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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

To all you self caterers out there

88 replies

piebald · 15/02/2017 18:40

I rent out a couple of self catering properties and wondered if i could get ideas from you kind mn folk
What is useful in a s/c house , is there anything that makes the holiday better?
I was wondering about buying slow cookers, would that be useful on holiday or do you just stick to take aways. What would you be pleased to find in the kitchen (apart from a maid-i'm not providing that!)
Anything else, games for the kids, dvds,

OP posts:
shaggedthruahedgebackwards · 15/02/2017 22:22

A well equipped kitchen is always appreciated but I'm doubt I would use a slow cooker on holiday

Things I need that are sometimes missing:

  • a decent bottle opener
  • cheese grater
  • tea pot
  • nice big mugs
  • bread knife
  • baking tray

Local info is always appreciated such as pub/restaurant recommendations, info about local places of interest and activities

OnHold · 15/02/2017 22:22

Wi fi.
Decent kettle
Comfy bed
I'm not fussed about anything else as long as it's clean.

TheProf · 15/02/2017 22:24

I like to do my washing when I'm away and it's always nice if there's some liquid there to use.

Also -
Bleach
Fairy liquid
Sponges or net cloths
Decent amount of tea towels
Oven gloves
Things like mixed herbs, chilli flakes etc
Books and games
If seaside, an outdoor BBQ and equipment
Kitchen roll
USB charger points
Decent wifi!

newmumwithquestions · 15/02/2017 22:33

So haven't RTFT so am sure you'll have some of these already but:

Stainless steel, not non-stick pans - People seem incapable of using non stick properly so its often scratched and peeling off - I hate using pans like that (I guess other guests use metal on them?)
Washing up liquid and sponge
Dishwasher tablets
Washing machine liquid/tablets

Also on weekly clean make sure the dishwasher is full of rinse aid and salt (or provide it so guests can top up as required).

Towels and separate beach towels are great (and stop yours being trashed if you are close to the beach or a swimming pool!)

BackforGood · 15/02/2017 22:38

I think it depends on budget.
There have been times in our lives when I'd rather the cottage was a few ££ cheaper, with not a lot in it, than having everything you can possibly imagine and probably rarely use in the kitchen but have to pay through the nose to get it. That would then just exclude us.

I think the most crucial thing is a way of checking what is provided before you pack the car - an itinary, or at least an offer to ask questions beofrehand without feeling you are being a nuisence. What one person thinks is essential, another wouldn't need, but it's annoying to pack a hairdryer then find there is one there, or take your scrabble to find there is one there (or decide not to, to find there isn't).

One thing that is useful that you don't get a lot of places, is washing line and pegs - for towels at least even if you don't do a family wash.

piebald · 16/02/2017 08:25

purpletraitor I agree to table space, forever seeing house owners trying to squeeze too many guests into houses without enough space
I have 2 flats that can be let together and if they are i lend big pans from home
Never provided cake tins but i suppose a holiday is atime you might make one or bake with children if its wet
Found another thread since i started this one and everyone wants blackout curtains, so need to replace a blind in the bedroom, i love a light bright bedroom so had thought it was ok
Sealsong i better get busy!! Actually not marked too poorly on your check list. Good point to phone not turn up. i always try to pop in on arrival day but maybe i will just phone instead

OP posts:
piebald · 16/02/2017 08:30

Backforgood So glad to read that , i try to keep prices down so have to budget accordingly. When i set up i had to do things cheaply but am gradually upgrading stuff. I feel a lot of self caterings have got too up market and expensive , i am trying to keep things reasonable and nice

OP posts:
ActuallyThatsSUPREMECommander · 16/02/2017 08:33

I agree with the PP - don't bother with non-stick pans and trays because guests who aren't used to them will knacker them and they'll look awful very quickly. Decent but not too expensive stainless steel will do.

And proper sized mugs for a brew.

Crumbs1 · 16/02/2017 08:36

Knives that cut
Decent can opener
Cheese grater
Casseroles/lasagne dishes/pasta pans large enough for number of people plus two
Maps and local guide
Salad bowl
Fruit bowl
Drying line
Curtains that keep the light out
Playing cards
Umbrella
Welcome pack - tea/milk/biscuits or scones/ juice/bin bag

SnugglySnerd · 16/02/2017 08:40

One of the best places we stayed with a 1 yo had a high chair, travel cot and loads of plastic plates, bowls, cutlery etc so we didn't have to take it all.
We are expecting twins so we are hoping this year to go somewhere with more than one travel cot and high chair available!
If providing cots it is helpful to also provide correctly sized sheets as we have taken our own before only to find that they were too small and we had to make do with wrapping a flat sheet round the mattress which was ok but a bit lumpy!
Have stayed at 2 places that provided a whole load of buckets, spades etc for the beach which meant we didn't have to find space in the car for it.
Few board games always go down well.

notagiraffe · 16/02/2017 08:42

A decent veg peeler - never yet been in a place that provides one
Good knives
A large sieve or colander - again - only about 50% of places seem to have one
A big saucepan. Lots of places offer the medium and small sizes. Not easy to cater for two teen boys and a 6"2' man with a small saucepan to cook the pasta in.
And most of all - a small welcome pack. Nothing gives a better first impression than a fridge with a pint of milk, a loaf of bread, butter, bottle of juice, fresh coffee and tea bags. Costs a fiver (which you could add to the price of the let) but makes you look like a really good host. Not having to schlep out to find the local shop when you've been on the road for seven hours is SO welcome.

Bombaybunty · 16/02/2017 08:45

Welcome pack of tea, milk, cake etc
Fluffy towels
Good bed linen on comfortable beds
Enough seating, sofas etc
Sharp knives
Dishwasher
Tea towels
Dishwasher tablets, washing powder, washing up liquid

WhoKn0wsWhereTheTimeG0es · 16/02/2017 08:48

I'm not bothered by welcome packs as such (we always take tea, coffee etc) but a pint of milk in the fridge is really handy. Washing up liquid and a new sponge plus a dishwasher tablet per day are really useful though.

PleaseGetOffTheTableDarling · 16/02/2017 08:49

Most of my immediate thoughts have been posted already - but one thing to add, at the last place we stayed, there was a small plug in motion sensor light by the front door, so when we arrived (in the dark, after a hellish journey, with two very grumpy toddlers) it flicked on and we weren't stumbling around trying to find the light switches.
Such a small touch, but it was SO helpful, and meant that from the second we owned the door we started cheering up a bit!

PleaseGetOffTheTableDarling · 16/02/2017 08:50

Oh - and a tin opener that actually works!

PoohBearsHole · 16/02/2017 08:51

We stay in a s/c holiday cottage and what is supplied that we take note of is as follows:

dishwasher tablets (x 7)
dishwasher liquid (small container - am sure its topped up :) )
salt
pepper
tea towels
loo roll
several sharp knives
several chopping boards
tumble dryer
washing machine (with 1-2 individually wrapped powder things)
filled ice tray
we also have water in the apartment but that is in a country with non-drinking water.

defineme · 16/02/2017 08:53

I am currently in a sc place and we have been disappointed with the lack of salt and pepper, smallness of mugs/wine glasses and no bin bags! However, it is warm, very clean and reasonably priced and, as these are my priorities, I will be giving it a good review.

ringlingsisters · 16/02/2017 09:03

A cheese grater
Decent serving dishes for salads, hors d'oeuvres etc
Tablets for dishwasher, washing up liquid, small bottle laundry detergent, loo roll, foil, cling film
Good barbecue
Good reading lamps by beds
If there is a woodburner/open fire then provision of enough fuel for whole holiday
Minimalist décor - clutter makes a place look dirty even if it's spotless.

SnugglySnerd · 16/02/2017 09:11

Another really useful thing when about 8 of us (all adults) stayed in a sc place was one of those little boxes on the wall outside with a combination lock to store the keys. It meant if we went out to different places and were returning at different times nobody was locked out.

chemenger · 16/02/2017 09:18

Tea towels is the thing that has annoyed me most frequently. One tea towel for 8 people for a week is not enough, even if there is a dishwasher. (or in one house of horror one teatowel for 21 people for a week). I now take a few of my own.
Pan sizes that match the number of people in the house, have had both huge pans for 4 and milk pans for 10.
Enough cups and glasses that everyone can have at least two drinks before washing up.
Beer glasses, tumblers and wine glasses. Nothing says holiday house like drinking beer out of a champagne flute or a mug! Or champagne out of a pint glass.
Plenty of hot water.
Dishwasher tablets and washing powder, you can't buy these in small enough quantities for a week so end up taking them home or leaving them (I suspect that people who clean holiday houses never have to buy either of these things).
Salt, pepper, sugar, coffee and tea. And please leave spices and stuff that guests have left behind (I know some MN people would assume these have been laced with a heady mix of cyanide, faeces and ebola virus but I'm grateful for a stock cube or a spoon of chilli powder and happy to leave my paprika). We use the same holiday house every year and it has an eclectic selection of ingredients that comes in useful.
Ice cubes in the freezer.
Spare toilet roll in all the bathrooms.
Nice non-bobbly sheets, cotton not polycotton, they are not the same. Enough pillows for 2 per person.
Extra blankets for people like my MIL who is always cold in bed.
Best thing ever in a holiday house - pine martens who came every night to eat peanuts and marmalade sandwiches on the balcony, but that would be difficult to arrange in many places!

Tftpoo · 16/02/2017 09:21

We self cater a lot and always do our own cooking as going out to eat with theee under three is not much fun. Once or twice maybe but every night would just be stressful! Things I appreciate in a self catering place are:

Sharp knives
Decent, large chopping boards (notice plural - it's annoyingly if you cook and have to keep washing up boards between ingredients)
Dishwasher tablets
Washing machine and tumble drier (or at least access to a shared one)
Cafetière
Plastic bowls, cutlery etc for kids
Empty vacuum (I don't mind doing the hoovering at all but if the vacuum hasn't been emptied for a while it stinks!)
Feather pillows and duvets
Waterproof sheets for kids bed
Blackout blinds/curtains
Plenty of loo roll
Broom/dustpan and brush
Large dining table with plastic table cloth

GoodyGoodyGumdrops · 16/02/2017 09:28

I'm honestly not bothered about a welcome pack of fresh food. I don't generally expect the cottage to supply consumables. But what I'd like to find in the kitchen would be basics that keep well but you only need a little of for a week or two, like salt, vegetable oil, mixed herbs. Washing-up liquid. A couple of extra rolls of toilet paper and a couple of dishwasher tabs. I'd also want a list of these things on the website, so I'd know not to pack them.

Equipment-wise:

A full-size fridge-freezer. So frustrating to go on holiday for a week, and have to waste time on food-shopping because there's no space for a week's food.

An empty cupboard for food. So many places have cupboards and cupboards full of glasses and mugs, yet nowhere decent to store what we bring with and food.

(I really do not need a whole cupboard-full of 4-5 different styles of glasses! A 6-bed house aimed at families with children does not need 6 beer mugs, 6 lager glasses, 6 flutes, 6 red wine, 6 highballs, etc etc.)

A set of sharp knives - serrated usually hold their edge acceptably. Most importantly, a 6-7" veg knife, a 7" cooks' knife, a bread knife.

Decent veg peelers, both styles.

Pans with matching lids.

Plastic chopping boards. A wooden bread board looks lovely, and is fine at home, but you never know how previous guests may have used it - I don't want to cut my bread or my salad on a wooden board previously used for cutting up raw chicken.

A freestanding stick-thing to put my kitchen roll on. Not a dispenser fixed to the wall, because not all rolls are the same size, and, in any case, with dc I want to have the roll close at hand during meals!

Wallywobbles · 16/02/2017 09:33

What's your target market. Fit out accordingly. You don't what to price yourself out of the market.

piebald · 16/02/2017 09:34

This is great loads of ideas and reassurance here
chemenger I wondered if people might be disgusted by other peoples leftovers (i am not a good judge, i eat anything!) I need to put a note explaining the situation, the only people i told i had done it were americans who then announced on Tripe Advisor that ''they enjoyed the leftover food'' which sounded a bit iffy

OP posts:
TellMeItsNotTrue · 16/02/2017 09:41

Foil because I always forget that

Salt, pepper and sugar because it's not worth buying for the tiny bit you need and it spills if you try and take it home

Brown sauce, tomato sauce and cooking oil would be great but I doubt we would use it because don't know who else has used it or how long it's been open etc

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