Would you/could you cook after 8pm

[Fuwari]

Sorry, saw it on the DM website! (I admit I go there but see it as a trashy mag!) Apparently one of the measures for avoiding blackouts over winter is asking people to either cook their evening meal after 8pm or to eat cold food. For me personally this wouldn’t work. I eat early, around 6. I’m usually in bed by 9. So there’s no way I’m going to be cooking my evening meal at 8. I’m quite happy to take any other measures, they mention also not using dishwashers/washing machines between 2pm and 8pm. But I don’t see how I could shift my dinner time to fit in with this. Just wondering what other people think?

I eat anytime between 7 and 9 so it wouldn't be a hardship.

We always do. DH is cooking now. But when the DCs were little i couldn't have managed.

No too late for me and the kids. We eat really early before the kids go to clubs and before I go to work.

No, acid reflux so don't eat within 3 hours of bed

I get up early (out of necessity) and go to bed early, so it wouldn’t work for me. I’d end up skipping dinner or eating something like a sandwich

i can see how eating later works for some though 😊

It’s too late for kids. They’re getting ready for bed at 8, I can’t keep them up till 9 to eat their dinner!

No benefit will be seen though from those who already eat late. The point is that they need us to cut down on power used during peak hours. This means those who use power during this time changing their cooking/eating habits.

This will be far too late for most families with young children. There was a period when I would give the children supper at 6pm, then bath and bed, then grown up supper well aft 8. I hated it. Often cooking twice unless it was something like stew but with a dairy free husband the children might have something like macaroni cheese...
Cooking late and eating even later is ok on occasion when you are home late for some reason or other but it's not a healthy routine for digestion, sleep, body clock and in particular children's bed times.

Everyone who is happy to eat at or afer 8...what time do you eat lunch?

I have to eat lunch to fit in with the lunchtime at the primary school I work in so by 6pm I'm really ready for my dinner.

And I would get horrible heartburn if I ate late then went to bed a couple of hours later.

Couldn't eat a full dinner that late, would have to eat earlier and then maybe have a light (cold) snack later on if I felt peckish.

I have lunch at 12ish, small snack after work if eating late. If I eat at 6 I have the munchies again before bed and I'd rather not eat then so main meal around 8 works well.

I’m currently surfing MN doing done online research while DP cooks. We regularly eat late at the weekend, often because we’ve been out / to the pub / worked late. The thought of eating at 6pm is odd to me now that I no longer have small children to cater for. People are so rigid about meal times. Makes no sense to me. Eat when it suits / you’re hungry rather than building your life around “must eat now” timetables.

I could cook and eat that late, we used to eat our evening meal about 8 all the time. But that doesn't work with dc. Or shall i give them sandwiches so I can enjoy a hot meal later? The people who this will hit the hardest are already struggling, the advice such as wear extra jumpers or eat later are utterly useless if you were cold and hungry last winter.

Yes, but I’m Spanish so eat dinner at 9-10pm anyway. Always have done, as a young child too. When the baby phase is over so will my children.

No, too late for me as well. I eat after 8pm one night a week as I’m out at an activity but it’s always something that doesn’t require prep such as a microwave meal, leftovers reheated or pizza.

DP rarely home before 8-8:30pm, so that’s mostly when I’m cooking. We usually eat just before 9.

Depends what time your daytime activities end, tiredness level and the time you go to bed. I often get in that late from work but need to go to bed at 9pm so a jacket potato and beans is the most I'd make

Lunch is normally about 1pm. Breakfast is around 07:00, dinner at about 21:00.

I don't understand this? You are using the same amount of energy whatever time you cook ?

It’s not about the amount of energy, it’s when it’s required.

No. My children would be in bed asleep then so only if I didn’t feed them.

It’s about trying to manage demand on the National grid. If the grid can’t supply as much power as needed they may try to encourage people to use electricity at non peak times.

Yes of course. I couldn't eat at 6 or 6.30. That would be well weird.

Nope too late for me. I could eat something cold if I had a decent lunch eg I just had a bowl of Weetabix instead of a cooked dinner as I have been driving dc around and only just sat down.

My DC are in their 30s and we all work and are busy doing stuff.