To pretend I cooked the restaurant food- dinner party

It's fine. Like others have said, they are there to enjoy the evening and the company and good food wherever it comes from. You are still hosting them! You shouldn't have to impress anyone with your cooking skills.

I also think that to say you "only like" Chinese or Italian food is ridiculous and shouldn't be pandered to! It doesn't even make much sense when Chinese and Italian foods can be so different, both within each cuisine and across the two.

I’m someone who wouldn’t give a flying fig if I bought ready made food in for guests, especially if they had such wide dietary choices. In fact, I’d probably send them a link to the menu and ask them what they’d like me to order for them!

Just tell them. They won't care that it's restaurant food, but they will definitely care if you lie to them and they find out.

You’ll be so stressed about being rumbled it will ruin your evening. People will just be grateful to you for inviting and hosting and making sure their needs and likes were catered for!

If anyone’s shitty about it they will make themselves look like an absolute fucking twat.

What if they ask for the recipe??

If you like — although they’ll likely guess when the MSG kicks in later and everyone has a furious thirst 😂

The thing I'd be worried about was dietary requirements. For example if your gluten free friend is coeliac it's not enough to know that they are marked as gluten free on the menu, you need to know that nothing has been fried in oil with anything else containing gluten at any point, it has been prepared with separate utentils, prepped in a separate area of the kitchen to prevent cross contamination. Unfortunately 'gluten free' in the uk doesn't need to meet any of these requirements and can just mean gluten free by ingredients - not that it's safe for your friend. So you'd have to Google what specific questions to ask the kitchen to make sure it was safe.

What will you do if they ask if any of the meals contain x ingredient?

But you're worried about looking lazy or like an incompetent cook. So it makes no sense to say you used packet sauces.

This. Unless you are the nut allergy sufferer, you can't do this. Chinese restaurants are a no go zone for many nut allergies. Especially peanut and cashew.

@Dual The allergy thing would trouble me. I would tell the truth and just say you had a shit week. If something went wrong with allergies and they thought you'd cooked the food, then it will be you that suffers the consequences.

Italian food you might get away with it, but vegan Chinese?! No chance. They’ll use all sorts of ingredients you won’t be able to blag and MSG and all sorts to make the food.

Honestly, save yourself the embarrassment of being caught and just own it!

No, no, no.

Just order in and style it out.

Friends understand being v busy / delayed at work / etc - if you lie about anything just say your supermarket delivery didn't arrive but luckily you have a local restaurant..

Really OP, you have nothing to feel embarrassed about here.

If they are into food and cooking, they will know. A few conversational questions about ingredients and preparation and you will have a hard time.

I would be open, but explain it as "when I compiled all preferences and allergies in the group, there weren't many choices and I don't have experience preparing tofu/gluten free at home, so I went for the safe option".

It doesn't mean you are really bad cook, just unsure in this specific area, so you prefered a safe result.

As someone with a serious food allergy I would be absolutely furious if I found out someone I trusted to cook for me had in fact actually ordered takeout. It would be bad enough if you were "just" lying to friends but lying to friends in a way that also potentially risks their health is just wrong.

Honestly this is a good way to weed out false friends.

Simply ‘Sorry I’ve had the week from hell so I’ve ordered from X for us all, it’s all nut/whatever free’ would suffice. If anyone is mortally offended then perhaps they’re not really a real friend anyway. If it were me I’d just be grateful you were still hosting us in the first place!

As someone who loves Chinese food, I would bet that the sauces made by a good restaurant are miles better than packet sauces. And that discerning guests will know the difference.

Again, I cannot imagine why you perceive that there is any loss of face in giving your guests good restaurant food, well presented? I would do it and I love to cook.

Don't do it, you'll look like a fool if they ask any basic question about the food and you cant answer it.

There's nothing wrong with buying in.

If they’re all foodies, they’d prefer to know it was cooked at a proper restaurant rather than a packet sauce meal!!

Definitely don't do this.......... 😂

I'd rather people thought I was a poor cook or even lazy, than a liar!

They'll want recipes or further details, like where did you find X specialist ingredient or what brand of vegan chicken is it. And you'll have to maintain the lie all evening, and also in the future if it's ever referred to. And if you get found out in the lie that's going to look much worse than not cooking (which people won't judge you for anyway).

Honestly it's actually annoying how much you want to lie to your friends instead of just owning the decision.

Despite nearly all the responses here agreeing you should just tell them.

They're going to know it's a take away and they'll just talk behind your back which I'd say will be more embarrassing for you.

Don't choose what to order based on what you think you can pass off as home made, just order what you think people will enjoy and will go together as a nice meal with friends.

People who are 'super into cooking' will know and you've missed the chance to enjoy some of the more interesting dishes on the menu.

Tell the truth- the guests with allergies need to know. Some may prefer it if they aren’t sure you will know how to cook separately for allergies which is a different skill to cooking well. Others might not want to eat it.

Id suggest calling those with allergies and explain the situation and where you are planning on ordering from. If they know the place they may know what is a safe dish or that the restaurant has problems with allergies.

I'd be astonished if you got away with this because even if they can't tell, which is unlikely, they'll want recipes.

I'd also be astonished if people thought you were lazy for not cooking. People usually either cook because they enjoy it, or because they have to. They also understand that a lot of things take time and/or skill to perfect. Such as Chinese banquets when you haven't grown up cooking them. So if you can afford to buy in nice food as an alternative to making it yourself, they won't judge you and might do the same them selves one day.

This is a perfect time for the MN tinkly laugh. When someone says the food is great, tinkly laugh 'well I didn't think it nice to subject you all to my terrible cooking so I ordered in from Shanghai Palace near the town hall'.