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Original poster

What's the etiquette of sharing food with neighbours?

74 replies

Munchcrip · 07/03/2022 03:35

Do you give them food in a container or on a serving plate?
Do you call them prior to dropping off the food?

OP posts:

Solodreamer · 07/03/2022 07:06

How sad that people find this weird. It's not at all. It's just being part of a community. It happens a lot more in other parts of the world. Why not the UK?
My parents got Indian neighbours a year ago and they bring my parents amazing curries, spices and sundries. They are delicious. My parents give them veg from their garden and they've developed a lovely friendship from it all.

HoneyItIsntGoodLuck · 07/03/2022 07:08

@Solodreamer

How sad that people find this weird. It's not at all. It's just being part of a community. It happens a lot more in other parts of the world. Why not the UK? My parents got Indian neighbours a year ago and they bring my parents amazing curries, spices and sundries. They are delicious. My parents give them veg from their garden and they've developed a lovely friendship from it all.

Way to miss the point.

Sharing food with neighbours is not weird.

Not even knowing your neighbours, and showing up with food they may or may not want, is weird.

sparklefarts · 07/03/2022 07:08

Are you talking dinner or like brownies?

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Abcdefu · 07/03/2022 07:11

Tupperware Box. But unlikely to do this. My friend znd husband live close by he works away so I sometimes make extra for her and drop it down- but she knows and appreciates it

FrecklesMalone · 07/03/2022 07:14

Most of my neighbours have been Asian and it seems to be very customary to share excess food. It's wonderful, we feel bad as rarely ever reciprocate as not great cooks! They give us stuff in Tupperware and plates and ask for it back.

ANameChangeAgain · 07/03/2022 07:14

Our neighbours used to share cakes if they had been baking, and our neighbour used to take a plate of food to one of the elderly neighbours. In all cases though we would call out over the fence or knock on the door.

Solodreamer · 07/03/2022 07:22

Where does it say they don't know the neighbours? Maybe you've missed the point. FWIW my parents didn't know their neighbours until their neighbours brought them food.

SpringRainbow · 07/03/2022 07:30

I can’t imagine ever doing this. However, growing up I knew the kids next door but our parents barely spoke to each other. They certainly never shared food.

They still don’t really have anything to do with their neighbours and are planning on going away for the weekend to avoid the street party for the Jubilee.

I know one set of neighbours names but not the other set. We will smile and nod if we see each other.

My in laws on the other hand know both their neighbours and regularly share food and other bits with them. They always have apparently.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 07/03/2022 07:31

@Solodreamer

How sad that people find this weird. It's not at all. It's just being part of a community. It happens a lot more in other parts of the world. Why not the UK? My parents got Indian neighbours a year ago and they bring my parents amazing curries, spices and sundries. They are delicious. My parents give them veg from their garden and they've developed a lovely friendship from it all.

It's not sad at all.

It's great your parents made friends with their neighbours via food but many people wouldn't be comfortable accepting food off total strangers and that's okay too.

TheDoveFromAboveCooCoo · 07/03/2022 07:43

I find taking a cooked meal round to a neighbour a bit odd to be honest.

Although saying that our next door neighbour will sometimes give us a bit of fruit or veg from his allotment which is nice. And if I bake we take him a slice or a bun.

AngelinaFibres · 07/03/2022 07:51

@Ifailed

The context would be a normal day, you just made a lot of food for dinner and want to share with a neighboor

I can't think of a situation where I had made too much food for dinner and deciding the best solution would be to go knocking on peoples' doors and offering it to them?

Exactly. Just freeze the extra or keep for tomorrow.

shrunkenhead · 07/03/2022 08:00

We know some of our neighbours better than others and wouldn't think twice of asking to borrow an egg or an onion etc and happily repay them with some of whatever dish/ cake I might be making.
My neighbour down the road isn't fussy so I often cook extra on a Tuesday night for her wednesday "food parcel" drop off (lives on her own, works long hours)
I think this is more of a village thing rather than towns and cities.
I usually have plenty of Tupperware/ice cream tubs which I use and they're either returned or I pick up next time I see them.
Guess it depends how well you know them if you're worried about never seeing your favourite casserole dish again.

MotherOfWhippets · 07/03/2022 08:01

It's a shame people are saying this is weird.

My Dad loves cooking - always does too much and takes some round to the neighbours who often comment on Facebook when they've enjoyed trying something. He's not British though - I think it's probably more the norm in different countries.

I would if poss take it in something they don't need to return - foil etc

feministqueen · 07/03/2022 08:04

If I cook a Sunday dinner I regularly plate one up for my neighbour and take it over hot, covered in silver foil with gravy in a seperate pot so she can put it on herself.

Cake goes on a plate too or sometimes in a Tupperware. Just depends on what I have available.

shrunkenhead · 07/03/2022 08:05

And food is a great ice- breaker to get to know your neighbours. Yes, ofc you don't just rock up with controversial food, but a vegan banana loaf is a good way to introduce yourself to new people moving into your neighbourhood.

Ifailed · 07/03/2022 08:09

you don't just rock up with controversial food, but a vegan banana loaf is a good way to introduce yourself

To me, a vegan banana loaf is controversial, I didn't know such a thing existed.

CourtRand · 07/03/2022 08:10

Honestly? Just freeze it. I wouldn't want my neighbours food... never know if they're clean.

Alrightqueenie · 07/03/2022 08:11

However if you've been given food, in some Asian communities it is customary to return the dish full. So in My mum's home country people would either put a packet of biscuits, cakes, cooked dish or sweets for the kids when returning the plate. You would be talked about very badly if you didn't do this.......

whiteboat · 07/03/2022 08:24

It would be a strange thing to do in our neighbourhood. We're very city centre and all our neighbours keep themselves to themselves, few of them have families so many of them unlikely to be eating dinner at home.
I always batch cook so the idea of giving food away because we've cooked too much is odd - it's food we've made to save more cooking in the next few days, for the convenience of our household not for strangers.

MrsDrSpencerReid · 07/03/2022 08:27

Our neighbours are an older Greek couple, they occasionally knock with a plate of extra meat from their bbq, usually on a plate that I wash and return. Once he ran after us on our way out to the car waving a lamb skewer off the bbq

They often give us veggies or cuttings from their garden, and sometimes a bottle of wine.

We’re not overly close with them, just say hello in passing and maybe polite chit chat.

BitOutOfPractice · 07/03/2022 08:38

I think this sort of thing happened more when I was a child in the 70s in the West Midlands where everyone knew their neighbours.

In my experience of the south east of England Commutersville nowadays, it never happens which I think is sad.

deadlanguage · 07/03/2022 08:46

@whiteboat

It would be a strange thing to do in our neighbourhood. We're very city centre and all our neighbours keep themselves to themselves, few of them have families so many of them unlikely to be eating dinner at home. I always batch cook so the idea of giving food away because we've cooked too much is odd - it's food we've made to save more cooking in the next few days, for the convenience of our household not for strangers.

I agree, I don’t even know the names of my next door neighbours on one side and if we have made too much food we just eat it as leftovers the next day or put it in the freezer. Maybe giving food to neighbours was more common before people had fridges?

deadlanguage · 07/03/2022 08:48

@Ifailed

you don't just rock up with controversial food, but a vegan banana loaf is a good way to introduce yourself

To me, a vegan banana loaf is controversial, I didn't know such a thing existed.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-banana-bread

My go to recipe

MangoLipstick · 07/03/2022 08:48

My lovely neighbour bakes cakes and bread and brings them round for us on a plate with tinfoil over the top.
I wash the dish and return the next day.

Georgeskitchen · 07/03/2022 08:59

Never done this
My neighbours would probably suspect I'm trying to poison them 😀

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