What to eat during hotel stay

[LoopyLucyLou10]

Not aibu just posting for traffic.

Our kitchen had a leak and the entire kitchen needs to be ripped out and replaced. Landlord has put us in a hotel for 4 days so the workmen can replace the kitchen including all units and flooring.

The only problem we have is that the hotels restaurant is closed due to covid, they aren't even operating room service. No cooking facilities whatsoever. My daughter has food allergies: all dairy, potato, tomato, kiwi, peanuts, MSG, oranges, shellfish, peaches, aubergine, peppers and cocoa. I have no idea what to feed her with absolutely no cooking facilities. Takeaways aren't an option due to the long list of ingredients and she can't have and the MSG.

Any ideas what to do for food while we are stuck in a hotel for a few days? No family nearby so no way to have meals with them. We won't have a fridge or any cooking facilities. Staying at home isn't an option either, we have to be out of the property whilst the work takes place.

Thank you in advance!

[Bakeachocolatecake2day]

Oh and hotels sometimes have facilities you can use - I've stayed in a hotels with baby DS and they had a communal fridge, microwave and whatnot for guests, mostly I have to say I met mums of young babies and toddlers doing milk and heating jars of food....

[partyatthepalace]

Ask him to shift you to a hotel with a restaurant open - most key worker hotels do (I stay in them) - or to put you into a self catering flat. He is a CF. Do not put up with this.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

OK I know this is going to sound odd, but Google 'prison cooking'. I know, I know. But it is essentially cooking with no equipment and limited ingredients. There are also whole articles about how to 'hack' cooking in a hotel room.

Please do not bring in cookers and (seriously?!?!?) camping stoves. Fire and CO are a real risk.

[DragonLegs]

CAn she eat food from places like McDonald’s where they print all the allergens? I’d also try and just have snacky food. Go to a supermarket and just grab what she fancies each evening.

[Ohdoleavemealone]

Get a toastie machine. You can make toasties, pancakes, omlettes.

[CompleteBarstool]

Have you got friends nearby who could prepare and deliver meals to you?

I know that if a friend of mine was in your situation then I would be more than happy to help out for those 4 days (or would get together with other friends to make sure that you had regular meal deliveries)

[Rawrsome13]

Quite a few restaurants and cafes where we live are doing free hot food for children on free school meals or just families in need at the moment. It might be worth checking the Instagram/Facebook pages of places near where you'll be staying and then contacting them to explain your situation and allergy requirements. A lot of people do want to help at the moment and this sounds like a horrible situation.

[maggiso]

Couscous soaked in stock ( if you have access to a kettle) and a tin of fish ( warmed in a pot of hot water) quite easy, with cucumber sticks and or mild pickles? Coddled eggs?

[QuestionableMouse]

[quote CheetasOnFajitas]@QuestionableMouse the clue is that fires create smoke, not steam! Also, hotel rooms have kettles in them so obviously their systems are designed not to be triggered by kettle-level steam.[/quote]
The smoke detectors detect particles in the air. Doesn't have to be smoke. It can be steam, or even something like a deodorant spray.

And yes, I know that last one for a fact because it happened a couple of times at the boarding school where I worked.

[Thedarknightsaredrawingin]

Porridge pots, box’s of cereal, sandwiches, fruit, veg sticks, snacks etc.

Could a nice friend deliver you a meal?

Would the hotel allow you to use a fridge/microwave?

[PuckyMup]

Ask a friend to borrow their kitchen for an hour/ask them to make the spice bit then Grab a kettle

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/nadiya-hussains-instant-noodles

[spotlovesbedtime]

Will the hotel not help you out if you explain? Must be some staff still working? Your landlord had no right to put you in a hotel with no for access, your house is unusable, you need somewhere with cooking facilities! His mistake, he should find you new accommodation.

[BlahBlub]

Take a chopping board, a salad bowl, a couple of plates and a kitchen knife. Make do with cold meals for a few days - maybe have a takeaway in between to break it up a little. Will your landlord refund you for the days you cannot spend at home? This could help with the cost of a takeaway.

Sandwiches with ham or salami and some pre-washed salad.

Make a big salad with cucumber, carrot sticks, lettuce and serve it with readymade sausage rolls from the supermarket.

Buy some fresh pasta, put it in a big bowl, soak in hot water for 5 minutes (should be enough to cool it) and serve it with pesto; have some fruit for dessert.

Banana with dairy-free yoghurt is filling, low fat and has vitamins and protein. Mix in some blueberries for extra antioxidants.

(I hope these are suitable or can be easily adapted for allergies.)

[IScreamYouScreamWeAllScream]

Put dry pasta in a thermos and fill up with water. Wait 10-15 mins and it'll be cooked. Tip out in to bowl, add cooked meat and if there is a tinned sauce or dairy free cheese / mayo u like add that too

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

Why do you have to move out for a kitchen re fit? Is this a covid thing? Normally you don’t have to move out for a kitchen re fit. I’d stay in my house. Move the fridge and microwave into the living room. Seems easier than struggling in a hotel. Also 4 days is quick for a kitchen re fit.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Four days sounds ambitious for all that work. Expect to be there for a week to ten days.

Why not ask the LL to cancel and book an Air B&B instead? It won't cost any more.

[Fyngal123]

Hey OP I’ve had similar issues. My son has extensive allergies and we had to stay in a hotel without cooking facilities. I took a hot plate (www.<a class="break-all" href="//amazon.co.uk/Duronic-Table-Top-Stainless-Steel-Electric-Simmering/dp/B0013HI1JQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&s=kitchen-appliances&keywords=electric%20Hot%20Plates&qid=1610828160&sr=1-3%29&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">https://amazon.co.uk/Duronic-Table-Top-Stainless-Steel-Electric-Simmering/dp/B0013HI1JQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=electric%20Hot%20Plates&qid=1610828160&s=kitchen-appliances&sr=1-3%29&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 and a little saucepan. If she can have rice or pasta, you can boil these easily and buy salads and add to it, you can boil egg, and buy cold cooked meat in supermarkets. Remember to take epipen if she has one. Don’t forget plates and cutlery. Also ask the landlord if you can go into your house maybe once or twice a day to access your fridge and microwave. Maybe they can move it to a different part of you flat like the living room or bedroom. Good luck!

[homeschoolingyay]

The LL sounds quite decent to me. He's completely renovating the kitchen and paying for OP to stay in a hotel. What's so awful about that? I imagine a CF LL would do a bodge job on the kitchen and tell OP to put a microwave in the lounge and wash up in the bath. To be fair that's what we did when we had a new kitchen fitted. It was fine

You'll be absolutely fine for 4 days though. As pp said cold food it just as nutritious as hot, and you can make hot drinks, instant noodles etc. I did this for a week on a work trip as my budget didn't stretch to restaurants. Supermarkets often have fairly interesting cold ready meals like quinoa salads in the lunch section, and cold meats etc

[Belledan1]

What about instant pasta pots and rice etc that you add water to. Couscous as well. . You could have that with pack cooked chicken and ready made salad. I saw on TV you can boil eggs in a,kettle too. I probably use a cheap basic kettle for that though.

[postcardfromme]

Op what a crap situation! You will get through it though ❤️
Sorry if these suggestions have already been mentioned...

• Canned sardines
• Fresh pasta (that only needs to be boiled for about 4 mins) and you could just let it sit in boiling water
• You could take a cool bag and if the hotel ppl are nice they could keep some ice or ice packs in the freezer for you. Then you can have yoghurts, cheese, boiled eggs keep for up to 5 days in the fridge (peel before you eat)

-chickpeas are great for bulking up salads add some parsley and Mayo

• sundried tomatoes in a jar
• cous cous - all you need is hot water and you can add all sorts

Good luck OP x

[ElizaLaLa]

Google prison cooking. By the shit I overhear Dh watching on YouTube, there's some very inventive stuff you can do.

One bloke made omelette in a doritos bag.

[Nunoftheother]

In terms of allergens, how is a takeaway place different from the hotel restaurant? Do they not have to follow the same rules in terms of making it clear on the menu what each dish contains? Or would you not have risked the hotel restaurant even if it was open?

[macdhui]

Some great suggestions here. I would take a small rice cooker and some fresh vegetables to cook in the steam of the rice. You can add egg and other protein, chicken, finely sliced beef, sardines etc
You can pour boiling water over a fresh chicken breast, cover and leave for 20 minutes and it will be poached beautifully. I used to travel a lot in a previous life and live out of hotel rooms and my rice cooker and poached chicken were my go to ...and a bottle of Tabasco.
However I would definitely be requesting a serviced apartment from your landlord as the restaurant is closed. A hotel room has enough challenges with a 4 year old let alone a child with multiple allergies. You need a kitchen !

[MotherWol]

Just to add most of the UHT dairy free milks (soya, oat etc) will be fine at room temperature for a couple of days; we take it camping and it keeps fine out of the fridge.

[jimmyhill]

Under the circumstances a hotel room without cooking facilities is not appropriate accommodation. Landlord needs to think again and find you somewhere with a kitchen(ette)