Guests wasting food

Depends on how well you know the person, I might say something if it was a sibling but otherwise I would be reluctant to say anything

Depends on how well you know the person, I might say something if it was a sibling but otherwise I would be reluctant to say anything

He much can one person put on her plate?!! By chance are you not keen on this person OP?

Let it go. Or serve people straight from the grill.

I know someone who does this. She is severely eating disordered. I don't think there is much you can do about it except try your best to ignore. Frustrating.

Your guest is a greedy pig who has no manners. Nothing you can do about it, just try not to watch their plate, it will spoil your day.

She is the host and can host in any way she wants to as she is paying for it all. It all depends on how you say things.

”Ok, let’s aim for full plates and empty bins this time! Food really has gone up in price, hasn’t it. Please enjoy!”

Maybe OP isn’t serving cheap sausages and burgers at all. Since the guest has been many times before she likely knows what the food will be like.

Maybe she just is ignorant to the cost of food since she is neither paying for it nor bringing even a bottle of wine.

Smaller plates for all

No, they're being hilarious and mocking the OP.
Who someone has decided only serves dodgy Aldi burgers.

There are some bonkers replies on here...sorry OP it probably isn't helping you but I'm hugely entertained by the excuses people are trotting out and you being accused of being a bad hostess!

If the guest hates the food so much why does she keep returning and piling her plate high? She might come back because she feels obliged but surely you'd just have a normal or small plate of food and say you were stuffed and it was lovely (having had a sandwich at home first).

Also if other people take something even if you were worried your wine choice would be mocked - you'd take flowers or something.

You really need to be a generous host and let this go.

Not liking food waste is fine but if you invite people to your house to eat with you, you shouldn't police what they eat or don't eat. Just let it go.

Would you insist she takes leftovers home from a restaurant if she over ordered?

In all honesty, I find obsession with food waste a bit tiring. My husbands family are obsessive about leftovers and freeze every mouthful left in the pan, even if it is only a mouthful. My MIL buys way more than we need when we visit and polices everything we eat, constantly asking us what she can freeze, will we eat this etc. It's quite stressful.

Only do this if you want to embarrass her and come across as incredibly tight and petty.
Honestly I'd never go back to someone's house if they did this to me. Don't you like her or something?

If you are this uptight you probably shouldn’t host people. It reminds me of a friend who gets terribly offended if you offer to stay in a b&b when visiting her area, prides herself on her hosting skills and then puts a 2minute sand timer in the shower. She is one of those people who thinks it is a waste of water if you wash your hair more than once a week.

This.

When you see her about to throw her plate away say something like "oh what a shame to waste so much food, I'll get you a tub to take it home in"

Either small plates or serve everything from the barbecue onto plates. Like one sausage or veggie dog or one burger on a plate, pass it on and they add salads etc. She may still load up and you can let it go. I also see almost all BBQ or picnic food as wasted at the end. It’s out in the heat for hours - even if the mayo dishes are sitting on ice it inevitably is melted by the end.

When she arrives 😂

It would never occur to me to watch or register what people were eating or throwing away. You cater for X amount of people and spend X amount of money what does it matter to you?! Don’t host people if you get upset about what they eat or don’t eat would be my advice

Was about to suggest same. Stagger the availability of hot food and serve buffet style salads and bread so there can only be somuch on a plate at once.

This is my daughter- she has an eating disorder and fills her plate with stuff she won’t eat, to fit in with her perception of whats normal. I brief hosts when we go to peoples homes and never, ever go to someones home empty handed. Mostly people understand and of course we talk to DD about it -she is a bit better now but it’s not great.

I agree with one of the initial posters do a set amount of meat/ foods - then ask people who would like more? So you are cooking what is actually needed.

I’d let it go tbh. How much food can really go on a plate? It can’t be a massive amount of waste. Or as others have said, have people come up to the grill and get the meat as it’s ready and everything else can be buffet style.

Why do you have to go? It sounds utterly miserable and then a hang over the next day as well.

You're right. I'll take my own wine and tell the host not to drink any of it, and I'll take my own (better quality) food too. No more dodgy Aldi burgers for me! This is a much better approach. Thanks! I'll report back on how it goes.