What useful items do you always take on a UK holiday?

[Passthecake30]

We’ve not done a uk trip for over 10 years so I’ve completely forgotten what items to take from home that’ll make life easier/prevent me buying while there. We’re 2 adults and 16&18 yr old. So far I’m thinking of a couple of oven trays, wok, a decent frying pan, wooden spoon and spatula - main reason being for the size and the nonstick!

Does anyone have any items that they always take, or wish they’d taken?

Toolbox(a big one!)
Extension cables
Tpot
Cork screw
Salt and pepper grinder
Knife sharpener
Loo rolls
Kitchen roll
Amazon prime stick
Dishwasher and washing machine tablets
Torch
Measure for my porridge
Decent light bulbs
Scales
Air freshener

This is from my list I store on mine and my husband's phone and built from many years of self catering!

Wine. Because children.

Basic caravan holiday in a couple of weeks, we will be taking

Kitchen
Old washing up bowl
washing up liquid
tea towels
kitchen roll
can opener/bottle opener/corkscrew
decent kitchen knife
cheap pack of small aluminium foil trays
pegs
spray cleaner and maybe antibacterial wipes
tea bags/coffee/hot chocolate
other foods
bin bags
reusable drinks bottles/coffee cups to take out with us,

Bathroom
towels
shower mat
toilet rolls
toiletries

Extras
charging station
games
dog blanket
hairdryer
first aid kit/medicines/suncare

We do caravan holidays every year, this is our usual list. We eat out most nights, it’s only usually the first night we eat in the van after we arrive and it’s usually something very basic and easy that dosnt involve much mess. Other than that we eat breakfast and lunches in the van which again is usually basics, sandwiches, fruit, cereal, nibbles etc..

We are away now for two weeks. Staying in a lodge and arrived yesterday. I got a big shopping bag and tossed in:

Foil
Sandwich bags
Tea towels
Hand soap
Loo roll
Salt and pepper
Olive oil spray
Tom ketch
Bag clips
Small jug (for porridge)
Small Scales (for porridge)
Porridge

Plus we did a shop for the first few days:

Bread
Milk
Ham
Cheese
Wraps
Crumpets
Fruit
Salad
Chicken

We are runners so porridge is essential. We don't plan to go out too much until Tuesday so can be pretty self sufficient until then. No cooking just wraps, sandwiches etc. We went out for lunch today but are in now watching F1, footie etc. Very chilled.

Also brought our own bath towels as those provided are too small plus my hairdryer.

Absolutely

An umbrella

Sharp knife, kitchen scissors, can opener, bag clips, a few food bags, corkscrew, sml sandwich box

Just back from Center Parcs - we took

Dishwasher tablets
Washing up liquid
Salt and pepper
Bin liners, food waste bags, recycling bags
Tea towel
Hand towel
Tea, coffee, sugar
A couple of food storage containers

If we go again I will add
Liquid soap
A couple of toilet rolls
Sandwich bags, cling film, foil

I’ve found that self catering cottages/CP lodges tend to have a small number of dishwasher tablets, bin bags etc provided and we end up having to buy these when on holiday.

I always go "self catering" in the UK but I've never actually cooked or used a holiday kitchen..

I came on to say binoculars, rain ponchos, a fan or two, extra chargers for the teens/ adult DC who will inevitably forget.

Ha- I came on to say a paddleboard, folding chairs, a portable gas stove (the kind in a small case) and a beach trolley to transport stuff to the beach.

Clearly not what you were after 😂.

Honestly? Just clothes because I can’t be dealing with self catering- if I have relented and booked something with a kitchen and no breakfast I’ll fry bacon using provided frying pan but that’s about it on the cooking front, well at a pinch I’ll assemble a Caesar salad kit and serve with rotisserie chicken. If I need to be lugging equipment it’s no holiday

My pillow (though to be fair I take that everywhere including overseas, it stops me getting trapped nerve in my neck).

If it will be hot, my linen sheet (can’t stand sweaty poly cotton when it is hot)

A few teabags to tide us over until we can get to the shops, sweetner, dishwasher tablets, bag clips, few sandwich bags.

if away for more than a week we take some washing detergent (son has eczema and can’t always buy the one his skin tolerates).

I have holidayed extensively in the UK and it has never once occurred to me to take kitchen equipment. I’m on holiday, I’m eating out.

Alrhough lately we have been taking a little Nespresso machine and my milk frother, after we stayed in an Airbnb last year and had a coffee emergency. We arrived quite late in the day. It was too late to go out for a decent coffee. The lovely gent showing us round, when I enquired if he had a coffee machine, was very pleased to open a cupboard and show me a little cafetière.

I had a cup of tea.

I haven't been on holiday in the UK for five years (when Covid forced the issue) and I'm bookmarking this thread in case I ever get the temptation to do so again.

Corkscrew , decent knife, ☕+cafetiere unless coffee maker mentioned in details,
My favourite tea bags, if im going to be cooking olive oil, herbs n spices. Salt & pepper mill..
Depending on arrival time something for donner/breakfast so don't have to worry about 1st meal..

I get fed up of eating out and often we holiday in remote areas with few eating out options and we don’t want to have to drive to a restaurant. I don’t find cooking that stressful and keep meals simple and planned in advance. We usually eat out 1/3 the evenings and eat out more for lunch