Am I cooking shit or being stingy??

I don’t understand how vegetables (including mushrooms) make something watery!

I’m a vegetarian and my food isn’t watery - I always have to watch my bolognese to make sure it doesn’t go too thick. And when I used to make pasta sauces with a mix of meat and some veggies it still wasn’t watery! It’s only watery if you put loads of stock and then don’t take the time to reduce it, surely?

Thats not what I said - i have repeatedly said that the guests should have insisted on buying the food, should offer to cook half the time.

But yes, you'd be a good host and offer this, imo, as youve invited someone to your rented holiday home.

Had she invited them to a hotel, I would be saying something different.

You’re very kind and doing them a generous favour. They are rude, entitled and poor parents.
I wouldn’t book them another bite.

It was 600g plus mushrooms, bacon and vegetables with garlic bread as a side. Hardly stingy. Standard guide on dried pasta for an adult would be 75g per serving. And no point making enough for "seconds" if they were being rude about the "firsts".

OP your food sounds amazing, tasty and more than enough - dare I say it's a bit "above them"? Are they more takeaways, ready meals and trays of doughnuts types? Sod them, you do you and let them see to themselves food wise. And as for how they are speaking to you, I cut that off too - be nice or go home.

But quick (or fake) Bolognese is supposed to be made with vegetables. You start off by making a sofrito of sautéed onion, celery and carrot.

All my food is well cooked, diverse and flavoursome. I like hosting so have a good time sourcing good ingredients etc

No beige crap in my home. You do know that eating food other than granola and mushrooms does not make you 'beige'

@gayestgal "Honestly - if you have to break down the calorie contents of PORRIDGE offered to your guests - you are not being a good host.
Next time op, head to waitrose (or aldi) and pick up a load of breakfast stuff
Pastries
Pancakes
Bread
Bacon
Eggs
Sausages
Tomatoes
Black puddding if thats your thing
good butter
Fruit
Jam and marmalade
Lots of juice
Tea
Coffee (if youve got a machine/cafetière) - if not, offer to uber eats in a Starbucks"

I can't work out if you're being tongue in cheek or not. I seriously hope you are. Because otherwise it seems you actually think that the OP should not only pay for her sister's holiday but also feed her sister's husband and two kids for the entire week without a single contribution from them (which wasn't the deal). Not only that but she should also have the decency to head to Waitrose and buy quality ingredients to offer them a full English breakfast every day, including fruit juice, and naturally round it off by ordering Starbucks coffee for everyone. I mean, what the actual fuck.

We get the picture that you want a big load of fatty, sugary crap. You'd be the perfect host for the SIL and her family.

Perhaps even a beige buffet?

Bloody hell! No good deed goes unpunished, as Elphaba says! 😂

YANBU at all.

They are extremely cheeky fuckers. If I’d got a free holiday I’d be expecting to contribute more than half of the food, to share the cooking 50:50 and certainly not complain.

And your DH joining in with them is something else!

The only thing is I’d do 100g pasta per person (excluding small children) but that’s a minor detail

They are incredibly rude and I wouldn't cook for them either.

The portion sizes might be a bit on the small side, especially if they're used to eating more. But there and many more polite ways they could have discussed that with you.

No but

Bologneise for 6, with 600g mince padded out with loads of veg and mushrooms, is going to be watery.

Providing a good, properly done bolognese with enough pasta and garlic bread availsble to feed a small nation, is good hosting for your guests. A few good meals on holiday doesnt a stodgy diet make.

The op was unreasonable in her meal offering, the family could've done things differently also.

Nope, this is a standard serving

Who said its nasty to offer the food choices the op has?

What insecurities, who said I am insecure?!

Youre making stuff up really. And, I answered the op's question. The thread hasnt been derailed at all, i am responding to those who feel the op is not being unreasonable, where as I think she is being unreasonable.

Sounds like youre projecting because of your reference to your sil's body type.

There’s nothing wrong with your food or your use of recommended portion sizes. You eat well and sensibly.
There’s everything wrong with the attitude of your sister, her husband and child. They have no right to expect you to skivvy and provide food to their sole satisfaction. To add insult to injury your sister’s now making you feel guilty that she can’t afford to shop locally. They’re ungrateful, rude, appalling and grabby CFs.
Your husband let you down badly and compounded the insults. I’d reproach him for this. Don’t let him take you for granted or humiliate you.
Apart from your DC they have all disrespected you.
Just cook for yourself and your DC from now on. Then perhaps they might appreciate you.
Resolve never to be so generous with a free holiday for them in future.

They are incredibly rude. I’m not surprised you’re fed up. It’s your holiday too and if they don’t like the food, they can do their own thing. Do they honestly think you’ll be cooking every meal for them to turn their noses up at? That’s just daft if they do!

@gayestgal is projecting a lot of her insecurities here and it's derailing the thread.
It is obviously not 'nasty' to offer 2 choices of breakfast and homecooked meals on a free holiday? But I have been called names by SIL who is very overweight, I think it is called "skinny shaming" on here sometimes.
What you have offered is fine OP and they are rude and ungrateful. It is a shame because when I experienced very similar it caused a long term cooling of the relationship which was a shame. Yes, I gave a free holiday, DH and I cooked all week and then then slagged us off to all and sundry who told us what had been said. This is how people are, and I am sorry your kindness has been taken for weakness and you have been treated so shabbily.
I hope you enjoy your Paella :)

You're pretty obsessed with the idea that bolognaise with veg in is watery. Sorry if that's the case in your house, but at the hands of someone who can cook, it just isn't. "Animal Fat" is not a synonym for "flavour" or "quality" in the kitchen of anyone who's cooking level gone past the level of a uni student in their first-year in halls.
Not everyone wants to live on grease and stodge - fine for those who do, but if they're invited on a free holiday and given free food, they should either raise the issue politely away from the dining table, or keep their traps shut and buy snacks during the day.

'Door is open, feel free to go home if you don't like it'.

? Of course you can!

Which is fair, we dont have to agree

But i do say that the 'guests' absolutely should offer to pay for food and split the 'hosting duties'

How can the OP be the host in holiday accommodation. Don't be ridiculous.

Hard disagree @gayestgal

The OP is generously sharing her holiday with her sister. In return, her and her family have been extremely rude and ungrateful.

They're not the OP's guests. If I had invited my sister and her family to a holiday cottage that I had paid for I certainly wouldn't be paying for all their food and cooking for them and they wouldn't expect me to either.

You do realise that I am not... saying that the guests would eat them all, at the same time???

You do a big shop so that everyone's breakfast needs are catered for, and the big shop should include the above, as well as granola for the poor souls who want that on their holidays.

I disagree @MsPrufrockk , the op is hosting

I dont say anywhere that the family shouldnt have behaved differently, but no, the op is the host.

Is anybody else astonished at how much bolognaise people eat 🫣 I’m overweight and I usually cook 250g mince for a family of four! I’d do a whole bag of 500g pasta though!