Would you expect these items in a holiday rental?

[hippospot]

Lemon squeezer?
Cheese grater?

I highlighted to a holiday host that these missing items would have been useful and she felt they weren't standard items.

What random items have you also expected but not had? Oven gloves are sometimes not provided. I've stayed in a place without a sieve.

For a holiday rental?

I expect plates, glasses and mugs
knives, forks and spoons
kitchen knives
pans and oven tray

and that's it. I expect a proper pod coffee machine if the rental is not the most basic.

But even in the most "luxurious" holiday rental, I am not going there to cook! Vegetable peeler is not essential but makes life easier. As long as you have knives , you don't really need more.

Cheese grater yes definitely. Lemon squeezer no but I don’t own one at home, just buy bottled lemon juice. Oven gloves handy but not essential.

We cook dinner about half the days in our week long holiday and take packed lunches about half the days too so they need to be made

Cheese grater would be nice but a lemon squeezer I would group with garlic press, corn on the cob holders, candle sticks and a rolling pin - stuff I have at home and have seen in holiday rentals but don't expect.

According to the owner of the place we just stayed at, scissors and a grill pan are optional. I will be complaining (there were lots of other issues) but I don't expect anything will come of it.

I take ice cube bags as well, one tray just doesnt make them fast enough

I would expect a cheese grater but not a lemon squeezer.

But I think a lot depends on who you rent through. We rent out a property through a holiday let company, and they had very high standards to get on their books. There was a lot of eye rolling on our side when they said we should equip the kitchen to a standard that the guests could cook a Sunday roast!

And yes, people do post poor reviews if they don’t find what they expect- 99% of the time it’s irritating things that you might argue whether they actually need, but they’re generally things that are really cheap to add, and it makes more sense to show you’ve responded to feedback than to argue they’re wrong.

My personal bugbear is places that don’t have pint glasses or enough mugs - I’d never complain about the lack, but for me it’s a sign of a good property if they have them!

Maybe a cheese grater

certainly not a lemon squeezer. I dont even own one

why didn’t you take your own

Most recent self catering: no mixing bowl/bowl of any size - had to use a casserole dish to whisk eggs for omelette (mugs were conical). Also no baking equipment other than a pizza sheet with holes. I suppose I could have used the casserole dish at a pinch. I’m just glad the children are grown up and doing their own thing.

I’m prepared for no scales or measuring spoons and often bring a dry measure cup.

I didn’t even notice it - make your own bread for toast to go with the coffee? 😂😂😂

This thread is a real eye opener. We’ve stayed in many apartments over the years, and so long as there have been a couple of plates, mugs, basic cutlery, and a couple of pans, Ive never needed anything else.

I am a big fan of self-catering with babies and young children, and on many holidays, but If I had to plan, food shop, cook, and clean meals I would need a holiday to have a rest from the actual holiday.

@JellycatspyjamasIm talking specifically about cafetières that go on a hob! It’s completely unnecessary as there’s a standard cafetière and a pod machine. The feedback is people like what’s provided. I simply don’t want unsuitable pans on my induction hob.

If the place was basic with cheap fittings I would not care, but it’s not and I prefer it to be respected. Fair enough I think. Plus there’s mixing bowls, a chopper/mixer, blender, baking sheets, several casseroles, pasta dishes, full set of knives, spatulas, spoons, weighing machine, chopping boards, and a full sized dishwasher and washing machine not to mention unbreakable crockery and even a tea pot with cups and saucers. It is praised for being fully equipped but on MN someone wants a lemon squeezer and won’t use the choice of coffee prep methods! No one else has ever complained about this in 18 years of letting out the house!

We stayed in a lovely very well equipped place. But it provided a fancy espresso machine, and there were five of us all wanting coffee at the same time. So when we went into town I night a big cafetiere from a charity shop, and popped it in the cupboard when we left.

So rather than point out that it should have had one, I just messaged the owner to say that much as we'd enjoyed the machine when only one or two of us needed a coffee, we'd found a cafetiere useful at breakfast time etc, so had left it behind in case anyone else might like to use it. I got a lovely message back, thanking me.

I buy lemon juice as I like it in boiling water sometimes or to cook with x

I dislike coffee made in a cafetiere and always take my stainless steel stovetop espresso pot. If it doesn't work on the hob then that's my bad luck but so far I have only encountered one induction hob where it didn't work.

I have a lovely cafetière as well as the pod machine. Can serve 6 easily. Pods are pretty quick though!

i've stayed in some very high end holiday rentals and have always been puzzled at the amount of kitchen equipment provided. This thread is an eye opener in that I thought most people, like me, wouldn't want to actually cook on holiday.
I rent a house if adult DC are joining us but other than snacks and drinks I don't trouble the kitchen!

I didn't even own a lemon squeezer I definitely wouldn't expect one in as rental. Same as a cheese grater. Not essential but nice to have

The reason is that most people don’t regularly eat soft boiled eggs so egg cups are a rather niche item nowadays.

That’s fair enough, I missed the stove top/induction combination. Your place sounds fantastic and yes I’d be annoyed if someone ruined a good hob for the sake of a coffee. And a lemon squeezer isn’t something I’d even think about. I guess folk will always find something to have a moan about.

You can buy a metal plate to make your espresso pot work on induction hobs. I need to get around to ordering one.

Many people are saying they don't cook in holiday rentals, well that's fine for you, but surely it's the reason a lot of people choose holiday rentals over hotels.

I'd expect a cheese grater, not necessarily a lemon squeezer, though at home I use one most days. I live oven gloves as I hate getting things out of the oven with a tea towel, especially lasagne, which is too heavy and runs the risk of dipping the tea towel in the lasagne.

Other things I want that are often missing - large bowls for serving, big spoons for serving (what will I serve that lasagne with?), oven dishes to cook my lasagne, garlic press, pans of suitable sizes (not just two huge pans or two tiny ones), colander/sieve... and many more that I've forgotten.

I don’t cook all the time on holiday but I like the option of making something - I don’t have a lot of time in my working week so being able to potter around the kitchen is a real pleasure.

I suppose it depends what you cook!