The struggle to get a good holiday meal is real. Plan ahead | Jay Rayner

Looking forward to your vacation? Of course you are: lazy days at the beach with a good book. A glass of chilled rosé at the end of the day, followed by a gentle stroll to a local restaurant to ask for a table. Well, enjoy your dreams, darlings, because that's where they turn into nightmares. On vacation, we crave spontaneity; be freed from the shackles of dull daily planning. But the dark truth is that on vacation, spontaneity can kill a nice break. Too often all the restaurants are full. Or if you're packing a table, the place is packed and dinner takes so long to arrive that you end up gnawing at the over-varnished orange pine table out of hunger. And when the food arrives, it's a bunch of ingredients that haven't been so much cooked as tortured.

That's not a new problem. Restaurants thrive on constant repetition; doing the same thing, day after day, all year round. And yet, for obvious reasons, many vacation destination restaurants rely on seasonal trade. They only trade during the summer months. As a result, they are simply not suitable. Their staff can also be as seasonal as the punters. The dining room is run by nice, bright-eyed young people who know a great deal about the works of, say, Sylvia Plath or Margaret Atwood, but hate some of the degrading things they have to do for money, while the kitchen understaffed is propelled by a heady brew of panic, resentment and Red Bull.

No, of course, that's not true for everyone. Many are fabulous. If you're outraged by what I just said, assume you're running one of the Fabulous. But right now, even those who are generally up to the task face their own bitter challenges. The double whammy of Brexit and Covid has made quality and experienced staff a rare commodity. This means that wages are rising at the same time as energy and food price inflation explodes. The struggle over dinner is real, people.

All of this means you have to plan. You don't necessarily need to have a schedule every night, but you should at least set up some tent pole times; reservations worth waiting for. Do it now. In the latest issue of Observer Food Monthly (out Sunday July 17), I tried to help those holidaying in Britain, with recommendations for 10 places of good value for money around the coast. I say. I spoil you. Admittedly, some are not bookable. You can't book for one of the best takeaway toasties in the country at the Cheesy Toast Shack in St Andrews. I specifically warn of the queue for the excellent Takeaway Fish and Chips from the Watch House in St Mawes in Cornwall. But you can book with others.

What if I haven't been kind enough to recommend a location where you're going? Do as I do: do some research. Ask your friends for advice. Google food blogs in the region. If you are reduced to using a dismal online review site that must not be named a) God help you and b) cross-referencing with its competitors. Ignore the ones that read as ground axes. Look for notices dated in the summer months. What if you're still struggling to find places, if nothing is immediately promising, if everything seems like a mess of wiped menus and "will this do?" here is my advice: give up. Leave him. Get ready for lots of self-catering. At least that way, if the food ends up being garbage, you know your own kitchen is to blame. Happy holidays.