sitting.

We all know that that is sneaked food. It's not a fill up for the whole day.

I was in Nandos recently - first time I. A few years. 15 pounds for the butterfly chicken and two sides now? 😳 plus the chicken is half the size.

Many of the chain restaurants like Pizza Express do cheap kids meals.

nando's, waggamama. Depends on kids ages but some places like Bill's and The Real Greek have kids eat free options. Supermarekt sandwiches or go to Pret/Cafe nero etc. Food market at the South Bank Centre is good and has some kid friendly options like souvlaki, chips etc. Also agree with what others have said about Borough Market. And there is always MacDonalds! Also if you've got any Clubcard points you can trade them in for e.g. bella Italia.

There's a decent sized Tesco at Bank station so I would definitely pick up meal deals there for some of your lunches. There's a Gregg's near Moorgate station and probably one closer to Bank as well.

Within One New Change on Cheapside, there's a Zizzi's (pizza/pasta) and probably other good family options. There are several pubs along Cornhill, at least one of which is a Wetherspoons and there are other with decent pie and mash type food/prices. If you are a fan of middle eastern, Haz does some fixed price lunches or you can get some sharing dishes like hummus that might suit if your kids have smaller appetites.

If your trip spans a weekend, lots of things are closed in the City on the weekend, so bear that in mind. The Bank of England museum is good, but only open weekdays.

As I remember, Cote Brasserie Bank would do a very reasonable pre theatre set menu, cost is not exorbitant if you don’t order wine, you can have a lovely cheap supermarket bottle to consume in your hotel room later.

Cote is generally a cut above the other high street chains and you do get value for your money