Upset husband

My dad was a farmer. He’d leave before light in the mornings and in the summer didn’t get home until 11pm.
He’d carve out an hour for dinner and come home.
He’d never complain.
It was meat and potatoes every single night.
But I remember there were times when we’d have pancakes for dinner or bacon & eggs. Those were a real treat.
As a grownup, it dawned on me we had those things because my parents didn’t have any money for anything else.
Perhaps you should remind your husband that just because you don’t earn a paycheck, you work hard all day too — and that if he disapproves of your cooking, he’s more than welcome to take over the kitchen duties.

It seems that this particular man doesn't fancy chicken and salad after a long day of manual labour. I wouldn't either, actually, even in large quantities. We'll probably have to agree to differ about this, but I don't have a problem with him asking, politely and in advance, for the kind of meal he does fancy. Sulking about it is obviously not OK.
OP is a SAHM and they've agreed that she will cook on weekdays. It's not as if they are both working long hours and she is doing all the housework while he complains about the food not being 'manly' enough.

But you did cook dinner? What do you mean when you say chicken? A chicken, portions of an actual bird? Or like nuggets? As if it's anything of the former then he csn feck off. Meat, salad and bread is a perfectly reasonable meal, and I grew up with a dad that thinks any meal that isn't roast meat, 3 veg and potatoes isn't really dinner. Incidentally, my father is a ungrateful dick and I would (and probably will) rather die alone and be eaten by cats than be married to someone like him.

Sounds like he was having a bad day and just grumpy. But he could be a bit more understanding that timings wise you couldn't cook and be at parents evening.
On future days when you know you are going to be very busy I would put somthing in the slow cooker so it doesn't matter what time he gets in.

Husband whose out all day doing a manual job to support his family.
Important that they both appreciate each other and as posters have said, he was likely to have been hungry and exhausted and said things in the heat of the moment. OP is doing an equally important, exhausting job.
Let it go and enjoy your family xmas

I don't think either of you are being unreasonable. You had a busy day and not much time to cook. He had a busy day and no time to cook. But I don't think chicken with salad in a pita is much of a dinner for anyone, that's something I'd have for a light lunch snack.

The two of you just need to communicate with each other better. Perhaps at the weekends you can batch cook some meals together then there will always be something available no matter who is busy on the day.

"sent a long text berating me"

I would have a VERY SERIOUS problem with this. He is very welcome to express that he would prefer a more substantial meal and I would be very happy to accommodate him.

However, I will not be berated EVER! My husband and I are a team of equals and he would never ever tell me off!!

Surely most people wouldn’t want to eat that every night though?

Bad advice.

I can never get my head around how easily men have children, and then think they just raise themselves! When my dearest friend got divorced her husband said ‘what did you do, why do you get any money?’ It never occurred to him that while he was advancing his career she was raising his family (and sacrificing her own career.)
Op talk to your husband more when you are both in a better place. It might be that as he works a physical job he wants to see more substantial food on his plate. But he needs to communicate it. Maybe you can make him up a bigger plate of food for him to heat up in the microwave when he gets in. But he needs to stop with the tantrums.

What on earth is a ‘spud dinner’?
I am a stay at home parent (all school aged but one disabled on a reduced timetable), my husband works long hours. He happily eats whatever he’s given when he gets home… what’s wrong with chicken, salad and pitta as a meal?! If I gave my husband meat and veg every night I think he’d be quietly wondering when he was going to get some variety!

THIS
100%

That sounds perfect - you can make it in advance if necessary and just do rice or pasta at the last moment.

"Chicken salad with pitta sounds great to me but maybe not filling enough for him?"

Men don't require special man food you know. They can eat the same as the ladies...yes it's really true.
If he's hungry he can have two...or even three. Or more! There are no rules.

And if he was a single man, what would he do? Be out 5am - 7pm and cook himself a full spud-like dinner? It sounds like the op provides most of the time, but she is not his personal chef nor his timekeeper. He should appreciate that once in a while he either has to make do with what’s offered or find his own (without the foot stomping). And this isn’t a LTB post, but once in a while men like him who have become far too accustomed to a traditional set up should wonder how they’d manage if it all stopped one day. It sounds like the op appreciates from her side, considering the difficulties that comes with a husband who’s out most of the day.

I think you are being a bit unreasonable - it sounds like both kids are at school so between the hours of 9ish and 2pm given the nativity (so 5 hours) you could have dropped one of the activities you had decided to do (pick up Xmas tree tomorrow, do online shopping in the evening etc) or cooked something more substantial yesterday to be heated up today. Those are gruelling hours in a manual job and I’d be pretty annoyed with a salady tea and then having to go out again (probably knackered) to get something more substantial. I do understand it will be by mutual agreement that you are home all week but I think you have to hold up your side of the bargain and provide a proper dinner, however you organise yourself to do that.

Well he’s a special kind of twat isn’t he?