Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Calis Beach Forum => Calis Beach Questions and Information => Topic started by: Timmy T on June 20, 2009, 09:45:20 AM
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Just wondering if anyone has any good "Top Tips" for self catering in the area?
Are there any food items that are best brought from home (cereals, tea bags, kenco coffee etc)?
What about currency? Is it best to bring sterling cash and change it locally or use the ATMs (I've got a Nationwide card that doesn't charge for foreign transactions). It's been 5 years since we last went to Turkey, and I seem to remember that you could actually use sterling in some shops. Is this still the case?
Thanks Guys, TT
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Hi Tim,
Cereals like cornflakes, cheerios are widely available in the supermarkets but no Weetabix unfortunately.
Nescafe and Jacobs coffee are here but can't remember if I have seen Kenco (don't drink much coffee myself). There are a wide range of tea bags available but the typically English ones may be a bit more expensive, but if you like a specific type then maybe bring them.
Depending on your access to ATM's, I would bring at least some sterling and exchange. The rate here is normally better than that given in the UK. Many people do use their Nationwide cards here.
If you use sweeteners for your hot drinks, there are some available now but Hermesetas not so easy as far as I can find out.
Enjoy your holiday when you get here
Cathy
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Hallo Tim,
Pork product such as bacon,sausages and ham are only sold in a few shops and are expensive. Cheddar cheese slices are available in packets but not a block. I bring powdered jelly as the jelly is not so nice here. Marmite, Branston Pickle,custard powder,Oxo cubes and baked beans are available but cost more than Britain.
Bread, fruit,salad and vegetable are easy to obtain and there are loads of shops which sell the basics.Steak, lamb, chicken and offal are also easy to find and reasonably priced.
Have a good holiday.
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I take tins of Tuna - you get it in tiny tins out there and it's expensive.
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Mayonnaise is available, but not salad cream. When shopping for milk look for the word "sut" there's a product called ayran that looks like milk, but is drinking yoghurt & doesn't taste too good in tea or coffee!
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Heinz Salad cream is available in Tugem near the Otogar as is Campbells Branston, Heinz, Burgess, HP, etc etc Lots more "English" Products stocked now :)
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Being a coffee fanatic I always take my own as the ground coffee you can buy is Turkish and doesnt work in quite the same way in a cafetiere! We always take Yorkshire Tea bags too! We use our Nationwide Flex account and certainly the rate we were getting last year at the bank was better than the local rate- dont know about this year though it seems to be going back up thankfully.
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Me too Cavvy, I always bring ground coffee when I go abroad. I know you can get decent stuff if you make the effort over there but when I'm on holiday, I don't make effort :D Brown sugar is also ridiculously expensive there [:o]
If you are staying in a private apartment or villa, or a room with a fridge I also recommend a good 3 litre box of wine for the fridge from duty free.
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bring your own bacon,sausages,black pud,crackers,cheese
also the kellogs cornfakes in turkey taste nothing like the english ones.but nestles cornflakes do
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quote:
Originally posted by Scunner
I always bring ground coffee when I go abroad.
But you always forget to take the instructions :D
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best thing to take on holiday
YOURSELF
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quote:
Originally posted by puma
the kellogs cornfakes in turkey taste nothing like the english ones.but nestles cornflakes do
I can`t agree with that, Nestle`s cornflakes don`t taste anything like Kellog`s :D:D
(http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp173/crabbit49/crab.gif)
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I always take butter with me! Haven't found a decent pack of butter in Turkey yet! :)
Plan to bring bacon, cheese and tuna in the summer too. :D
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:) Kenny likes to take a tin of corned beef,but me, defo the bacon.:P
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Would just like to say unless you have dietary requirements please try some of the turkish food other wise whats the point in coming to Turkiye . Experience a turkish breakfast, lunch, dinner etc. I know this is about self catering but honest Turkish food is the best. x x x
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I pack some bacon and a block of cheese. Definately take your own coffee. I drink Kenco and you ant get it there. I also take a desent tea bag!!!. And my mum packs tins of ham and corn beef when she goes....bless. Have a wonderful holiday.oh y the way I pack my own hairspray.... the turkish stuff stinks and does nothing...just nakes your hair smell!!!!:D
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If you have fussy kids take something for them that you know they will eat.
My grandson was with us last year and lived on bread, cheese, ham and tomatoes. I got a packet of cheese sauce and made him macaroni but there was parsley in the sauce and I had to pick out the "green bits" before he would taste it.
I cheated once he started eating it though :-\
We found we had less hassle if we fed him before we went out.
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I find that my taste in food changes when I am here because of the heat. I love a glass of cold Ayran (yoghurt, water and salt) when it is really hot. I do not think that I would drink it in England though.
The turkish breakfast of chay and simit is nice too.
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lol ! I've just looked at the contents of my 'to be packed' pile and it consists of: heinz salad cream, bbq sauce, colmans mustard, basalmic vinegar, golden breadcrumbs, egg noodles, and a mint marinade we love on lamb chops....oh ! and caesar salad sauce (cos on holiday I;m just too damn lazy to make it !!!). Then the day we fly I get the catering pack of bacon, sausages and ham !!! We adore Turkish food, but theres nothing nicer than waking up to a full english when you arrive on your first days hol !
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That's great! But I'm puzzled. How do you pack bacon, cheese, sausages etc? Do you take a coolbag with freezer blocks in it? Do you carry it on or check it into the hold?
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Check it into the hold - we used to bring loads of things back, the hold is generally really cold - butter was still rock hard when we got to Calis. Those silver freezer carrier bags are very good for packing :)
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Matalan have the small size cool bags, which are more than adequate for bacon, cheese, sausages etc, I just put it in my suitcase without the freezer block (to save weight) I've never had any food poisoning episodes, but usually ensure that everything is eaten a couple of days earlier than the use by date.
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We used to freeze the bacon & sausages etc then put in the cool bag but by the time you arrive they have thawed too much to re freeze. Now we just buy stuff well within date and leave chilled then freeze when we arrive. If you freeze your butter it acts as an ice block keeping the other stuff cool.
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Thanks so much for this, it's great!
Just one thing on currency. It's a few years since we were last in Turkey, but we used quite a lot of sterling as we were told the locals prefered to get foreign currency rather than millions of lira in cash. Is this still the case?
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Whilst it is still possible to use sterling, it's nowhere near as common as it was a few years back, probably because the exchange rate doesn't change significantly these days. Also if it's been a while since you were last in Turkey, you're no longer a millionaire for a few quid, all the zwros were dropped about 5 years ago & the exchange rate is ITRO 2.3 - 2.5
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quote:
Originally posted by Scunner
If you are staying in a private apartment or villa, or a room with a fridge I also recommend a good 3 litre box of wine for the fridge from duty free.
that takes care of the first night but what about the rest of your hols?
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Hopefully our fridge will have some milk, bread, orange juice and, oh yes, a 6 pack of Efes in it for when we arrive at 3 in the morning!! Assuming, that is, that Efes is still the local brew!!
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:) just hope for your sake its not Tuborg,:(
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So do I! I asked if Efes could be left in the fridge and they said Yes!!
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You lot are so fussy! After the journey from South Wales to Calis, I don't care which lager's in the fridge, as long as it's cold when we arrive. :D
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ha ha me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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Dont bring cheese.Go to the sat market in Fethiye,and see the cheese guy there who does a cheese called" Bergamon",Try it,and go for the strong one made solely from cows milk,bloody andsome in a cheese/onion butty.Enjoy ya hols.
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My suitcase food usually consists of tea bags, cereal, ham and super-noodles/pasta in sauce snacks. The first 3 ive always found to be expensive to buy out there and dont weigh much to carry, and pasta/noodles incase i fancy a snack before we go out somewhere. i have found proper butter (salted) out there but can't remember the name unfortunately...
The food out there is too nice to be taking half of tesco with me, everything tastes better and is always much fresher. I'm an extremely fussy eater but i have no problems stocking up..
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Sorry.meant to say that the cheese tastes like a really mature cheddar.Its a hard cheese,cuts and keeps well.Enjoy!
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quote:
Originally posted by Crabbit
quote:
Originally posted by puma
the kellogs cornfakes in turkey taste nothing like the english ones.but nestles cornflakes do
I can`t agree with that, Nestle`s cornflakes don`t taste anything like Kellog`s :D:D
well you would disagree[:o)]
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