Parked at Hopwood Park last week and after trying their half chicken with mash and peas ive decided on one thing…that its time I done my own grub 
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What sort of food do you guys have during the week when your out on the road? Surely there cant be that much stuff that keeps fresh all week long in just a cool box, and how do you cook it? 
Ive only got a little camping stove that I make a cuppa with.
Cheers.
I used to take an airtight container of breakfast cereal. Enough milk, bread and meat or cheese to last me a couple of days and top those up as needed during the week. I also carried a bag of pasta and some of those Dolmio slop in sauses for emergencies. But mainly I used the money I’d saved by doing my own breakfast and lunch, to go somewhere I knew I could get a properly cooked evening meal, which might cost a bit more than the excuse for a proper meal that some truckstops serve up.
I still carry the pasta and sauses for emergencies But the truckstops around Europe are so much better.
I have never cooked in the bedroom all the time I have been driving. but when I double manned with Bob from Hogsped, we had a local butcher who would vacuum pack fresh meat so that was used as long as Auntie Bob was prepared to cook my tea while I tested the local beer 
I dont mind doing a salad on my trailer box as long as there is something to wash it down with
uvox82:
What sort of food do you guys have during the week when your out on the road? Surely there cant be that much stuff that keeps fresh all week long in just a cool box, and how do you cook it?
Cheers.
I too have a one ring camping stove and always carry enough tinned stuff for a couple of days for emergencies and unforeseens (and a pan of course) 
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I always try to pre-plan my parking arrangements and more often than not I’ll go to a superstore and get a hot cooked chicken or similar and some ready to eat pasta.
If for some unforeseen reason I end up running out of time and have to cook I’ll usually opt for simple tinned stuff - stewed steak and new potatoes. Pot noodle/snack pot type stuff is ok I suppose to put you on though I couldn’t live on em.
My current favourite is fresh pasta (a 400g bag lasts for two meals - take some small resealable freezer bags to put tthe second half in) with a punnet of the ready made sauce they sell in the same fridge in the supermarket. Throw in a pack of the ready-cooked and chopped chicken breast and you’re away. The fresh pasta is better than dry as it only takes a couple of minutes to cook so it doesn’t eat your gas - plus it tastes nicer, so worth the extra 50p.
Other than that I tend to go with tins and that pre-cooked rice which keeps for months. Again, only takes a few minutes to warm through. The tins get alternated with the pasta (I do 4 nights out a week but carry spares just in case I get stuck out on Friday night). I take those bags of pre-prepared salad too, along with a bottle of thousand island dressing. More expensive, but well worth it for ease of life and lack of washing up. Just chuck the dressing in the bag and attack with a fork. Job done.
I’m not a breakfast eater, but when I was I’d just chuck in a box of cereal with a peg to seal the bag, and buy milk fresh the night before. For lunches I either take sandwich/butty makings or stuff like those single portion quiches etc. Whatever I fancy and has a Use By date long enough, basically. I generally have a bacon butty or whatever from a buttie van on a Friday, mind.
I do have the advantage of a built in fridge in my current truck though. God know’s what I’ll do come September when it goes…Back to a cool bag behind the roof spoiler with the handle trapped in the sunroof, probably (remarkably effective)…then again I might just have to give up and actually buy a fridge. 
I’ve self-catered for the whole time I’ve been tramping (in my seventh year now) and I’ve saved a small fortune this way, as well as avoiding becoming any fatter than is absolutely unavoidable! 
I only carry emergency rations but try to eat at truckstops like this:
Arcotel, Reims?
{Qrz}Buddha:
Arcotel, Reims?
Nope Arcotel, Toulouse
I must be losing the plot… Been to the pub,come home & poured a cognac in a long glass. Went ot the fridge & poured a measure of [b]MILK !![/b] I meant to mix it with Canada Dry…? ( Tastes OK…)
Tastes like Baileys…
i only keep bran flakes and tea bags in the cab …and a kettle…rest of the time i eat out…i do tend to eat pasties and steak slices from the services…there was a time when on long distance international work where i had a trailer box and ate like the rest of them…buying fresh vegetables along the way…difference was…there was no time limits …so we stopped for as long as we wished…oroblem with the industry today …is everyone wants their goods yesterday …and bosses dont leave you alone…i only have time for work and sleep these days…
Get on containers & while they ulnoad ,you cook or sleep ( There nothing Urgent in a container…)
Hope you don`t mind OZ , had to give that snap a little more ambience… Something that is sadly lacking in The United K…
harry:
Hope you don`t mind OZ , had to give that snap a little more ambience… Something that is sadly lacking in The United K…
Not a problem Harry…
For those of you that do not travel into Europe here is what the Arcotel Routiers offer:
You pay a fixed price of about 13 euro (£9.00) and for that you get a help yourself buffet starter (pictured), a two item main course (served by a waitress), with a drink of wine, beer, coke etc (sometimes unlimited) and then a help yourself buffet dessert plus cheese…
Ossie
i used to cater in. i used to use the gas and i made pasta with the dolmio sauces or i stop at a supermarket for something fresh.
i never stopped at truckstops or cafes just didnt like them.
oh except colsterworth on a sat morning run up to leeds for a brekkie with the rest of the lads.
loads of tinned stuff from tescos ussually really healthy stuff like all day breakfast etc
makes me appreciate what a good cook our lass is
can you tell shes watching me type
i always cooked pasta ,soups on nights out still do on the odd nights i do now
if i did euro i would eat out again as the food is better even in the motorway services
jon
it appears since i last went to france a lot Arcotel seems to be a name from the past…all the truckstops still exist but a apear to “owner managed” as opposed to group owned
took a detour to see where the Toulouse one was when i double manned down there last week…the regular driver was panicing in case we couldnt find the routier one of f J43 in bordeaux where our artic was going…we where supposed to be following the artic …god knows why cos we had a 7.5tr
cab cooking in ermencyies only
Over here the Burton lunchbox oven is standard kit for a truck driver.it plugs into the cig lighter and cooks while you drive.Cooks all kind of meals.Probably find it on E bay.