Self catering - life hacks and what to bring

[Selfcateringnotaholiday]

We're going a week's self catering in a holiday cottage in the summer. Looks nice enough but haven't done self catering for a while as it's just more cooking and cleaning.

Looking for some tips on things you like to bring like little luxuries or just practical useful things.

So far on my list are a Brita jug to save countless plastic bottles of water, my new coffee flask and some slippers. DCs have already asked if they can have the small cereal boxes - they're easily pleased!

I always pack gaffer tape, kitchen roll, spare loo roll, extra extension leads,
pen and paper and a kitchen box with condiments and the right tea and coffee bags. A few ice packs and drinks bottles/flasks plus tupperware boxes in case we want to make a picnic. I often travel with butter, cheddar, crackers and olives, and some kind of biscuit, just in case we arrive and there's no food available.
In my washbag there is always a torch, scissors, nail file and tweezers along with the usual, and we take a small medical kit which includes piriton.

Agree with loads of suggestions above as we go to holiday cottages at least 2 x / 3 x a year
I would add take paper cups … I pour wine in and go , when we have been bumbling around the cottage after dinner and the kids fancy a stroll over the fields I pour my wine into a paper cup and go too, it makes it much more bearable

I think it depends if it’s an air bnb or a holiday let? The last few times I’ve been so relieved not to have to bring all this stuff as it’s been provided. Such a relief. I always read the list of things supplied now and the last few times have literally just brought clothes. Bliss!!!

Order hello fresh for 3-4 meals. Means you get decent food and don't need to take a load of spices.

I take wine glasses , gin glasses and champagne flutes. Hate being disappointed with the Ikea small round wine glasses.
Dishwasher tablets.

Different lists for different scenarios

Always - Tea bags, a smaller bottle of oil for cooking to save buying a bigger one, laundry tabs (I like feeling like I'm using someone else's electricity I've paid for and I like coming home with clean laundry as I'm always back to work the next day).

Weekends in the UK - pre cooked meals like lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese, curry I have cooked and pre-frozen. Waffle machine with pre-made mix

Holidays in the UK - air fryer (game changer), one of those naff hang your pants round multi peg things for laundry, foil. My own mug. One spare loo roll. Will then do a Tesco delivery for holiday house and one for when we are due back.

Hello Fresh or Gousto boxes are a great idea.

We mostly go to Spain so only really take teabags and a few dishwasher tablets plus toiletries decanted into small containers.

I'll go up a level on @JillThePlantKiller love of a foreign supermarket and include walking distance to Mercadona, Eroski or Lidl at a push as a near essential when choosing where to stay. Hate the high prices and rubbish selection in Spar or the Dinos.

Best place I found was an apart hotel in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza that has Mercadona 5 minutes one way and Eroski a similar distance the other.

Mercadona especially has seen some great finds. As well as lovely Spanish food, they do travel size hair mousse far cheaper than anywhere else and a brilliant selection of plastic tubs, the best being yogurt pot size and some that are good for storing half a tin of beans or similar. I've bought loads of those to use on holiday and then bring home.

We prefer Simply Cook. They send you the herbs and spices , and you just buy the fresh ingredients. We found with the meal boxes, we were wasting food, if someone came in late from work, for instant so we didn’t cook them , or the shelf life ran out. Simply cook is more flexible.

If you are making your own lunches - cool bag, tupperware boxes etc.

For holiday a hello fresh or gusto is easier as they send everything.

I take a couple of meals that I have frozen, especially for first day if don’t want to shop on arrival. A decent kitchen knife, a corkscrew, condiments, oil, tea towels, kitchen roll, dustbin bags, tea bags, coffee, dishwasher tabs. Dishcloths, washing up liquid.
You can also arrange an on line shop.

We usually take 2 lamps with us! This is because we stay in the same place each year and I don't like the bright overhead lights. Also lots of tubs so that you have them for packups and leftovers.

On SC I always wish I'd brought more tea towels.