Food for Motorhome

Scottish whole rolled oats (not the teeny weeny powdery stuff). That's all you need to survive. Used to take a bag of oats when cycle-camping. Then just needed to find some water and boil it up on the spirit stove. Still take oats these days in the van, porridge for breakfast will sustain you for hours. Add fresh fruit if available, add dried or nuts if not. Even if you run out of gas, you can soak the oats overnight and they are still edible. The ultimate emergency food -- and to think Dr. Johnson thought they were only fit for horses!
 
We are veggie and sometimes it is hard to eat out in France, van always stocked with packets of cooked chick peas/ butter beans/ kidney beans etc to make a stew curry or chilli. Take all my spices with me ( hard to find cumin and methi in France. ) We also take free range organic eggs , but apart from that eat our way round happily. Salads cheese and french bread, lots of wine does us. French supermarkets have loads of fab local to them produce, and their choice of veg is second to none. We take a couple of frozen home made meals as well and a bottle of frozen milk as well as fresh - keeps the fridge nice n cool.
 
Kirsten said:
We are veggie and sometimes it is hard to eat out in France, van always stocked with packets of cooked chick peas/ butter beans/ kidney beans etc to make a stew curry or chilli. Take all my spices with me ( hard to find cumin and methi in France. ) We also take free range organic eggs , but apart from that eat our way round happily. Salads cheese and french bread, lots of wine does us. French supermarkets have loads of fab local to them produce, and their choice of veg is second to none. We take a couple of frozen home made meals as well and a bottle of frozen milk as well as fresh - keeps the fridge nice n cool.
Click to expand...
No shortage of methane then ::bigsmile:
 
We use long life milk abroad. Its so useful to carry a dozen litres which only need to be in the fridge once opened. We only used skimmed, available everywhere though you have to search as French supermarkets seem to have a plethora of brands, as they also do with eggs, not just the choice of one you get in UK supermarkets. Fresh milk is hard to find bur we don't miss it.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
denisejoe said:
Only ever seen whole milk and Demi ecreme

Denise
Click to expand...
This was from Leclerc. They also sell it in Carrefour. Super U. Lidl. Intermarché and most Bio Supermarkets.
4C4BB969-47A8-43F9-84A2-38D642855465.jpeg
 
Teabags, English mustard and marmalade (my wife's homemade). Everything else we require is available in France. Fresh vegetables and fruit are of better quality than supermarkets in the UK though some foods are more expensive, we eat more fish than red meat and fresh fish is widely available in France.

Thirty years ago when we began visiting France we did take some food with us, soon realised it was pointless.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DBK
We've been caught out before by unexpected bank holidays and by shops closing early the day before a holiday so we always travel with food for at least a day or two. There's usually at least a bit of protein (cured meats or cheese) in the fridge which can be combined with stuff from the storecupboard to put a meal together.

In the cupboard we always carry a large tin of cassoulet, a bake at home baguette, dried rice and pasta and a few packets of soup, plus a reasonably well stocked herb & spice drawer. Most of it wasn't bought in the UK though - I find the choice of food in supermarkets abroad is much better even for convenience foods so we usually do a quick shop at Carrefour on arrival, and if we consume any of our backup foods we just replace them with something suitable from wherever we happen to be.....I think our current backup food supplies mostly come from France, Germany and Hungary.
 
Everywhere I've been - Berlin, Cadiz, Dublin, everywhere in between - there's always a Lidl. OK, they're a bit thin on the ground south of Marrakesh, but apart from that...

Edit: Sorry GerTee already said this, missed that post.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Last edited:
Set off with full fridge and cupboards. Eat merrily. Buy more french stuff along the way which we can’t get here. Return home with full fridge and carry the lot up four flights of stairs.
Blimey I’m hopeless I’ve just realised! We’re never short of food choices though?
 
We’re in Germany just now. We knew we wouldn’t get to a shop on Saturday and that the shops shut Sunday so made sure we had milk, bread, and a couple of meals. In terms of staples we always have salt, pepper, herbs, spices, tea and coffee in but we brought boil in the bag rice, couscous, a tin of tuna, cereal (we prefer high fibre, low sugar) and oatcakes. Oh and a loaf of homemade whole meal rye and apricot bread I put in the freezer and a box or organic eggs.

Today we went shopping and bought chanterelle mushrooms, yellow courgettes and German wine and beer. Yum!
 
Gravy granules are like hens teeth! Only found some in Iceland near Guardamar in Spain - twice the price, but we’d been away for a year so I jumped on them! I know I can make gravy with stock cubes & thickener, but I likes Bisto! ?
 
We take at least a couple of meals worth of emergency rations as we both need to be gluten-free and it isn't always available either in the UK or abroad (although is getting easier). Dried rice / gf pasta plus a tin of sauce (add extra veggies / meat if available). I also have a tin of corned beef and a tin of tuna plus a tin of Big Soup. A tin of cream and a tin of fruit :)

Longlife milk is a basic requirement.

Having been caught out once (in England) where I could not get gf food at any price and even the pharmacy had to order in at 3 days notice we do try to take enough for two or three days with us*.

A lot of the supermarkets no longer guarantee their fresh meat / fish is not cross contaminated with gluten / nuts etc and any butcher that also sells pies is a no-go. for me :( So although baked goods are easier to get fresh produce is more difficult.

*One shop had a notice on the window "Gluten Aware" so I went in to be told they were aware they couldn't do it!!!!!! When I asked in the supermarket it was as if I had two heads and a tail. No one had a clue and there was no "free from" or similar section. Best place was the Outer Hebrides where even the library cafes had gluten free treats!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Last edited:
Oh, I make up (different) spice mixes and take them to use in the slow cooker or wok /saute pan. Saves a lot of messing around and a few small bags (one bag = one slow cooker / wok / saute pan dose) in a small plastic box rather than several different jars and pots. When the labels become detached from the bags it can be quite a taste experiment.
 
The two things I find I can never get in France, and which haven't got any suitable French alternatives for us, are Robinsons orange squash and any brand of brown sauce.
 
Scotch mist said:
WELL , I just heard my new MH has finally arrived in the uk , pick up in10 days

FRANCE HERE WE COME ?

Thanks for all the info , kind regards Kenny d
Click to expand...
Ten days of shopping for food to put in it. :) But congratulations, now concentrate on the important stuff like hoses, water connections, bedding, BBQs, MiFi, sim cards, apps for finding aires, SOGs and what to add to them apart from the obvious. :)
 
Peanut butter, high in protein, lasts forever, completely inedible if bought in mainland Europe.

Nice on toast mixed with banana.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
We take bottled water, tank water for washing etc. Coffee, tea and rice, pasta etc. I like to buy local, usually a great selection of local stuff even in a co-op. Gives me a chance to say hello to ppl and I feel I am contributing a tiny bit to compensate for my intrusion. Have some tins on the MH from when we bought it...yew!:sick:
 
MR. FUSION said:
Peanut butter, high in protein, lasts forever, completely inedible if bought in mainland Europe.

Nice on toast mixed with banana.
Click to expand...

Yes. Very versatile. I always go for the crunchy, sugar-free ones.

I was also introduced to the peanut butter and salad sandwich, which I thought would be a bit weird, but actually works very well.

And nice mixed with soy sauce to marinade chicken.
 
Pasta
Rice
UHT milk
Cous cous (tinned)
Chile con carne (tinned)
Baked beans
Ravioli
Mackerel in tomatoes (tinned)

Most of the above items are extremely well traveled ie the stay in the van and don't often get used, typically only in cases where we arrive very late to pitch up.
 
Home Bargains have some brilliant curry sauces (low carb = not full of sugar). Taran_Las Phil put us onto them, and we have at least half a dozen of them in the van.

We don't eat rice or pasta, so usually get fresh veg to eat with the curry. Other than that its baked beans, tinned tomatoes, and mixed beans. :)

Motorhoming in Europe usually means you don't need to rely too much on cupboard staples! (y)
 
DBK said:
Ten days of shopping for food to put in it. :) But congratulations, now concentrate on the important stuff like hoses, water connections, bedding, BBQs, MiFi, sim cards, apps for finding aires, SOGs and what to add to them apart from the obvious. :)
Click to expand...

This is my second new Motorhome so have had most of the above for a while now Although not necessarily used yet , and not sure what mifi actually is ? , I do tether my phone to me iPad to use my data

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Rather like the FB Pies this will not to everyone's taste but you might like to google parsleybox that are just like supermarket prepared meals that are ambient stored for up to 6 months. Worth buying a couple to keep somewhere just in case.
 
Scotch mist said:
This is my second new Motorhome so have had most of the above for a while now Although not necessarily used yet , and not sure what mifi actually is ? , I do tether my phone to me iPad to use my data
Click to expand...
A mifi does exactly the same job as your phone but uses a separate sim card, either PAYG or pay monthly. For many folk just tethering to the phone is fine, especially now plans with lots and even unlimited data are available. The advantage a mifi has is it can be connected to an external antenna to give an improved signal, sometimes getting a signal where a phone can't.
 
If you're taking tuna get the drained type as there's no fishy water to get rid of. I took 12 cans on the last trip ?
Other stuff I took was basmati rice, walkers crisps, tinned sardines for toast and margarine.
 
Stonemags76 said:
Gravy granules are like hens teeth! Only found some in Iceland near Guardamar in Spain - twice the price, but we’d been away for a year so I jumped on them! I know I can make gravy with stock cubes & thickener, but I likes Bisto! ?
Click to expand...
You can always use Bovril. Available in every mercadona & some Carrefours. Doubles up on toast (y)or as a drink.
Only thing I'm never without is Tbags, coffee , sugar & uht milk.
 
I take Parsley ready made meals plus the usual teabags, pasta, long life milk, etc.
Phil

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top