The Ultimate Cottage Grocery List: What to Buy for Your Weekend

There’s nothing quite like a weekend at the cottage. A few days by the water, good friends, a BBQ going and a cold beer in hand.

There is, however, one thing that can put a damper on the whole experience: realizing you forgot coffee.

Or burger buns. Or ketchup. Or ice.

A little planning before you leave can save you from making a 45-minute trip into town halfway through the weekend. Whether you’re heading up for two days or staying for a full week, this cottage grocery list covers the food, drinks and essentials you’ll want to have on hand.

Breakfast

Cottage mornings tend to be pretty relaxed, but you’ll still want something easy and filling before the day gets going.

Breakfast grocery list:

• Eggs
• Bacon or sausage
• Bread, bagels or English muffins
• Butter
• Coffee
• Milk or cream
• Juice
• Fresh fruit
• Yogurt
• Pancake or waffle mix
• Maple syrup
• Jam or peanut butter

Eggs and bacon are an easy cottage breakfast, while pancakes are a good option when you have a bigger group to feed. Don’t forget the coffee. Nobody wants to discover they’re out of caffeine before the first cup of the morning.

Lunch

Lunch at the cottage doesn’t need to be complicated. Keep a few easy options around so people can make something whenever they get hungry.

Lunch grocery list:

• Sandwich bread or wraps
• Deli meat
• Cheese
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Pickles
• Chips
• Crackers
• Hummus or dip
• Pasta salad
• Ingredients for a simple green salad
• Leftovers from dinner

If you’re planning a BBQ for dinner, buying a little extra meat can also give you an easy lunch option the next day.

BBQ & Dinner

For many cottage weekends, the BBQ is the main event. Stock up on a few crowd-pleasers and you can keep dinner pretty simple.

BBQ grocery list:

• Burgers
• Hot dogs
• Sausages
• Chicken
• Steak
• Burger and hot dog buns
• Corn on the cob
• Potatoes
• Salad
• Coleslaw
• Vegetables for grilling
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Relish
• Mayonnaise
• BBQ sauce
• Hot sauce

You don’t need to plan a completely different meal for every night. Burgers and sausages can cover one dinner, while leftover chicken or steak can become sandwiches, wraps or salads the next day.

And if you’re looking for beer to pair with whatever comes off the grill, our [BBQ Beer Pairing Guide] can help you match different styles with everything from burgers to grilled chicken.

Cottage Snacks

Cottage snacking is a sport of its own.

Keep a mix of salty, sweet and easy-to-grab snacks around for the dock, the campfire or whenever someone opens the cupboard and announces that there’s “nothing to eat.”

Snack grocery list:

• Chips
• Pretzels
• Popcorn
• Crackers
• Nuts
• Cheese
• Dip
• Salsa
• Fresh fruit
• Granola bars
• Chocolate
• Cookies
• Marshmallows

A good cheese and cracker spread is especially useful when you have people hanging around the kitchen before dinner.

Beer & Drinks

You’ll want to think about drinks before you leave, especially if the nearest LCBO or grocery store isn’t exactly around the corner.

For beer, bring a mix that works throughout the weekend. Something easy drinking like Lug Tread is a natural choice for a day at the cottage, while an IPA can be a great option alongside a bigger BBQ dinner.

And don’t forget the non-beer essentials.

Drinks grocery list:

• Beer
• Non-alcoholic beer
• Bottled or refillable water
• Sparkling water
• Pop
• Juice
• Coffee
• Tea
• Ice
• Lemon or lime
• Drink mixers, if needed

If you’re bringing beer to the cottage, keep it cold and make sure you have enough cooler space. It’s also worth bringing more water than you think you’ll need, especially if you’re spending the day outside.

The Condiment Checklist

Condiments are easy to overlook because they tend to live in your fridge at home. Then you get to the cottage and realize you have six packages of hot dogs and absolutely nothing to put on them.

Before you leave, check for:

• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Relish
• Mayonnaise
• BBQ sauce
• Hot sauce
• Soy sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking oil
• Butter

A quick check of your fridge before you leave can save you from buying duplicates or forgetting something important.

Don't Forget the Kitchen Essentials

Food is only half the grocery run. If you’re cooking for a group, you’ll also want to make sure you have everything you need to actually prepare and clean up after the food.

Kitchen essentials:

• Paper towels
• Napkins
• Garbage bags
• Aluminium foil
• Plastic wrap
• Zip-top bags
• Food storage containers
• Dish soap
• Sponges
• Paper plates
• Plastic or reusable cutlery
• Cooking utensils
• Charcoal or propane
• Matches or a lighter

If the cottage has a dishwasher, check whether you need to bring dishwasher detergent too.

How Much Food Do You Need?

The amount you need will obviously depend on how many people are coming, how long you’re staying and how much everyone eats. But having a rough starting point makes planning much easier.

For four people staying for a two-night weekend, you could start with something like:

Treat this as a starting point rather than a strict formula. If your group is planning to eat out one night, you obviously won’t need to buy enough groceries for every meal.

The Easily Forgotten Stuff

Some of the most important things on a cottage grocery list are the things you don’t actually think of as food.

Before you leave, double-check that you have:

• Ice
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Firewood
• Fire starters
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Garbage bags
• Dish soap
• Hand soap
• Batteries
• First aid supplies
• Propane or charcoal
• Matches or a lighter

And if you’re bringing food from home, pack a cooler with plenty of ice or ice packs so everything stays cold on the drive.

The Ultimate Cottage Grocery Checklist

Want to keep things simple? Screenshot this list before you head to the grocery store.

Breakfast

• ☐ Eggs
• ☐ Bacon or sausage
• ☐ Bread or bagels
• ☐ Butter
• ☐ Coffee
• ☐ Milk or cream
• ☐ Fruit
• ☐ Yogurt
• ☐ Pancake mix
• ☐ Maple syrup

Lunch

• ☐ Bread or wraps
• ☐ Deli meat
• ☐ Cheese
• ☐ Lettuce and tomatoes
• ☐ Pickles
• ☐ Chips
• ☐ Salad
• ☐ Hummus or dip

BBQ & Dinner

• ☐ Burgers
• ☐ Hot dogs
• ☐ Sausages
• ☐ Chicken
• ☐ Steak
• ☐ Buns
• ☐ Corn
• ☐ Potatoes
• ☐ Salad
• ☐ Ketchup
• ☐ Mustard
• ☐ BBQ sauce
• ☐ Hot sauce

Snacks

• ☐ Chips
• ☐ Pretzels
• ☐ Crackers
• ☐ Cheese
• ☐ Nuts
• ☐ Fruit
• ☐ Chocolate
• ☐ Cookies
• ☐ Marshmallows

Drinks

• ☐ Beer
• ☐ Non-alcoholic beer
• ☐ Water
• ☐ Sparkling water
• ☐ Pop
• ☐ Juice
• ☐ Coffee
• ☐ Ice

Kitchen & Cottage Essentials

• ☐ Paper towels
• ☐ Napkins
• ☐ Garbage bags
• ☐ Aluminium foil
• ☐ Zip-top bags
• ☐ Food containers
• ☐ Dish soap
• ☐ Sponges
• ☐ Toilet paper
• ☐ Sunscreen
• ☐ Bug spray
• ☐ Firewood
• ☐ Charcoal or propane
• ☐ Matches or lighter

One Last Check Before You Hit the Road

The perfect cottage grocery run doesn’t mean buying everything on this list. It means thinking through your weekend before you leave.

How many people are coming? How many meals are you cooking? Are you BBQing? Are you stopping at a restaurant? Do you have enough cooler space? What does the cottage already have?

Answer those questions, adjust the list and you’ll be much less likely to find yourself driving back into town because somebody forgot the ketchup.

Now all that’s left is getting there, getting the drinks cold and enjoying the weekend.