Offended by friend’s comments about party food

Along my mates people would actually cook/prepare fresh food, it would not be the norm to host & offer up trays of oven baked beige.

It would be:

• charcuterie/cheese/fresh bread, lots of salad, fruit etc
• freshly cooked barbecued meat, side dishes
• freshly cooked good quality pizzas for children
• pulled pork rolls and salad

There would always be fresh veg/salad/fruit and sides made from scratch etc

They're watching a football match on telly, it's not a gourmet evening. Frozen snacks heated in the oven are perfectly appropriate in this context.

She didn’t say that was how she hosts.

But OP and the other mum had agreed party food, and with 5+ kids there, most people would know that means frozen oven food!

What would you have served as party food?

Fruit! While watching the footy
Fucking hell 😂 😂 😂

See i really don't get this. Don't you ever put out a punnet of strawberries or blueberries? Most people love fruit, its sweet, its refreshing

I don't like those sorts of pre made shove it in the oven things, i find they are often disappointing especially from places like iceland. She might have expected fresh food.... but then mcdonalds is no better

Putting frozen stuff in the oven is not a thoughtful genuine effort! 😂
i feel sad for you if you think that’s good hosting.

I wouldn’t have liked it but I also wouldn’t have gone to McD tbh.
did you serve anything fresh at all?

@LinsMum22 the reason she suggested MacDonalds instead is because it’s the most insulting she could be! She’s basically said “Even a MacDonalds would be better than this,” which is clearly really fucking rude.

However, if she’s the kind of person who would do salads etc as party food I can see why she might not like a beige buffet from Iceland. I’d happily eat or serve this but not a whole table full.. would do with some other low effort bits too, like a bag of mixed leaves and some cucumber/tomato, might even stretch to some crisps and dips..

Iceland food isn’t nice food, you didn’t make any effort that took any time. She clearly took offence and went out of her way to be a bitch about it.

This!

They were rude. They would’ve been rude even if it was The Ivy mentioned instead of McDonald’s.

Was she expecting lobster or something 😆 what a snobby cow

Not only is your friend rude she is not teaching her child manners.

It wasn't a dinner party, it was a party munchies for a few people watching a game. She must have envisioned a heartier spread and you did get stuff many people would happily eat. Good suggestions from previous posters to ask her for more details of what she would serve.

I like that type of food, but I know some people who wouldn't eat it (they don't like fried, brown, greasy food - which all of it is).

So I can see why they would be a bit dismayed that there was no fresher option, and I don't think it's rude not to eat if you don't like the food.

But when she said about McDonalds I would have said something like

"if your hungry I have bananas / apples / yogurts / whatever in the fridge. Do you not like the Iceland stuff?"

Haven't seen cheese and pineapple at a party since the seventies. Would you do it hedgehog fashion?

OP your friend and her child were rude. If they were the veg and hummus type party eaters, seems odd that they'd opt for a McDs. But regardless it was rude. I hate sandwich type buffets, but I'd nibble on one politely and say nothing as that's just what you do 🤷‍♀️

I think a lot of posters here have never shopped in Iceland. Their frozen snack food is very good of it’s kind. I bet if you hadn’t left the boxes out they would have happily eaten it.

What is with all the suggestions for cucumber and carrot sticks on food threads around here lately. I'm familiar with the fruit obsessive tendencies, but cucumber? 🤢🤮

Jesus, cucumber is the most disgusting food related thing on the face of the earth. The smell alone is enough to put me off eating anything in the same room.

The BFG's snozzcumbers are clearly just cucumbers.

And raw carrot sticks. Raw carrot! Makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it.

I like my vegetables. I speak as a freak who likes Brussels sprouts outside of Christmas. Cannot stand salad. No cold wet or slimy things.

Still, if they were on offer, I'd just politely decline and say I wasn't hungry. OP's guest could have just kept quiet if she didn't like the food.

I haven't seen a crusty sausage roll or curled up sandwich at a party for years either, but I've seen plenty of nice hot sausage rolls and fresh sandwiches. And also plenty of easy cold deli food, like you serve, but most people will go for the hot brown food first.

Around these parts it is. I haven’t seen a crusty sausage roll or curled up sandwich at a party for years. Who wants to eat a cold sausage when you can be eating fresh bread, butter, cheese, meat and salad.

Does it matter?

I don't get what point you're trying to make.

Same. My friend used to be “tomatoes? Cucumber? Do you want butter or mayo..?”
Now she just makes food and puts it in front of me

Hospital food was great, the catering staff seemed very happy to give more. I mean jam roly poly and custard?! I’ll take it

I can't get over some of the comments on here.

It doesn't matter what you served. You made a thoughtful, genuine effort, and your guest was rude as hell.

I've been to countless parties where whatever was on the menu wasn't to my taste. The gracious thing to do is to thank the hostess all the same and quietly satisfy yourself afterwards.

She is rude and she is teaching her children to be rude. I would NEVER invite them back.

You have done NOTHING wrong.

That food find sounds fine to me as telly-watching nibbles. And they sound like a very rude family, I wouldn't invite them back.

I don't think she's "snobby" for preferring McDonald's. Quite the opposite.

Sounds like the guest was, though.

I always play safe and go through what we are having, beforehand. Tbf Iceland's duck spring rolls are some of the nicest around. There whole duck with pancakes the best value. She was out of order. My youngest GD can be a bit fussy. But she'd eat the sausages and we'd take dips and doritos (enough for everyone) to tide her over. I can't stand a full buffet being put out, to go cold, though.

Do you know, tesco do decent tempura prawns but weirdly the vegan jackfruit ones? Absolutely incredible. Bizarre how good they are. Taste exactly like prawns in filo.

edit: these guys, but out of stock for me :(
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/311781987