Summer NOT on Holiday Challenge: Food & Drink

Hello and welcome to the Summer ‘NOT on Holiday’ Challenge! It’s four weekends of fun, each with a new theme to boost your leisure time and bring that ‘on holiday’ feeling into your home.

Welcome to Weekend One – let’s enjoy ourselves! This weekend’s theme is Food & Drink. Imagine you’ve just arrived on your holiday, you’ve freshened up and unpacked… and now it’s time to go out for something to eat and drink.

What are you going to have? Plan your weekend around some good eating and drinking, and make it your favourite sorts of things to do when you go away.

It depends on what you like most, but it could include:

• Going out for coffee and cake at a new cafe
• Visiting a food market or farm shop
• Having a ‘breakfast buffet’ (at home or in a cafe)
• Going to a deli or other shop that you haven’t been to before
• Having bar snacks and a drink somewhere
• Eating lunch or dinner outdoors (weather permitting)
• Going somewhere with a picnic
• Making cocktails or mocktails at home
• Not having to cook for a couple of days
• Going to a new pub or bar, maybe with a beer garden
• Breakfast in bed (do your own room service)
• Going to a specialist supermarket for a particular cuisine
• Buying in some tapas, Tex-mex, sushi or other ready-made foods
• Trying a new (reasonably-priced) restaurant for lunch or dinner
• Cooking a meal from your favourite holiday country

You might be able to track down a good meal deal at a local restaurant or cafe bar, and book a table. Many of the big chains are doing discounts and/or added freebies at the moment so it’s worth a look. Try Wowcher or Groupon UK (use code ‘SUMMER’ to get up to 85% off) for the latest bargain deals and offers near you.

Remember, the aim here is to enjoy your weekend to the max, so tailor it around your favourite holiday food and drink.

Skint? Imagine that you’re at a self-catering villa or apartment, and cook at home.

If you have time, you might like to stock up your fridge or freezer with ice cream, pizzas or cooking ingredients. You could also get some snacks, beer, wine or soft drinks in that remind you of great holidays.

Oh, and if there’s anything you’ve been ‘saving for best’ – maybe now’s the time to have it?

What we’re getting up to at Golightly Gardens

Just to give you an idea of what you could get up to, here’s what I’ve planned so far for my own Food & Drink themed weekend.

First, I’ll be making a big batch of overnight oats with chopped pistachios, to be served with fresh blueberries, mango slices and a drizzle of honey. That’s my version of a spa-style or yoga retreat breakfast, made the night before so we can ease into a leisurely morning.

Next, dinner. I had some delicious fish tacos at a street food place on holiday a couple of years ago, and will also be making my own copy of those on Saturday night. It’s grilled spiced fish with lime juice, chunky guacamole, pickled red onion and radishes, and chopped chopped carrot and white cabbage slaw. The idea is to recreate a fantastic meal that brings back great memories.

On Sunday our plan is to go out and get pastries and a fancy coffee somewhere we haven’t tried before. The weather forecast looks like nice walking weather so maybe a bit of sightseeing first to work up an appetite. Museum cafe, maybe, or one of the new bakeries that’ve recently opened up in town.

I’m also hoping to get as many chores out of the way as possible on Thursday and Friday, so we have most of the weekend to relax and enjoy ourselves. Aaaahhhhh, lovely.

Enjoying this post? You may also like:

• The Summer ‘NOT on Holiday’ Challenge Schedule
• The Summer ‘NOT on Holiday Challenge: Getting Ready
• The Summer ‘NOT on Holiday’ Challenge Week 2: Go Sightseeing
• The Summer ‘NOT on Holiday’ Challenge Week 3: Spa / Adventure
• The Summer ‘NOT on Holiday’ Challenge Week 4: Relax by the Pool

Are you joining in with Week 1 of the Summer ‘NOT on Holiday’ Challenge?

What food and drink do you think you might have? Will you go out, or eat at home, or just wander around a market looking at interesting things?