What can I cook if my holiday rental kitchen is a dud? | Kitchen aide

No need to take the kitchen sink, but a frying pan and a good knife might come in handy; bring simple foods, and if all else fails, there’s always the camp fire

What can I make if my holiday kitchen is a dud?
Julia, Telford, Shropshire
“I once took a potato ricer with me to make mashed potato,” remembers Tommy Banks, chef-director of Yorkshire’s The Black Swan at Oldstead, Made in Oldstead and Roots. On coordinating its safe return after leaving it behind, his hosts asked him: “Who on earth takes a potato ricer with them on holiday?” A fair point, though self-catering kitchens can be strange places, where sweetcorn skewers are deemed essential while spatulas are MIA or relegated to a drawer you’ll most likely discover on the last day.

“When I’m cooking, I like to have certain things to hand,” says Roberta Hall-McCarron, chef-owner of The Little Chartroom in Edinburgh. “Packing everything up is a pain, but it will be better when you get there.” For Banks, that means a good knife and a decent frying pan: “There’s nothing worse than a paper-thin pan that’s going to burn everything,” he says. Maybe even more crucial, however, are a few basic ingredients: oil, salt and stock, say. Essentially, plan your meals ahead and equip accordingly.