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

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

Fair enough on dishwasher tabs.

I was shocked ar Fillybusters list.

I think it depends where you are going - when i go skiing where i know the nearest shop will be small and over priced i take:
dishwasher tablets (1.5 per day)
scrubber thingy and washing up liquid (small bottle)
teatowel (just in case not provided)
packets of flavouring eg 'bolognaise' sachet or a curry sachet - easy to use and no questions from customs
i also take a packet of pasta and a 'beanfeast bolognaise sauce' packet - it has saved my life when a flight was delayed and we got to the flat about 8pm on a sunday night.
i also take sachets of instant hot chocolate but it may be too hot on your holidays.
a pair of scissors

i agree though the fun is in shopping in foreign places and trying new things, but only once i am there, not as i am arriving!

Clare - I'm confused, why are you shocked at my list? I pack the bare minimum to ensure that when I arrive (normally late on a Sunday evening) with 3 dcs under 6, somewhere that can be up to an hours drive from a supermarket (and often somewhere we've not been before, so navigating to said supermarket might take some time), I know I can prepare an immediate meal regardless of circumstances.

Apart from that I take sandwich bags, cling film and silver foil, because in my (extensive) experience they can frequently be very expensive compared to the UK. Did you notice that I mentioned a freezer bag and freezer blocks??

I take them because I adore food shopping in other countries, and much prefer to make all our meals myself (so we can take picnics on day trips to the beach,the mountains, the lake, wherever....), not in order to avoid doing so.

Please remove your judgey-pants this instance!

Agree with greygirl. Take lots. Summer and flying much harder but sking and driving pack the boot. Too busy to go shopping on holiday. Lots of other things to do.
Depends on standard of accommodation. When I drive we take lots of food and having read theholidayboxblog I will also be taking pre-cooked dinners this year. Love the thought of a lamb tagine after a day skiing. Dishwasher tablets, antiseptic wipes, scrubby things, toilet roll, tinfoil are a must. I am not shopping for these on holiday!
Had a look at theholidaybox website. What a lovely idea. Had a look at the contents. Contains lots of the things mentioned above such as corkscrew, tinopener, tea-towels and also my holiday favorite a cafetiere. Definitely worth investigating. Wonder if OH would like one for Xmas. Would make my life easier when we ski at New Year.

Help! Holiday arrival time means no shops open for 36 hours.

So, we're flying to an Air BnB in Corsica with our 3 teenagers, we arrive on the Saturday evening and the shops don't open until Monday morning.
Obvs I will pack tea bags and Marmite but what to do about fresh milk? How to feed the hungry mob that first day?
Any top tips?

Credit card then eat out all the time

I take coffee and tea bags for dp. Cereal bars and emergency biscuits.

Then get to the shops PDQ!

On the back of this thread I might take a few empty Chinese containers and a washing up sponge. We've self catered in the balereacs for the last few years (ate out in the eves) and I've not struggled feeding my lot.

If we fly then we take tea bags, a decent knife (we need one anyway as we often do a picnic lunch during days out) and lots of plastic containers.

That's it. The rest is bought in a local supermarket. The only exemption was when DD was a toddler and I took a selection of her favourite snacks but she soon discovered the joy of French and Spanish biscuits.

The new Nespresso Inissia mini is only 2 and a half kilos. It's my only must have on holidays. It's so small and light I now bring it even when flying with handluggage only. Love my coffee in bed in the morning!

Packet couscous - ready in mins. We’re in SC and going out for lunch and mostly deli type meals in the evening. Makes a change from pizza & pasta (in Italy atm).

Individually wrapped crepes with chocolate for first morning breakfast.