Help me survive a travel lodge holiday, family room, holiday with toddler on a budget!

[ToddlerAdventure]

A few months ago we booked a few nights in a travel lodge type hotel, close to an attraction. Basic, with just tea and coffee facilities.

I don't want to waste money on expensive "you're a captive customer so we will rip you off" type food.
Issues:
•hotel is budget so the breakfast is a rip off.
• it's on the motorway so unlikely to be near much.
•obviously no fridge

I want to take as much supermarket food as I can but I am struggling with what to take that isn't complete crap.

There will be no fridge - solutions for storing milk etc? Run a bath of cold water? Would long life milk be ok?

No toaster- breakfast ideas? I could do pre wrapped croissants or bagels but would rather not...they don't fill me up for long enough and, quite frankly, bung me up.

Lunches- I will buy all the fruit and snack options but nowhere to store margarine...it would be ok in cold bath water wouldn't it?! I could make basic sandwiches? But, again, nowwhere to keep anything cool. Don't fancy warm, salad sandwiches.

Evening meal I accept will need to be eaten out.

Have you got any clever suggestions for food when you have limited options? And how to survive sharing a room with a 3 year old

Breakfast- porridge pots, fruit, cereal bars.
Lunch- crisps, snacks, fruit, raisin boxes etc.
Jam sandwich? Sandwich paste? Tuna?
Dinner is tougher- packets of pasta and sauce that you add boiling water to? Smash, tin of corned beef and tomato ketchup?

Jeez please do not take a toaster or cook in the kettle! The fire alarm will go off in 2 secs. 4 fire engines will turn up and you'll be mortified.
We do a lot of long distance walking and and take food with us, wraps seem to keep better than bread as they are wrapped better. Cold meat in the fridge and lots of wee snacks like mini sausage rolls etc fill you up. Porridge is a good shout! We took cup a soups and pot noodles too.
Im sure you'll have a great time when you go, treat it as an adventure x

Camping, new kitchen fitted, picnic, taking afternoon tea over to friends and staying at a travelodge - paper plates!

DS used to like Batchelor's macaroni cheese which is just add hot water. A big enough cool bag is about £6 in BM bargains. I usually freeze some cartons of OJ as well as the blue blocks. They work quite well for up to two days as long as not in the sun, car or last June.

If you could possibly say whereabouts someone local might come up with a 'five minutes away' good suggestion.

Have fun!

I’m sorry if I put you off but I’ve never used hotel kettles since reading about people washing their underwear in them

I won't since I heard too many stories of problem weeing in them

You really can't take a camping stove or disposable bbq! Not only would it set off the fire alarm but where would you dispose of the bbq!? And where would you store the meat and how would you wash up. Such a bizarre suggestion

If you've got a slow cooker and room pack that, you can pop hot dogs in it with some hot dogs buns for lunch, literally so many options with a slow cooker that don't need any prep just chuck it all in and let it cook away

"Breakfast- porridge pots, fruit, cereal bars.
Lunch- crisps, snacks, fruit, raisin boxes etc.
Jam sandwich? Sandwich paste? Tuna?
Dinner is tougher- packets of pasta and sauce that you add boiling water to? Smash, tin of corned beef and tomato ketchup?"

Oh god, the pathos. I mean, I am skint as all get out but if I had to eat like this on holiday I think I'd just stay at home.

A combined corkscrew/bottle opener, as you're going to need a drink by the end of the day.

People relax, I'm not cooking up a storm in the kettle or taking my microwave (don't own one, it's inbuilt in my oven ). This thread is actually really tickling me now

So far I have drawn up a list of porridge breakfasts, frozen cheese sandwiches and sandwich filler, pot noodles and snacks. Oh and freezing a milk to keep everything cold on the way down there to keep it all cool.

I said in my OP I accept we will eat an evening meal out

Thank you though, for all the suggestions. Even the more weird and wonderful ones. I'd like to know some of you during the apocalypse

A combined corkscrew/bottle opener, as you're going to need a drink by the end of the day.

Yes! Yes I will

don’t just presume because it’s a days inn it’s that cheap there won’t be cleaners - a touch snobby

Oh do behave It isn't snobby to assume that a hotel that limits its spending in order to make the rooms cheap won't provide daily cleaning. Makes financial sense to me.

Cooking eggs or other food in the hotel kettle is disgusting and anyone that does it should be ashamed of themselves. Take your own kettle if you're going to cook in it.

Take a sandwich toaster - you can do toasted tuna or beans sandwiches, or takes wrapped slices of cheese. Pot porridge a are great in hotels.

Seriously though, have a look on trip advisor for cheap places to eat nearby, there will be options.

OP, this sounds like so much fun, your little one will love it! What about a tin of Spam for sandwiches or I think you can get tuna and mayo ready mix tins?! Xxx

Camping in a budget hotel room is a thing.

Unfortunately I had to do it with two teenage gannets when there was a medical emergency.

Even though we had a supermarket nearby the amount that was wasted due to lack of refrigeration and variety (over 5 weeks) meant it was mundane and far from ideal.

We certainly could not have afforded to eat out every day after paying for the hotel room, hospital car parks and travel.

Dear God some of the suggestions on here are batshit

Pain au chocolate for breakfast! Some supermarkets do 1 pint cartons of Uht milk buy 3 and use 1 a day. Put enough butter to last in a small plastic pot would probably last in cool box with plenty of ice packs. A loaf of bread cheese slices and some nice Crisps and cake bars to make it more fun.

Cooking eggs or other food in the hotel kettle is disgusting and anyone that does it should be ashamed of themselves.

Sorry, I'm crying with laughter now

OP, this sounds like so much fun, your little one will love it!

Yes it sounds wonderfully shit AND fun! To be honest it is a kids attraction, we are going for LO. It's not remotely a holiday for us in any way, shape or form. That's why I don't want to waste money on the shit food, I'd rather it was shit and cheap iyswm!

But yes, they will LOVE it.

Dear God some of the suggestions on here are batshit

Yes. Yes they are. Wonderfully so!

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An electric cool box like this would be a good investment. £30 and you can also plug it into the car for picnics etc in the future.

Wtf?! Who would really do half the stuff suggested here??! Breakfast is bread and jam and a banana. Lunch is supermarket sandwich picnic picked up on way to venue. Evening meal is wetherspoons/harvester/Toby carvery. Job done.

I've skimmed the replies. And haven't seen this but apologies if it's already been mentioned.

Aldi do yogurt pouches for babies but it is actually just Greek yogurt and fruit puree that's been heat treated so it doesn't need refrigerated and they are actually very delicious.

So if you like yogurt for snacks I highly advise the mamia yogurt pouches. My toddlers used to have these a lot when we were out and about prior to me trusting them with spoons in public and they are lovely.

Also..... Salted butter can cope without being refrigerated (the salt helps prevent bacteria growth). So that could be an option if the mini fridge is too small for everything.

Also, John West do tuna and cous cous lunch tins where you literally peel back the lid and you have a flavoured tuna and cous cous or bean salad. Very filling and tasty ans inexpensive.

Finally, sandwich paste. Never had it myself but an old flatmate used to love the stuff!

Have a fab time

Why are you crying with laughter?? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that it will taint the taste of the water for the next person's coffee. Totally skanky to do it. You can't wash it properly afterwards. One of the reasons I'd never use a hotel kettle anyway - you hear of people washing their underwear in them too! (I'm cabin crew, I've heard it all).

Are you staying near an IKEA. (You mentioned motorway). Cheap breakfast and do they still do free drinks with their 'family' card.

Butter and cheese is ok kept out of the fridge. I have friends who never refrigerate their butter and my local cheese monger laughed at me when I bought cheese at Xmas and asked if it would be ok out of the fridge for a 4 hour journey. He said cheese is preserved and lasts for days (except soft cheese).

Thank you though, for all the suggestions. Even the more weird and wonderful ones. I'd like to know some of you during the apocalypse

We had an apocalypse about 6 weeks into our 2 month stint. All the staff except one walked out. We helped out by telling new guests the breakfast times etc.

And this is in a £100 a night naice chain hotel

This sounds oddly appealing. OP can we all come and bring spam sandwiches?