Crete in Bloom: A Guide to Lunch (Days 1-5)
21st November 2019
Crete in bloom is your chance to enjoy Crete at its most beautiful. If you’ve ever thought about visiting Crete, we recommend choosing the 22nd April 2020 as your start date for a great holiday. We offer a professional 10-day guided tour for those who book our Crete in Bloom package, but we recommend early booking if you want to get a place!
These tours are packed full of experiences, so check out our Crete in Bloom page for a thorough break down. In this blog, we’ll briefly discuss some of the highlights of Crete in Bloom and offer a guide for planning a diverse and tasty set of pack lunches to keep you going throughout your holiday.
Day 1 (Wednesday, 22nd April) A Sushi Lunch on the Plane
During the day, you will arrive in Crete, transfer from the airport and settle in at your house. You will be meeting us in the evening at the Aptera Taverna for a complimentary meal, but you’ll need to think about lunch too.
You may be wanting to take a pre-made lunch on the plane but are worried about the stringent security that you’ll face at the airport. We’ve checked Gatwick airport’s rules on food which you should abide by when leaving the UK;
‘You can carry cakes, fruit, vegetables, sandwiches and all solid foods in your hand baggage. However, foods in sauces or with a high liquid content (such as sauces, pastes, soups and stews) cannot come through security. The size of container must not exceed 100ml, regardless of the amount contained inside. Please note that jams, honey and other preserves are also subject to these restrictions.’
*Airports may vary across the UK and Europe, so check the airports you will be using to be certain.
In short, a pack lunch for a plane needs to be carefully packed and avoid liquids. We recommend that you take a sushi lunch as it is quite filling, packs very nicely into small containers and is very flavourful. Remember to put a little soy on your sushi to soak into the rice before you pack it, because security won’t be happy about you taking the liquid onto the plane separately.
You’ll probably be too tired at the end of Day 1 to think about making a pack lunch for Day 2, but don’t worry because you’ll be going shopping in the morning!
Day 2 (Thursday, 23rd April) A Quick Sandwich on the Go
The morning will feature a shopping trip, so it’s time for you to stock up on all the ingredients and groceries that you’ll need for the week. There won’t be much time to do another big shop until Day 5 and we’re sure you’d much rather spend Day 5 relaxing or exploring. Organising and planning your lunches far in advance will help you to maximise your holiday time, so make the most of this morning’s shop.
We will be taking you to Port Souda where you can collect groceries and visit the bank, post office and chemist. Consider buying a sandwich for your lunch later. The afternoon will consist of a walk to Aptera archaeological site, so it won’t be too strenuous, but you should always remember to keep properly hydrated wherever you are, so bring some water with you.
You’ll need to plan a hearty lunch for Day 3 because you’ll be trekking through mountains. The ideal hiker’s lunch will be lightweight, nutritious, complimented with snacks and easy to clean-up. The exercise you’ll be getting means you should aim for a good number of calories – but you don’t want to pack a huge lunch to cart around all day, so you need to be smart.
Instead of fluffy bread, consider bagels instead – they’re denser so they take up less space. If you’re bringing a meat-filled bagel with a good chunk of cheese, then store it in your backpack next to a small icepack to keep it fresh. Consider toasting the bagels too; the melted cheese will cement the ingredients together and make them less likely to fall out while you eat.
If you’re bringing juice; freeze that too! It will also act as an icepack to help keep your food fresh for a while. Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for keeping you going too, and an emergency (or rewarding) stash of honey or peanut butter. A packet of crisps can also be a nice but light reward. As always, hydration is also extremely important so don’t forget your water.
Day 3 (Friday, 24th April) A Hearty Hiking Lunch with Snacks
On this day you’ll be driven to the Omalos Plain and enjoying the hearty hiking meal you prepared the night before amongst beautiful mountain scenes, but we’re already thinking about tomorrow and how you’ll need to plan your lunch!
Day 4 will be a chance to stop for more shopping and refreshment before continuing your explorations through coastal habitats and villages. We recommend preparing a light lunch, such as an egg-filled wrap, for tomorrow.
Day 4 (Saturday, 25th April) A Light Lunch with Local Snacks
You’ll be going shopping at Vrysses first thing, so it’s a good thing you packed a light lunch! Fill out your plans for lunch by buying a couple of local treats that take your fancy during your stay at Vrysses. There will be an evening meal to attend later, too, so you won’t have to worry about dinner either!
Day 5 (Sunday, 26th April) A Day Off and a Big Lunch
Sunday is your day off, and it’s also a chance to experiment with any interesting local ingredients you bought from the grocery store on Day 2, Thursday. Since this is your day off, take the time to enjoy cooking up a great lunch for today and tomorrow in your private villa in Crete.
You’ll have the choice to engage in a long walk on Day 6 or enjoy a more restful day in a seaside village, so make sure your lunch plans for Day 6 reflect this.
Our Crete in Bloom tour covers ten days of brilliant natural wonder, and in the evenings, you can retire back to your villa in Crete. These tours are extremely popular, so it is very important for you to book in advance. We will upload our guide to lunching Days 6-10 on our blog, so stay tuned and book soon.