Am I cooking shit or being stingy??

if you give the same portion size to every person, that might be the problem

Portion sizes and obesity were exactly my thoughts but you’ve been brave enough to say it @Howyoudoings

who said anything about child portions ? These a reason there is an obesity issue in the uk .

I think they are being incredibly rude, without a doubt, and they should graciously keep their mouths shut.

However, yes the food is a bit stingy – we use 400g mince for a spag Bol, and that for two 7yr olds and me who eats very small meat portions – even then it's only just enough. Teens and men are, on average, going to have bigger appetites. And while porridge and yoghurt is ideal for me, I would have extend the breakfast offerings to cereals, toast and eggs.

Again, they are 100% in the wrong, but I can see how a bunch of rude people would complain about the above. You've done a really nice thing for them and I would never complain and I would give my kids a sharp talking to if they did too!

75g dry pasta is the recommended healthy adult portion size (see bupa link I posted easier)
Lots of people add veg or pulses to bulk out red meat for health or cost reasons.
It might not be what they’d have a home eg their bolognese might be a big pack of fatty mince and a jar of smartprice sauce. Op prefers less meat and lots of veg. She’s cooking.
Two garlic bread for 7 people is at least 1/4 garlic bread a person too in addition to pasta so not lacking carbs.
If you are still hungry have a snack.

ACH. They can go to the supermarket buy their own food and stuff their faces. For goodness sake they must eat at home.

It’s all a bit weird.

your sister is rude and ungrateful and you are being odd about the food.

if I invited my DS on holiday as a treat because I knew she was struggling financially I’d want to make sure she had a good time. If that involved getting a loaf of bread and some cocoa pops in for my DNs I absolutely would.

You must surely have eaten with your sister and family before? In which case you must know there’s a lack of alignment around food preferences?

a bit of discussion and give and take over cooking might have worked better for you both. Serving food you must know her fam wouldn’t be keen on and saying it’s that or nothing feels a bit lady bountiful

No, we just don't eat child portions either.

Your portions do sound stingy, to be honest. 75 grams of pasta per person? 600 grams of meat between 7 people? That's quite measly.

Your choice of breakfast also isn't to my taste at all as it's way too carby and sweet, and I'd be hungry again within an hour - but, it's the food your family eats, and the food was bought and prepared for them mainly. Your sister and her husband seem to think they're in a resort, and that you're their personal chef. Why are they asking you "what's there to eat?" when they are adults and capable of planning their own meals? Why is it your responsibility to feed them?

I would tell them you won't be responsible for their meals, it's your vacation, and you don't want to spend it in the kitchen. They are welcome to eat what you prepare anyway, but you won't be taking meal requests from anybody.

I wouldn't cook for anyone who was rude about my food. I am old and grumpy and no longer put up with CFers.

there was irony in my post... in reply to previous posts I can't be bothered to quote

I am a shite cook and I confirm that there is such a thing as watery bolognese when padded out with veg 😄. It is very disappointing but is provided by me a few times a year!
The best bolognese is Delia but it is a right faff on and I'd be fucked if I would do it for anyone in OP's situation. They would be getting Dolmio!

Just because Op is making some meals in the holiday home it doesn’t mean they aren’t having any special holiday treats. The Nutella might have been an extra for her ds not a daily staple.
When I was small my mum would cook on holiday but we’d have those mini cereal boxes as a treat and ice cream out etc.
I’d class things like ice cream, a cornish pasty, fish and chips as holiday treats but not want to eat fatty or sweet stuff for all meals. It’s nice after a busy day to have something like bolognese and garlic bread, maybe play some board games. Op is baking so homemade cake is available.
It sounds like Op and sister have very different lifestyles.

You know they’re being ungrateful and exceptionally rude. How many days gone and how many more to go? In your situation I would ask them to pack up and go back home to their home and frozen food as it sounds they’d be happier back home.

Who decides what is a ‘proper range’ of breakfast food? Op is self catering on holiday not a 5 star hotel buffet. There was porridge, yoghurt, fruit, nuts, honey, nutella. If you want toast pop to shop for bread or if your teen is fussy and only eats coco pops or brioche bring some.
I suspect whatever Op had bought would have been rudely sneered at. Eg if she had served seeded toast they wouldn’t have wanted white toastie loaf. Sausages from farm shop too herby etc.

I do a shared holiday with family every year; we take it in turn to cook (and pay for) dinner and we do anything thats simple and multiplies up well - I actually did bolognaise on my night this year and had no complaints and many coming up for seconds.

The secret is to cook down the vegetables first so they're not watery, for those recoiling in horror ...and of course you add bacon, most italian recipes call for pancetta in with the soffrito

Highly unreasonable to suggest op is 'hosting' and should be providing dinner party level food, its her holiday too!

But you can’t expect your sister to provide this for you. Op said she was sharing with her sister not hosting.

As a guest, pasta is fine. What on earth were you envisaging?

But you would expect to pay for it, or cook it yourself, on a family holiday, I assume?

Or are you the OP's brother-in-law?

The three of them are arseholes. Never invite them away again. Imagine being treated to a free holiday including all meals cooked for you and behaving that way. I could never. Your son sounds lovely. Well done you for raising a sweet, gracious human.

I would raise the behaviour with your sister upon return.

The 'guests' can go and get bread for toast or bacon or whatever, surely.

Yeah, and maybe OP’s sister’s feeling insecure about it too, esp if there’s history of OP ‘doing better’ than her. If this is the case, let it slide off you, @Hydranga. If it weren’t the food it’d be some other constructed moan to devalue your gift so they don’t have the discomfort of feeling grateful.

I agree with this. I wouldn't eat more in quantity on holiday but what I do want is nice, special food that is a little different from the daily menu at home.

Wow how are they so entitled and rude, especially as it seems they can’t afford to feed themselves.

They probably should return home. They’re ruining your holiday. Did you know they’re like this?

I don’t see anything wrong with what you have offered and honestly don’t understand how they were planning on you feeding them for the whole holiday, not planning to cook meals for you all, etc.

Maybe they’re behaving badly out of embarrassment.

Exactly. I have a teenager who wouldn't eat fruit yoghurt granola or porridge at breakfast time. If we were invited on a free holiday at short notice I would grab a shopping bag and take our cereal and nutella and other regular supplies from the larder