store cupbaord must-haves

[RichardHelen262]

we were lucky enough to get a Cadac Safari Chef for xmas but have never cooked on anything like this before (never cooked in the van before either for that matter). We are heading to Europe for a month in Spring and I have the idyllic idea of buying fresh local produce at farmers markets etc but am trying to work out what cupboard basics i need in order to throw some meals together.

so far the list looks like this:
packets of rice
some sort of oil
noodles
pasta
tomato puree
dried mixed herbs

any advice on what to consider would be more than welcome,
Helen

 

[jann]

Tinned tomatoes Cous Cous.

 

[jagmanx]

Cadac BBQ

we were lucky enough to get a Cadac Safari Chef for xmas but have never cooked on anything like this before (never cooked in the van before either for that matter). We are heading to Europe for a month in Spring and I have the idyllic idea of buying fresh local produce at farmers markets etc but am trying to work out what cupboard basics i need in order to throw some meals together.

so far the list looks like this:
packets of rice
some sort of oil
noodles
pasta
tomato puree
dried mixed herbs

any advice on what to consider would be more than welcome,
Helen

We love ours.
We mainly use the "flat side" of the griddle but also the ribbed side..but that is our preference.
We use the lid to retain heat and also use a frying pan or wok on the flame to cook outdoors.

Fundamentally good sausauges or homemade burgers/porkcakes work well as well as chicken/pork/beef cut medium and with no bones.
Veggie kebabs or meat kebabs as well.

Enjoy !

 

[Steve121]

we were lucky enough to get a Cadac Safari Chef for xmas but have never cooked on anything like this before (never cooked in the van before either for that matter). We are heading to Europe for a month in Spring and I have the idyllic idea of buying fresh local produce at farmers markets etc but am trying to work out what cupboard basics i need in order to throw some meals together.

so far the list looks like this:
packets of rice
some sort of oil
noodles
pasta
tomato puree
dried mixed herbs

any advice on what to consider would be more than welcome,
Helen

Wouldn't eat any of that!

 

[alcam]

we were lucky enough to get a Cadac Safari Chef for xmas but have never cooked on anything like this before (never cooked in the van before either for that matter). We are heading to Europe for a month in Spring and I have the idyllic idea of buying fresh local produce at farmers markets etc but am trying to work out what cupboard basics i need in order to throw some meals together.

so far the list looks like this:
packets of rice
some sort of oil
noodles
pasta
tomato puree
dried mixed herbs

any advice on what to consider would be more than welcome,
Helen

Most things on your list can be bought in europe , often better and cheaper . If you are going to use the markets you will be able to buy fresh herbs etc . I do keep packs of pre-cooked rice and lentils etc , usually saves a pot . Not brilliant but can be improved with mushrooms , chorizo etc . I would carry some form of chicken stock for braising , making sauce , gravy etc . The little knorr[?] tubs are good . If using go easy with the salt !

 

[John H]

I agree with alcam - why bother to cart a load of stuff half-way across Europe when you can get it locally - often fresh and almost certainly cheaper. There are some things that are difficult to get and/or are expensive but that list of things is getting smaller every year. We take marmite and custard

Btw, we have a Cadac - one of the best bits of kit we have ever owned - use it all the time - enjoy!

 

[vwalan]

i say take as much dried tinned stuff as you can . europe is not cheaper than uk. on food . beer fuel and fags yes .
there some local things that are a bit cheaper but general run of the mill items far cheaper in uk.
think many might be buying in the wrong shops in uk if they think uk is expensive .
even veg is cheaper in uk thats travelled all the way from spain .

 

[meggypeggy]

Tea bags.
Stock cubes.

 

[John H]

i say take as much dried tinned stuff as you can . europe is not cheaper than uk. on food . beer fuel and fags yes .
there some local things that are a bit cheaper but general run of the mill items far cheaper in uk.
think many might be buying in the wrong shops in uk if they think uk is expensive .
even veg is cheaper in uk thats travelled all the way from spain .

We will have to agree to disagree on that Alan! In my experience, France is broadly comparable on price; Portugal and Spain are considerably cheaper - and for fresh stuff, the quality is often a lot better. Our monthly food bill is a lot lower when we are in Spain over-winter

Btw, when in the Uk we shop most frequently in Lidl, so we are not buying expensive!

 

[vwalan]

i find asda usually cheaper than lidl. and this year lidl veg is very poor . mercadona seem to have better quality.
i find asda best quality veg in uk.
i live in cornwall ,my mate here is from scotland , another is from the midlands and we all keep saying the same . spain as poor quality as it sells the best to northern europe .
but enjoy your time . might get down cabo one day this year. still north of alicante at moment .
might not get to kenspains he was away last i spoke to him.
but might spend a night or day at ermita de torre garcia soon .
so might catch you . cheers .

 

[Sharon the Cat]

salt & pepper
tomato puree
garlic puree

Always buy chorizo in the first shop we go into. It makes last nights leftovers into another tasy meal that doesn't taste the same.

 

[John H]

i find asda usually cheaper than lidl. and this year lidl veg is very poor . mercadona seem to have better quality.
i find asda best quality veg in uk.
i live in cornwall ,my mate here is from scotland , another is from the midlands and we all keep saying the same . spain as poor quality as it sells the best to northern europe .
but enjoy your time . might get down cabo one day this year. still north of alicante at moment .
might not get to kenspains he was away last i spoke to him.
but might spend a night or day at ermita de torre garcia soon .
so might catch you . cheers .

I totally agree about Mercadona - especially for fish. It is a pity they aren't represented in the UK! "Spain has poor quality veg"? Don't know where you are shopping but the stuff we get down here in Almeria is superb - especially if you buy the slightly mis-shapen ones that Tesco, ASDA et al have rejected. UK supermarkets seem far more concerned about shape and appearance than flavour - I eat fresh tomatoes all the time down here but only eat them in the UK when they are home-grown by our son-in-law. Strawberries are 3 euros a kilo, oranges 2 euros a kilo and the peppers here are to die for.........

 

[ScamperVan]

we were lucky enough to get a Cadac Safari Chef for xmas but have never cooked on anything like this before (never cooked in the van before either for that matter). We are heading to Europe for a month in Spring and I have the idyllic idea of buying fresh local produce at farmers markets etc but am trying to work out what cupboard basics i need in order to throw some meals together.

so far the list looks like this:
packets of rice
some sort of oil
noodles
pasta
tomato puree
dried mixed herbs

any advice on what to consider would be more than welcome,
Helen

We usually cart all that about just to save having to find a shop in the first couple of days but in reality it isn't necessary.

Lidl (lots of them in France) and Aldi (Germany) are great for a quick shop, and actually, a lot of the time in the past 2 years we've been content with them rather than visiting the hypermarkets every time.

We do a lot of cooking as we travel with the dogs and it isn't always convenient to eat out. Most of the recipes and styles we like require spices, herbs etc and these can be difficult to find, and in France, expensive so we have a large supply.

When we BBQ we usually marinade stuff so for eg, spicy ribs I bring hoisin sauce, Levi roots, squeezy bottles of spicy tomato relish etc.

Aidan said ....tea and baked beans (we have seen the latter over here but not frequently, and he thinks English type tea is expensive in Europe - no idea, horrible stuff!)

 

[vwalan]

i find tomatoes here are usually too soft.
super markets in uk only sell what customers want .
i spent months on a survey when working for tesco , what type , numbers or shape etc customers wanted .
no point in putting out things customers dont buy .
i dont have a problem with miss shapen things i,m talking food quality not shape .
its the same in morocco the best is sold the not so good is kept here.
just spent a month in the orange groves . they measure the fruit for size and firmness before packing it off . some is kept to sell to spainish shops . then whats left they gave to us . free . we do the same in plastic tunnel area . slightly damaged peppers or tomatoes are free if you know where who to see.
but in the shops tomatoes are dearer here than uk .
bannanas as well , 68p a kg in uk . 99c euro usually here. or dearer.

 

[John H]

i find tomatoes here are usually too soft.
super markets in uk only sell what customers want .
i spent months on a survey when working for tesco , what type , numbers or shape etc customers wanted .
no point in putting out things customers dont buy .
i dont have a problem with miss shapen things i,m talking food quality not shape .
its the same in morocco the best is sold the not so good is kept here.
just spent a month in the orange groves . they measure the fruit for size and firmness before packing it off . some is kept to sell to spainish shops . then whats left they gave to us . free . we do the same in plastic tunnel area . slightly damaged peppers or tomatoes are free if you know where who to see.
but in the shops tomatoes are dearer here than uk .
bannanas as well , 68p a kg in uk . 99c euro usually here. or dearer.

"UK supermarkets sell what customers want"? Not this customer! And if that is so, then why do French and Spanish supermarkets have a different attitude? Sorry, I don't buy that - and we could argue all day over individual prices. All I can say is that our monthly food bill here is a half to two-thirds of what it normally is in England - and we are firmly of the opinion that we are eating better quality too. If you're getting soft tomatoes then try changing your supplier. I don't recognise your descriptions.

 

[n brown]

the only thing we take is teabags. since i discovered that they have shops abroad, we just shop as we go

 

[Jo001]

We take teabags, we think French ones don't taste the same. It's hard to find proper gravy abroad - I have been told you can get it, but we haven't seen it (any tips on that will be welcome guys). And if you are carrying cooking oil, I suggest decanting it into a (clean and dry) small plastic bottle - we use a 600ml Pepsi one - because the caps on most oil bottles aren't great and leak a bit, the juice bottles keep things cleaner.

 

[Channa]

Sausages (English Style)and bacon . worth taking in the freezer if you like an English breakfast !! ...Gravy granules you can get in th elarger intermarches a lot have a british isle but are expensive ! Spices as well coriander , cumin garam masalas. France particularly Vietnamese seems to be the thing in the supermarkets

I agree wiht others re pasta, no difference really in price in fact take a strong white flour and make your own !!! far cheaper even in this country.

I can't comment re Spain but English supermarkets are cheaper especially meat / poultry and fruit and veg I found. i would agree with John and say the quality is better though !

Channa

 

[n brown]

and in the unlikely event of us running out of teabags in France, we go to an Epicerie where loose tea is sold, and buy Broken Orange Pekoe,which is what Typhoo and PG Tips aspire to be

 

[mark61]

Tea bags is the only thing I stock up on, but there is always bits and pieces in the van. Shopping when away is more fun then when at home, and it always good when you buy something and have no blooming idea what it is.