Ski trip shopping list: what to buy before you go up, and what at the resort

Resorts start opening in early November, and the first self-catered ski weeks get planned now. The big food decision is where to shop: resort mini-markets are convenient but often smaller and pricier, so a group that does the main shop before driving up saves money and time on day one.

Do the big shop in the valley

A supermarket on the way up usually has more choice and better prices than the shop at the foot of the slopes. Buy everything that keeps for the week there, so the resort shop is only for top-ups.

• •Breakfast basics: cereal, oats, jam, coffee, tea, long-life milk and juice.
• •Store-cupboard dinners: pasta, rice, sauces in jars, tins, stock cubes, spices.
• •Packed-lunch kit: wraps, crackers, cured meats, hard cheese, nuts and cereal bars.
• •Drinks and snacks for the chalet evenings.
• •Household items people forget: washing-up liquid, bin bags, kitchen roll, foil, freezer bags.

Leave the fresh food for the resort

Bread, fresh vegetables, milk and the local cheese for raclette or fondue are worth buying fresh during the week. Keep a short top-up list and send one person to the shop after skiing, rather than everyone browsing at the busiest time.

Check what the resort shop offers first

• •Some resort mini-markets take online orders and deliver to your accommodation, so the shopping can be waiting when you arrive.
• •Some lend raclette or fondue machines, which saves packing one in the car.
• •Opening hours can be short at the start and end of the season: check them before you rely on a late-evening run.

Pack the car with the first evening in mind

The first evening is the hardest: a long drive, keys to collect, ski hire to sort. Pack one easy dinner on top of the shopping, such as a pasta bake or a pot of chilli made at home, so nobody has to cook from scratch on arrival.

Split the shopping fairly

With several households in one chalet, the valley shop is often paid by whoever has the car, and the resort top-ups by whoever walks past the shop. Agree what is shared before you go, keep every receipt, and settle once at the end of the week.