What to take on a self-catering holiday - tea bags, food etc.

[tutorconfusion]

Any ideas for small, light things we might find useful.
Tea bags are on the list already.

Cereal for first morning
Milk (you can freeze a plastic bottle with a bit taken out)
Frozen meal (eg meatballs)
Toilet roll
Coffee
Wine?
Dish cloth and tea towel

Washing powder, soap and dishwasher tablets/ washing up liquid. I don't think much is provided usually and it is really expensive to have to buy extra supplies.

I usually take a pack of anti-bac wipes to wipe down surfaces, toilet etc.

is it abroad? are you flying? often the owner/agent will provide initial supplies for you (bread, eggs, milk etc)

you shouldn't need to bring things like teatowels

if a child has a favourite cereal it's worth bringing that. I always take the instant coffee I like too

Dvds
Board games if you like them
I usually take a couple of mugs from home as ones in self-catering places are usually piddlingly small
I also usually pack a small box of cookery items (to save having to buy them when I may only use a bit when away) such as veg oil, a few herbs and spices, chilli sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper, roll of clingfilm, couple of tupperware tubs, a sharp kitchen knife, bag of pasta / rice if I have them at home etc...depends how much cooking you're expecting to do.

Garbage bags. Personal soap. A couple of towels, just in case. Bread knife/paring knife if you're not flying.

YY selks that's exactly it - the sort of thing you have to buy a massive pot of but only use four times like salt.

Dishwasher tabs a good one as I always forget and again, end up having to buy a massive box and only using half of them.

We are flying, so definitely only want to take small, light items.

of course it does depend in the individual property, but IME of self-catering abroad, you usually find d/w tabs, cloths, w/up liquid, store cupboard essentials etc

are you able to communicate directly with owner/agent, tutor? if so I'd ask them before wasting your weight allowance on stuff you may well not need

Sharp knife, the veg peeler you like and the corkscrew/tin opener if you're fussy about that. Doesn't matter what sort is supplied - it will be crap.

I would always check with the owner if you booked direct. If you booked with an agency there is probably not much point.

The places I stay in have pretty much everything on this thread provided.

I would take a bath mat as that is sometimes missing. And a rubber mat for the bath if you have a baby.

Where are you going?

I never take anything on holiday as there is always somewhere to buy what you need unless you are going to somewhere completely out of the way.

Do bear in mind that countries do often have restrictions on what food you can take in.

some herbs in small wraps of foil - food can end up very bland if you have none and don't want to buy new pots of things

When flying I take:

Teabags
Herbal teabags
Couple of sachets of ketchup/soy sauce/mayonnaise (the sort you get with takeaways - I keep them all year as they're great for hols)
1 bag of dried pasta and a couple of sachets of pasta sauce - sorts out that awful 'we've just arrived, the dcs are starving and we don't know where anything is' moment
1 small jar pesto (for us, as above!)
1 large block of cheddar cheese wrapped with a couple of frozen gel freezer things (they're not heavy and dead useful for the actual holiday)
Foldable freezer bag (for picnics)
Packet of 2 finger kit kats for emergencies
1 bar dark choc (as above)
1 packet flash wipes

and with the following I can cop with dirty ovens, rustle up picnics and generally create miracles:

1 roll of super cheap tesco silver foil
1 roll of super cheap tesco cling film
1 roll of medium size freezer bags

I generally buy spices and just bring the rest home with me....on the whole salt/pepper/oregano/chili/cinamon/cumin etc are cheaper almost everywhere outside the UK!

Have a great trip :)

OP, I was going to suggest powdered milk, but as you're flying abroad, I'd be careful of taking any form of white powder, salt, milk, washing detergent etc with you .

If you're not planning on eating out in the day, you may want to take a few sandwich bags for lunches, and a scouring sponge for the sink, plus a hand towel to put on the draining board if there isn't a plastic drainer. Abroad, I'd be more tempted to buy food abroad, even for a first proper meal, than if I were self catering in this country. Maybe take some snack bars or similar to keep your energy levels up when you first arrive so you don't buy shed loads of rubbish in the supermarket because you're hungry and tired.

tea towels!

Pretty sure they will have tea towels.

Ha at the idea of 'wraps' of herbs in foil...sounds like a recipe for investigation by customs thinking we are drug traffickers. Think I will leave that one.

Anti-bac cleaning wipes and foil are good ones.

Small, unopened tub of stock powder.
Pepper
Salt

plastic bags, clips.

Teabags
Marmite
Dishwasher tabs
Pasta and a packet sauce for first night when we arrive late and have nothing to feed the kids.

I always arrange with the villa owners to leave us bread, butter, milk and a bottle of water to see us through until after breakfast the next day.

If we are s/c in the UK I get Tesco to deliver at the house.

cork screw/bottle opener!

Good one with the stock - hadn't thought of that. And maybe a bag of risotto rice.

Pegs - for (obviously) hanging out wet swim wear, towels etc so they dont blow off balcony
Ice cube bags - that tray in the s/c fridge always looks a bit dodgey
Bar of soap - cut in half when you get there: one for bathroom, one for kitchen

Assuming self catering accommodation in Europe...?

Yes in Europe.

Why don't you just go to a supermarket at your destination? It is part of the fun. The cultural experience.

How long are you going for?
Other than nice coffee I can't think of anything that I couldn't live without for a week or two. I would just make do with ever there was available in the country that I was going to.
And its in europe what could the local supermarket/town possibly not sell? I'm sure they sell pegs & soap if you really really couldn't live without them, and anything else you could possibly think of.

Stop over thinking and enjoy the holiday!!!

Claire - of course we are going to the supermarket and of course we're not taking a massive suitcase of food (we are travelling Easyjet after all...) it's more that there are some things that you have to buy in massive packs and end up using twice.

So dishwasher tabs is one - you might have to buy 24 and use 6 and they're expensive and easy to take in your bag.
Herbs, salt and pepper that kind of thing is what I was after.