What do you buy?

[magbrin]

..........................where do you buy it and what are your criteria (?)

 

Just wonering if most people stock up with provisions before they leave home (heavy van) or buy on arrival at a site, and if so do they use site shop, supermarket or local independant shops?

 

If travelling daily, how often do you shop en route, and where?

 

Do you buy for price or quality or somewhere in between?

 

And finally do you take any provisions home?

[Poppy]

If we go away for a weekend we tend to stock up, but have lunch at a local pub if possible.On longer trips we always have a couple of emergency cans available, otherwise its food for the first 24 hours and then shop locally.We shop in a mixture of supermarkets and local shops if available.

[lennyhb]

Depends where we are going in the UK we are not usually nears towns so tend to put 3 or 4 meals in the Motorhome freezer, especially since we got caught out last year. We were near Blackboys in Sussex thought we would pick up our shopping while on a bike ride we found no shops in Blackboys or surrounding villages.

 

Going abroad only leave with milk, coffee & tea then stop at the first supermarket to take on supplies. Always try to keep 3/4 days supply in the fridge & freezer been caught out too many times in the past.

 

Since we have had a big fridge/freezer only been caught out once at Blackboys & that was because we decided to go away for the weekend at 6:20pm on Friday and left at 6:40pm.

 

 

[Keith T]

If in Uk, would take all 'fresh' food from home, maybe some frozen as well, plus supplies for a few days, saves stocking up (ie parking!!) at a supermarket. Once on site use either local supermarkets/ stores, or if in transit, find a supermarket where we can park OK.

For French trips, we would go only with any fresh stuff from home, plus probably enough food for the first night/day, as we like to make an early stop at a Hypermarket to stock up with French food....although this is becoming less viable as their prices rise, and with the increasing cost of the Euro.

On return from France, we no longer bring back much , except for wine, which we still find better value then UK, and also Arabic Coffee, for the same reasons....

[Jodi]

This is an interesting post for me as a prospective motorhome purchaser and look forward to further replies. It would seem having a large fridge with a decent sized freezer would be a distinct advantage. I had thought that stopping at a supermarket to restock and buying the next 4 to 5 days worth of food each time you move on, would be the thing to do. Is that what most of you do?

[Big Momma]

When we are just having a long weekend we take stuff out of the Fridge/Freezer from home. Generally pre-prepare something for the first night (Stew & Herby Dumplings or Home Made Cannellonni). Generally enjoy a good walk and then finish off at a local hostelery with a nice meal and bottle of plonk.

 

Although I anticipate being blasted for my next revelation, when we go on our 4 week summer trips to Europe we always stock up the Fridge/ Freezer with enough food for first 4-5 days, helps with the holiday budget a little. As we tend to expect better weather we take some meats for the BBQ and also tinned items for sandwiches or to have with salads (Tuna, Sardines or Pilchards, Corned Beef etc).

 

When it comes to re-stocking we use the local Hyper-Markets as well as purchasing lovely fresh produce from local town markets (including meats, cheeses, pickles etc).

 

Only things we bring back are cheap bottles of our favourite plonk and cheap fags (disgusting things, I will give up one day ;-) )

[Usinmyknaus]

If just a weekend in the UK I take sufficient fresh veg, meats, sauces and spices to cook a meal each night plus lunch-time sandwich fillings for walks and breakfast cereal for 2 days. If there is locally produced/caught meat/fish/bread/veg/herbs available walking distance of the site I will almost always buy those for use on Saturday night instead of what I took from home. If staying away longer I take some additional items for contingencies but try to buy from local producers/shops wherever we end up.

 

In mainland Europe, if staying on aires or municipals I buy fresh produce and as many groceries as possible from small shops/producers/quayside fish stalls within walking/cycling distance of where I'm staying and make a point of telling each trader that I am staying in a motorhome on the aire/municpal and value the facility provide by his/her Commune.

 

I avoid Hypermarkets/large chain supermarkets wherever possible on the basis that I am on holiday and it's a wonderful treat to buy local and different or just plain "foreign", plus I feel passionately that constantly reinforcing the value of aires and municipals to local businesses may just help keep such facilities available.

 

I of course carry some dry/tinned/frozen food just in case there is nothing close by - some parts of France are losing village shops as fast as we are here - but I aim to bring as much of it back home as I can.

 

You asked about quality - my aim is always to buy the best quality local ingredients available as again, I'm on holiday and it's part of the treat for me, as the cook round here, to play with the best and most interesting items I can find while away from home. For the same reasons I buy daily if suppliers are available. A good continental street market is like an adult creche for me, my wife could just leave me there for hours.

 

Bob

[Brian Kirby]

magbrin - 2010-03-16 8:52 AM ..........................where do you buy it and what are your criteria (?) Just wonering if most people stock up with provisions before they leave home (heavy van) or buy on arrival at a site, and if so do they use site shop, supermarket or local independant shops? If travelling daily, how often do you shop en route, and where? Do you buy for price or quality or somewhere in between? And finally do you take any provisions home?

Are you indulging in some kind of consumer survey, Margaret, or is there a more specific question lurking behind this?  If there is something in particular you want to know, do say, and I'm sure you will get more focused answers.

[magbrin]

Brian Kirby - 2010-03-16 8:19 PM

 

p>Are you indulging in some kind of consumer survey, Margaret, or is there a more specific question lurking behind this?  If there is something in particular you want to know, do say, and I'm sure you will get more focused answers.

 

This is not a survey, Brian, I am genuinely interested in what people do. I am in favour of supporting local producers and businesses and in any region, here or abroad, but am aware that village shops are a dying breed. I am also aware that super/hyermarkets remain a quick easy and inexpensive way of buying what you need, and sometimes they stock good local produce.

 

We have been in the situation of not having anything but the breakfast to eat - when, not too far from home we found that the pub that we were going to have our evening meal at, was closed because new owners had not got a licence sorted out. The only reason we did not head home was because tne other half had just driven the new van up from the Borders and we wanted to try it out. :-)

 

As yet there has been no-one admitting to supporting campsite shops. Some of you must use them .......................... if you do, what do you buy in them, is it just things you have left behind by mistake (?)

[Brian Kirby]

Well, we take only things we like (mainly breakfast things), but find difficult to source outside UK.  We get about 4-5 days from our smallish fridge, and generally head for a supermarket en route (I use the sat-nav to sniff them out) to re-stock.  Everything in one place, so quickest and easiest option.  We buy fuel at supermarkets wherever possible.  We generally avoid autoroutes as boring and expensive, unless we just want to get from A to B.  We tend to go for regional wines from the region we are in.  We do not often use campsite shops except for bread and croissants (usually ordered), and the odd bottle/pack of milk.  They tend to be expensive and the stock often short dated.  We go for good quality at a reasonable price (doesn't everyone? :-)), and use any of the French supermarkets without favour.  What we take home depends on whether it is something we can't get at home (not much these days) and whether it is worth buying.  In the end, that mainly comes down to wine, and some cheeses.  We seldom stay anywhere more than 4 days, so stocking up on our way in is our norm.

[magbrin]

Thanks, Brian, and everyone else who has responded.

[Tony Jones]

The van ALWAYS has tinned stuff in the locker for at least two meals, as well as permanent stocks of tea, coffee and sugar plus those little tubs of UHT milk you get in cafés, just in case.

If we're just doing the odd weekend trip we'll eat out if we can afford it, or take stuff from home, rather than spend time shopping.

 

On "proper" holiday, we make sure the "van stocks" (above) are up-to-date, take anything from the (home) fridge that we think we can use, then shop locally.

 

While travelling, we'll stop at a supermarket to stock up, but if we're staying somewhere for a while we'll find whatever's available locally. But if we find ourselves in a French town on market day, or stop at a France Passion farm, that SO takes priority!

[AliB]

We usually carry enough provisions for 3 days. So for weekends away we do not need to shop. On continental trips we would usually stock up at a supermarket on route to a camp site. This would usually be a larger restock as our holiday time is valuable to us and do not want to spend it walking around supermarkets.

As regards bringing items back from abroad this would only apply if items were cheaper or hard to source in the UK. Bottles of german wheat beer were prime candidates last year.

What would be interesting to know is how many people cook the main meal of the day in the m/h and how many eat out at restaurants.

For us it is probably 80% eat in and 20% eat at restaurants. Which is why a m/h with a good kitchen setup (grill,oven, microwave) was high on our selection criteria.

[dragonflyer]

When in Europe we shop locally if staying on an Aire.

 

We shop in the supermarket for fresh milk, which can be difficult to find. We also purchase diesel there too.

 

Before we leave I pack our tiny freezer compartment with lamb fillet, beef rib eye steaks and Waitrose large fish fingers [pre-frozen and compressed into most efficient shapes].

 

My husband is very conservative in his tastes and I suffer badly when salt is added to cooked food so that we almost never eat out.

 

We are both good plain cooks who enjoy preparing vegetables in a relaxed manner as part of the holiday experience. I also try out vegetables and fruit from the markets not usually available to us at home. We buy beef on the rib bones which is pressure cooked and tastes very good. (At home I would be buying brisket for a pot roast.) I usually take a recipe book with me appropriate to the region and make some of the dishes. Much easier when ingredients are local.

 

Our cooking facilities are - two ring hob, pressure cooker, remoska, and Camping Gaz Grill R for cooking outside. We also use the remoska outside as we have an external connection adjacent to the BBQ point (which we have never used as I don't like open flames too close to M/H).

 

We buy various items from a delicatessen type shop and shop carefully for bread as artisan loaves are becoming rarer. As a treat we buy one 'cake' to share.

 

I always try to have plenty of eggs on hand, as well as an onion and potatoes which together with a small tin of corned beef quickly makes a hash.

 

What I bring home

Rabbit from Aldi near de Haan, frozen flagelot beans (for a friend who lived in France for husband's work and misses it) regional Honey. Anything unusual bought at the last possible moment for safe storage. Knorr Jus cubes.

 

Unfortunately our portable freezer at 18kg empty is too heavy for us to take on our travels in our new motorhome - so no fish.

 

The shopping, preparation and eating are part of the holiday experience. The savings we make on careful shopping and eating enable us afford the fuel to travel further. We usually have a destination in mind but try to savour the places we stop and are prepared to change our mind and stay.

 

Joyce

 

 

 

[Clive]

I suppose first you need to sort out those of us who travel with little or no fresh water in the tank or like us start with it full.

 

Ours is a mobile home. So its stocked just like home. We went away for a week while covering the NEC and had every meal provisioned in the van. As it was so cold outside we ate every meal.

But its all weight, just depends on your priorities I guess.

Take the grub or take the wife!

 

C.

 

[The Decorator]

Very little magbrin.

 

We are home eaters after years at hotels, and now prefer my own cooking in favour of the more decorative food.

 

We take ....... cabbage, potatoes, onions and carrots for fresh veg’s and it allows more freezer space, into which goes home made curry’s, minced beef concoctions and fish arrangements, including pre-made apple, b’berries and rhubarb mixes, all frozen in plastic bags, ie, no dishes. Evaporated milk does for drinks and puddings, no fresh required.

 

A variety of frozen dinners without the wrappers and what odd shaped spaces left in the freezer gets stuffed with frozen peas and corn. That takes care of basic eating, otherwise it’s the usual. Then the wife adds her cream and gooey things that I don’t eat.

 

All the veg’s are kept in the outside lockers. One important addition for us are two large beef casseroles pre-frozen that fit into the saucepans already being carried, therefore saving extra dishes and weight . All the above are based on using at a fixed site for up to two weeks, with no eating out.

 

As the chef I find it works and the lady wife never complains. Bread is the only snag and is preferred fresh.

 

Jon

 

 

[aljen]

we normally stock up with a few items, frozen, cooked meal usually just a couple and then look to see if there is a place to eat locally. Sometimes we have had a meal on some of the bigger sites and found some to be quite good. Mostly we use smaller sites and find a pub somewhere about on our travels and if we find a nice farm shop, stock up there too, very rarely use supermarkets on our meanderings.

[Mel B]

We have a large split fridge freezer and take as much in the fridge part as we can that would otherwise waste if left at home, plus sauces, relishs, marg, butter etc The freezer part has mainly fresh meat in it, of various types, pre-frozen, along with some cooked chicken (ideal for stir frys) and home made bolog. sauces, or creamy ham sauce, for a quick tasty tea with pasta and french bread, ideal when travelling.

 

In addition, in a cupboard we have small bottles or packs of cooking oil, olive oil, spices, stir fry sauces, some tinned veg and meat, instant mash (emergency rations), tea bags, coffee (I prefer British coffee ... sorry!), milk, lemonade, some beer, etc and anything else I thin might be utilised.

 

What we actually tend to find though is that we see markets or pop into local/shops, cheap supermarkets every couple of days to renew the consumed fresh stuff, bread, salad, lettuce etc and if there's anything meat or fish wise we'll buy that and use it instead so we usually end up bring most of the grub back home! We have also been know to buy bulk food (fish for example) that was on offer in one supermarket and bring a load of that home in the freezer (must remember the freezer bags)!

 

The one thing we take little of is bread - there's usually enough for our initial 3 days (including travel down to the Chunnel) plus a couple of breadcakes in the freezer for 'emergencies' (got caught out one Sunday and had none for the sarnies at lunchtime!). We like to buy French bread daily ... it's surprising how much you can spend just on bread but it' so yummy! Oh, we too also treat ourselves to a nice bun to share ... gotta watch the waistline! :$

 

Our record for how many supermarkets in one day is ... 5!!!! But that was the exception ... and we were trying to find a specific item ... honest! :D

 

Our new van won't have a split fridge/freezer so we'll have to learn to live without it, but as mentioned above, as most of it comes back home anyway we should be okay ... if not I'll have an excuse to go in the supermarket 5 times in one day again!!! :->

[magbrin]

Some interesting points, Thanks to all.

I like the idea of percentage "eat out" and "eat in" - any further thoughts?

I enjoy cooking in the van, on my 2 rings mainly with double skillet. More time and more relaxing than at home with the challenge of limited space (lol)

Not much use by anyone of camp site shops - but they must sell to someone (?)

[lennyhb]

Used to eat out 50 - 75% of the time but with the £ so weak against the Euro now cook in the van 90% of the time.

 

Always carry a large stock of part baked rolls.

 

 

[The Decorator]

Lenny, tell me about the part baked rolls, Jon

[lennyhb]

Jon,

 

You can get them in any supermarket UK, France, Germany, they keep for about 2/3 months & just take 10 mins in the oven. Great for breakfast or with your main meal. You can get all types French rolls , Ciabatta rolls (from Aldi) etc.