Offended by friend’s comments about party food

Nothing wrong with Iceland party food! Saying that I’m celiac so can’t have much part food but back before I was diagnosed I’d have devoured it

Especially if you dress it up with a few dips, chilli sauce mayo, wasabi mayo, sweet chilli mayo and a fruit and veggi plate with hummus for the veg and choc or caramel sauce for the fruit. I'd have no problem serving baked from frozen party snacks. Mini spanakopita, spring rolls and gyoza are popular at my house. (And a major treat since I don't buy it often $$$)

Yes I would completely correct my Children for being so unnecessarily rude to someone whom's been so immensely thoughtful, considerate & kind too-I like Iceland food & can't see what she felt she had the audacity to be snooty about

having walked into and out of an Iceland, this is the very last place I would want to eat anything from. BUT I would never be so rude to someone that has spent money and time making an effort to host my family. I would have pulled up my dc if they were rude as this child.

Yes they were rude & she'd agreed to party food being the best choice for everyone - So what is wrong with Iceland's selections?

It definitely preserves the nutrients in things like frozen peas and berries if they are frozen straight after picking. I think frozen probably is preferable from a health perspective.

Just being totally honest though, something about frozen pastry/ tempura batter etc makes the fat materialise differently for me. It’s like it draws it out from the inner layers and sits it on the surface so it’s kind of greasy instead of enriching the texture.

This, exactly.

I think plenty of people would be disappointed if presented with a tray of celery sticks, blueberries and hummus while watching the football.

I certainly would.

As, I suspect would the Dad of this family and the other child who both tucked in heartily to what was provided.

Me!!

Love a bit of Iceland, even though according to some on this thread that also makes me an utter chavette with no taste and also am a stickler for good manners.

Having said that I should also add that I'm also not adverse to a bit of Waitrose and cook from scratch 95% of the time, before I get my MN membership forcibly removed!

I haven’t tried iceland for party food. But I haven’t noticed loads of difference between frozen or fresh party food say in sainsburys or asda - and I do get some in m and s. Online if you aren’t paying attention you end up with a bit of both.
Haven’t done an iceland shop since I got burned by an unreliable online order so nothing against it.
She sounds batshit if she hadn’t seen the packaging she’d have no idea and the kid who didn’t like the first thing would have been encouraged to try something else!

What has she got against frozen food? It's no different to fresh and might actually be fresher. Sounds like pure snobbery to me.

I thought frozen food was the freshest as it is frozen at its peak of freshness. I’m pretty sure many chefs and nutritionists have confirmed this.

Bet he's right in the dog house for showing them up tucking in 🤣🤣

That was quite a vivid image actually.

Also I agree about blue cheese.

I would consider meats, cheeses, breads, salad to be a buffet and if I'm honest I would inwardly be a bit disappointed at beige heated food

But this wasn’t ever meant to be a buffet, as far as I can tell. It was a few snacks during the football. Things you could easily eat with your fingers; things you can pick up a couple at a time, quickly, during a slow period in the game. Meats and cheeses - even a baked Camembert, as someone suggested - might be all very nice for a more formal birthday or anniversary party, where the food is a big part of the celebration, and where there’s going to be a lot of sitting around chatting. But it wasn’t appropriate here.

Saying haughtily “Well, that’s not my idea of a buffet” is missing the point just as much as saying a ready meal lasagne isn’t your idea of fresh handmade pasta.

Well all I know is plenty of people must shop there or they wouldn’t still be in business.

I bet most of their customers have better manners than this snooty tart and her face-pulling sprog.

Put it this way, I cannot abide salmon or blue cheese but if I'm ever served either up, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to eat the lot and thank the host profusely for providing it. It's basic manners.

As an aside, I'm not a regular Iceland shopper, but I could eat their cheese and onion rolls till they were coming out of my ears.

I can’t understand why they were so rude. I have offered Iceland stuff many times for this sort of occasion and it’s gone down a treat! I don’t think the food needs changing, but the ‘friends’ do!

If OP has any sense there won’t be a next time!

Friend was spectacularly rude and I wouldn't have her back for her behaviour. I love proper food but party food for football is definitely a beige occasion. Due to the McDonalds visit they definitely were not disappointed because they weren't presented with celery/cream cheese boats and carrot sticks. I suspect it was too forrin for them, chicken dippers and wedges might have been more apt. Anyway OP, your effort sounds great, don't worry about what she thinks.

Did she bring any food / drink herself as I would have done , it's good manners , or gift ? Wine / chocolate/ dessert ?

I knew she’d prefer M and S.
She shouldn’t have made you feel like this at the party, and when she apologised, she should have meant it, not brought up M and S.
If the Queen could eat sheep’s eye balls without complaining, she should have been able to eat food from Iceland, or at the very least said absolutely nothing about her preferences and thanked you profusely for hosting.

Who cares? There is such a thing as manners.

That's not "party food" - it's just food. And a bit dull. Hummus can be very nice but it's an everyday item. Cold meats, however- ugh.

Rude cow. Was she expecting caviar?

That buffet sounded more than good enough for any snotty nosed brat and his insufferable mother who thought McDonalds was a better choice.

The only thing missing was fish paste sandwiches, warm orange squash and jelly and ice cream, but then I was brought up on party food in the sixties and seventies and frankly tempura prawns would have been the last word in sophistication.