What meal can I transport to PIL so we don’t starve??

[yorkshireyummymummy]

In light of the recent thread about people visiting in laws and not getting fed enough to feed a mouse I started to get the willies.

WE are visiting PIL this weekend for 5 days.
MIL used to be a lovely cook but doesn’t bother anymore andserves small portions ofstrange food.

We are travelling from Yorkshire to Hampshire on Friday and I want to take that nights dinner with me. It will take about 6 hrs to get there and it will have to be something I can transport in a cool bag with those frozen freezer packs. It can be transported in Tupperware or sealable bags.

Any suggestions from you lovely clever mums/women??

Don’t let us starve!!! Especially my poor FIL who is always hungry!!

Make a lasagna, freeze it and transport it up frozen in a cool bag. Job done.

If you have cool bags and freezer blocks, you can take anything you’d normally eat surely?

A lovely big casserole or shepherd's pie.

Are they getting a bit past cooking? Could you do some batch cooking for their freezer?

buy ready meals just before arrival?

I would take pies.
Of many varieties like pork pie, steak pie, fruit pie, pasties etc.

Make a big pot of soup to last all weekend.
Take all the “leftover” veg and make another one while there. Say it was just going to go off while you are away.

Massive batch of Bolognaise a pack of spaghetti to cook while itd warming up and a big tupperware of greek salad ( and wine!) A block of parmasan to grate over the top and a botrle of dressing

I would probably do fil's favourites - and try and find out while I was there what the problem is. Do they have a freezer and a microwave? I bitterly regret not getting my mum used to microwave cooking before she got too old and crotchety to learn.

Friends MIL stopped cooking PIL was starving when they began to wonder had her checked over by GP it was alzheimers. So they organised meals to be delivered, on subsequent visit found them stacked up in the fridge turning green FIL still hungry. You really need to look into this.

If money and freezer space is not an issue, look at Cook delivery? We used them when sorting out Christmas dinner for PIL in Scotland one year.

When we went camping I made a huge lamb casserole a few days before and froze it. Drive was around 5 hours and it kept everything else nice and cool, defrosted by the time we needed it.

Theres no real problem . Just MIL has had 50 years of cooking and is sick of it . She has no appetite really (she’s a tiny lady)and serves nouvelle cuisine size portions. So FIL is always hungry!

I'd make a lasagne and freeze.
Cook also do large portions of ready meals.

I no longer have to go to my MIL house as she can't put all 5 of us up, but when we had less children, we used to take food with us as she is incapable of cooking anything vaguely edible.

I'd take a curry for that night, and a frozen bolognaise for Saturday night (with fresh tagliatelle for make it quick)

I suggest that you take some quick, basic food - like stir fry or eggs or pasta - and teach PIL how to cook.

Take frozen sausage casserole, arrabiata sauce, and a bag of pasta. Any frozen stew or curry will travel well.

You could arrange a delivery of Cook meals (get the nice family size ready meal things) for their freezer as a “contribution to [y]our stay” as you are so looking forward to seeing them, want it to be really relaxing and don’t want anyone (MIL) to be spending ages in the kitchen while you’re there.

Cook puddings are especially awesome.

www.cookfood.net

If you're going anywhere near Basingstoke, go to the farm shop at Worting and stock up on pies, pasties and cold meat.

All of the above sound good - curry, pies, chilli etc. Then teach FIL to cook whilst there? Can totally understand MIL not wanting to bother much after 50 years of cooking (and probably the meal planning and shopping that goes with it.

As others have said, if you can freeze/chill things on the journey you could take almost anything, stew, curry, lasagne, shepherds or cottage pie would all be easy and require minimal prep once there?

As your MIL has given up cooking, would she be upset if you take over the kitchen during your stay? I do this when visiting my parents whose catering leaves something to be desired, I bring a first night meal with me (usually something like a stew or one pot meal) and then do a supermarket run or get an online shopping order delivered if we are staying longer. I usually treat them to a meal out or takeaway at least once in a stay too...

My mum never has food in (massive food issues). We do an online shop to arrive about an hour after we do. The first night we will often get a pack of sausages, ready made mash and ready cut veg as we are tired after travelling. Plus it means we have snacks and breakfast and wine all available.

My mum has a cats arse face when it arrives but I don’t care now

And if you can face it, stocking the freezer with microwaveable meals (ready bought or home made) would be a nice thing for your FIL, providing no-one will be offended! You could batch cook some nice big batches of curry or stews or whatever he likes, if you could face it, then eat some of what you make there and then and freeze some. Even do a bit of a white lie, "whoops silly me I've made far too much, it'll have to go into your freezer FIL" if it eases the way?

I'd second doing an online shop for when you've arrived. Much less hassle, and jazz it up as a "treat" for MIL to save her from worrying.

If she is happy, just do an online shop to be delivered Friday and say as a treat you thought you'd cook to give her a rest, order lots of wine or gin as well

I would take a frozen meal, so lasagne, bolognaise, curry, cottage pie etc.
It can defrost on the way and keep everything else cool whilst you are it (We do this when camping)
Do you have a plug in cool box??

Would she mind you doing the cooking whilst there?
Can you do some one pot slow cooker meals so the left overs can be frozen for FIL?

A big batch of macaroni maybe or a lasange?