Is it possible to NOT eat out every night?

[RebeccaCloud9]

Thinking of a Premier Inn holiday this year (easy and available unlike most decent holiday cottage etc options). Has anyone done this without eating out for every evening meal? Any good tips?

We won't have any cooking facilities beyond a kettle. I know we could eat out (and will most of the time), but looking for ways to a) keep costs down, and b) a plan for if the kids are knackered after days out and won't particularly enjoy being at a restaurant.

I'm getting quite excited by all these ideas, thanks so much!

(and hungry!)

We do it all the time. I have a hotel bag with plates, bowls, cutlery, can opener etc. Saves a ton of money and you can make lovely salads and breakfasts. Don't forget washing up liquid and a teatowel. We always leave the room crumb and food scrap free as well.

Rotisserie chicken and nice bread.
McDonald’s in car or back in room, or other takeaway. Just take some cutlery.

We do quite a bit of road tripping and often have carpet picnics in the evening with dc.

We have a picnic blanket, take picnic plates, cutlery, one sharp knife, a bottle opener, kitchen paper, mini washing up liquid and tea towel.

It means dc can have a simple meal when they are tired, it also keeps costs down a lot.

We do a lot of city breaks I'm normally knackered after a day out. We will often eat out for lunch or evenings on less busy days. We will often get pick up take away like nice sandwiches, salad bowls, sushi, antipasti or maybe things like pizza or chips. These things aren't always super cheap though as for me it's more about energy than money saving. Although it's probably cheaper than a meal out.

As we're in cities both here and abroad there's lots of choice. I'm less sure of options somewhere less urban.

If I'm driving I will often take some plastic cutlery and plates and napkins to make eating the above stuff easier. But it's not essential.

Love a premier inn, not my idea of hell at all.

Buy a little gas hob, about £20 and then you can heat porridge, soup, beans, ravioli, hot dogs.

@idontlikealdi

Deliveroo?

TBH being stuck inside a hotel room eating on beds doesn't sound like fun to me - have you searched for actual s/c options? An Aparthotel would be better if you don't want to eat out.

After a busy day it's perfect for me! But then we don't have kids so it's actually relaxing. With a nice bath and maybe a film. But each to their own.

Soba noodles are delicious and only need boiling water from the kettle.

@rebeccacloud9 Yep, same here, at the Nongnangning house it's budget hotel all the way this year.

If you are going in the car (ie have a boot to put things in) my eat-in tip is: get a jute carrier bag from the supermarket, something like this one:
www.ocado.com/products/m-s-antibacterial-jute-biomaster-bag-511644011 - £4 or less
The reason for the jute is that they are stiff-ish, the bottoms fold outwards, and have strong handles, so they are good for carrying bottles and jars.
Then fill it up with your holiday staples. For example in mine is: tomato ketchup, brown sauce, little salt and pepper, Branston, mayo and I have little pots with favoured teabags, coffee etc. It saves you buying it all when you get there.
Sometimes you can get a jute bottle bag with six compartments - also useful

On insulated picnic bags: Which? just did a study on them:
www.which.co.uk/reviews/food-and-drink-storage/article/best-cooler-bags-aNdo80U5U0vH.

See you at the Premier Inn!

No not jute, it smells. The insulated freezer bags from Lidl are much better, the ones that zip up.

£1.49 each. Bargain.

[quote nongnangning]@rebeccacloud9 Yep, same here, at the Nongnangning house it's budget hotel all the way this year.

If you are going in the car (ie have a boot to put things in) my eat-in tip is: get a jute carrier bag from the supermarket, something like this one:
www.ocado.com/products/m-s-antibacterial-jute-biomaster-bag-511644011 - £4 or less
The reason for the jute is that they are stiff-ish, the bottoms fold outwards, and have strong handles, so they are good for carrying bottles and jars.
Then fill it up with your holiday staples. For example in mine is: tomato ketchup, brown sauce, little salt and pepper, Branston, mayo and I have little pots with favoured teabags, coffee etc. It saves you buying it all when you get there.
Sometimes you can get a jute bottle bag with six compartments - also useful

On insulated picnic bags: Which? just did a study on them:
www.which.co.uk/reviews/food-and-drink-storage/article/best-cooler-bags-aNdo80U5U0vH.

See you at the Premier Inn![/quote]
Just as an FYI, my OH is a manager for Premier Inn and some of their rooms are going for £200 per night in the summer. The more demand, the more their prices go up so they might not be a cheap as you think, depending on what area you go to. I was shocked! I always thought PI was budget!

Oh, I take a plug in induction hob, a frying pan, a pot, some fairy and sponge, we have a plug in cooler and we cook simple meals in the room.

Eminently doable! Hot food counter as others have said, simple fruit, cheese (triangles ) and crackers, cereal for dinner... lots of easy options and kids will probably be delighted.

We always do a room picnic with bits picked up from a supermarket. Nice baguette, cheese, cold meats, Olives, or sausage rolls etc or even just a pre-made sandwich meal deal. My DS always finds it really exciting for some reason and loves getting to pick what bits we fancy.

We have a lovely picnic blanket and eat on that. I have it all down to a t now. We've seen lots of fun cities and towns in the UK thanks to Premier Inn breaks.

Buy a suitcase stove and take a pan from home and you can make all sorts . My friend stays in one for work Monday to Friday so he bought a cheap microwave to take with him. Have fun!

Maybe look for an Airbnb rather than a Premiere Inn so you've got cooking facilities? It could work out cheaper as well.

It's against fire regulations to take mini cookers into hotel rooms.

If there is a Morrisons near your hotel their salad bar is great for this kind of thing.

Can I be nosy and ask where you are going?

I never even considered this option and actually think we would love something like this!

Pasta Mugshots, instant hot choc, fruit - dinner done

We love a Premier Inn

What about taking a slow cooker?

If you took some meals made in advance at home they'd take a couple of days to defrost.

Then you could put it on before you went out and come back to a cooked meal?

The new premium rooms in some Premier inns do have a fridge.

We've had subway in our premier inn hotel room before. I'm sure McDonald's etc would work judt as well

@tunnocksreturns2019

Pasta Mugshots, instant hot choc, fruit - dinner done

We love a Premier Inn

That would be a snack for my pre-teen son.

They're on a budget and people are suggesting takeaways and fast food and supermarket bars that are, well, eating out and/or just as expensive.