My £10 kitchen gadget saves hundreds when staying in hotels on family holidays

THE old joke about packing everything but the kitchen sink when you go away is not far from the truth when it comes to our UK staycations. There’s one kitchen appliance that I won’t travel without if we’re staying in a hotel without cooking facilities, as it means I can rustle up hot meals for my family on demand, without paying restaurant prices. 3 There’s one kitchen appliance I always pack when I’m staying at a hotel on my family holidays Credit: Catherine Lofthouse 3 I’ve taken my health grill to Alton Towers, Butlin’s and Legoland Credit: Catherine Lofthouse My health grill, which I got years ago for the princely sum of £10, is probably the best-travelled kitchen appliance in the UK.

It’s visited Alton Towers, Butlin’s and Legoland – in fact, I think it might even have been on more holidays with me than my husband. Whether it’s toasties, nuggets, sausages, or something more complicated like fajitas, or a cooked breakfast, the grill can do it all. It takes up very little space in the back of the car, and it doesn’t need much cleaning, just a wipe down of the non-stick surfaces with a wet cloth while it’s still warm and clearing out the drip trays if you’ve cooked something greasy.

The main problem I’ve encountered is that ours is quite small, so we sometimes need to cook in two batches to fit everything on the hot plate to cook. You also need to give some thought to what is practical in a hotel room with no kitchen for preparation or washing up. We usually take a picnic set with a small chopping board and sharp knife, but I try to keep food prep to a minimum to make life easier.

And a washing-up bowl and some tea towels make life easier when it comes to clearing up. Most read in Family NIC OF TIME Celtic eye former Ajax and Bayern Munich winger for stunning January transfer KRIS BOYD SFA can’t go into hiding after Rangers’ VAR audio request – it’s their duty GETTING COSY Stuart Hogg spotted cosying up to Leonna Mayor in glam New Year’s snap BLOODBATH Scots hood shot dead by hitman & another injured as cops launch murder probe One way in which the health grill comes into its own, if you’re staying somewhere like Butlin’s, is that you can grab the yellow-sticker bargains towards the end of the day. It can be tricky keeping food in a hotel room with no fridge , so you either grab what you can from the shop when you’re about to cook, or you take a cool bag and plan ahead.

But you need to be realistic about what will work on a piece of kit that is basically two hot plates squeezed together. Pizza is a no-no as you wouldn’t be able to close the lid without the cheese sticking to the top plate. But it’s surprising how versatile these grills are, and how quickly you can rustle up some grub for your hungry brood once it’s heated up.

One thing you do need to be aware of is safety. Obviously in a small hotel room , mixing a very hot surface and small children could be a recipe for disaster – it’s much like leaving hot hair straighteners lying around. Anything like that should be under adult supervision at all times to avoid burns.

I’m never really sure what the rules are around bringing your own electrical equipment to hotels. But I figure that a health grill is no more dangerous than hair straighteners, or a phone charger if used properly, switched off after use, and left to cool before being put away. Having said that, we do usually pack the health grill away in its box, and put it out of sight in a cupboard, if we know that someone will be coming into our room to clean .

Meanwhile, travellers have praised a clever £19 product that works perfectly for going on holiday. Plus, a travel expert has revealed a handy item she always packs whenever she goes away – and it only costs £9. It’s just easier that way, as then the cleaner isn’t in a position where they need to report what they’ve seen, and there’s no risk of any injury to them either.

Read more on the Scottish Sun TRAVEL TRUTHS I’m a gypsy girl – here’s why we don’t use the loo & have plastic on our sofa TRUE BLUE Inside Rangers-daft Strong Man’s dream home with room dedicated to Ibrox heroes We’ve never been grilled about bringing our grill on holiday. While everyone is raving about air fryers, our must-have bit of kitchen kit is definitely the health grill – lightweight, versatile, and easy to use. It’s brill to grill on your getaway.

3 I’ve rustled up plenty of meals for my family using my health grill Credit: Catherine Lofthouse.