Help me meal plan :- self catering for a week

[NapQueen]

Driving up to a small scottish island for the week soon, and need to meal plan and take our food with us. 2 adults; 2 dcs (a picky 5yo and an eat everything 2yo).

Wwyd?

Jars of sauce etc to save on space/cooking time? Prep ahead and freeze dinners and take the slow cooker? I dont know what to do!

So far I have
Box cereal
nice bread
bacon
eggs
butter
milk
tea/coffee
packed lunch stuff for picnics out
erm....

I would want to eat like I was on holiday so more luxurious than normal but also less hassle.

Maybe croissants for some breakfasts

I'd be tempted to raid marks and Spencer's and buy a load of meals there. DC can have easy stuff for a week. Less prepping, less washing up etc. Is there anywhere to eat out on the island for a couple of nights too?

There are a couple of cafes but not too sure if there are any restaurants. I will have a look. Theres a co-op for wine top up shops.

I do like croissants, etc, but we are going to be off exploring every day and I worry that I will be hungry again by 10am unless its a heavy carby breakfast.

Remember that everything closes on a Sunday on most Scottish islands - my friend was on a cycling tour and got caught out and was very hungry!

Oh thanks for the tip!we arrive on a saturday so hopefully wont have run out of anythi g by then.

We were sc in Cornwall and ate quite a lot of those filled tortellini. So easy and delicious. When I'm self catering I just can't be bothered to cook and wash up. Ready made pizzas, bags of salad, frozen garlic bread, and anything which can go in the oven at gas mark 6 - fish cakes, chips etc.

I'm with a pp, it has to be teat food.

Steak and chips (real potatoes - done in the oven yum )

Nice piece of lamb steaks, nice sausage from chilled cabinet.

Ready made veg/ dauphinois potatoes and a good bottle of vino to go with the meat.

A carbonara made from scratch with fresh pasta.

A whole chicken, premade veg and fancy potatoes and s nice white wine.

Fajitas and beers

Home made pizza made with ready bases or just pizza express bought ones.

Oops treat food!!

Thats a great list!

I would be looking to spend minimal time in the kitchen and certainly nothing that creates loads of washing up.
Things like ready prepped veg that you microwave or roasted veg that come in the foil tray you just put in the oven. Waitrose do lots of good meat that ready comes ready marinated in a tray to oven bake. I'd recommend the ras e hanout chicken breasts. Also, a lot of the fish counters tell fish with your choice of butter that they put in a bag that goes in the oven.
Fresh pasta, sauces and garlic bread.
Nice salads Caesar or nicois
Do you know what cooking facilities you will have?

Oven, hob and microwave. There is a fridge but no freezer.

I'm from the highlands and we have a coop in my "town" (smaller than most English villages) which is basically a normal corner shop. I stock up if I go home for more than a week. So I'd be prepared for that coop to be a bit shit depending on which island.

Easy stuff like fajitas, risotto, pasta stuff etc.

I take my portable bbq but you could buy disposable bbq's and take some meat and corn for an easy meal or two with salad and baps.

I am in Cornwall at the moment with dh, ds5 and ds2, so reasonably similar. I have bought Charlie Bighams ready meals from Waitrose which are really, really good along with preprepared veg. I have also done tortellini with fresh sauce too. Fish & chips one night, and a disposable BBQ for one night too!

take cool bag with a few meats.salad.milk.pack of chicken or .mince.pork.bacon.butter.cheese fillets take out and pack day you leave
take tinned tomatos
eggs
jar of curry sauce
jar of thia sauce
bag of rice
bag of pasta.
jar of dolmiio pour over pasta for easy firs night meal with cheese grated on top.
bag of potatoes
few of those sachets stir in packets for chili,sausage stew etc
tin of beans and tuna
packet of ready roll pastry.
I don't no whether you have shop there but this is just what we both take and buy at local shops.
take or cook whole chicken.

Which island is it?

I usually roast a chicken or duck night before at home and take in a cool bag to eat cold with new potatoes and salad first night.
Packets of ambient tortellini or gnocchi ( Lidl do nice ones) to have worth a sauce. Lidl also has jars of French pate that don't need refrigeration

We stayed on Mull last year so were in a similar situation. There was a mussel farm near our cottage with bags of mussels just sitting in a vast fridge and an honesty box - £2 for the 2kg bags and £5 for 5kg bags. DH and DS also did some fishing and caught us some pollock for supper a couple of times. There were also plenty of pubs and a Co-op in Tobermory for stocking up on essentials wine and beer. We ate like kings!