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Original poster

What time do you eat your evening meal?

127 replies

AgneathaTheCat · 22/05/2023 15:29

I am intrigued after a conversation with my DP, he has always naturally eaten his main/evening meal quite late (to my mind) compared to myself.

If work/family constraints were not a thing, what time do you think you would naturally feel ready to eat it? I am curious since we all live by such fairly diverse patterns these days compared to the past - I know someone who eats her main/largest meal at 3pm since she starts work at 5pm, although she does revert back to a more typical pattern when not working.

OP posts:
7Worfs · 22/05/2023 16:00

Currently 5pm because of young children and intermittent fasting.
Ideally would like it to be around 6pm.

Campervangirl · 22/05/2023 16:02

6pm, any deviation from that will have me screeching "I have my dinner at 6, not 10 to, not 10 past, 6pm, everyone knows that"
I'm not joking

wildfirewonder · 22/05/2023 16:06

Sometime between 3:30pm and 7pm. At the weekend sometimes have only two real meals, a big brunch then a big tea quite early (like you might on Christmas Day). Other days it depends what's going on.

toottootpipip · 22/05/2023 16:09

In the week, between 7 and 9 usually, sometimes later. Me and DH both work full time and the kids have sports/activities every night so it is usually 7.30 before everyone is home and some will have eaten from lunch (dinner) boxes on the move so everyone pretty much fends for themselves.

At the weekends we eat together around 6-7.

neverenoughchelseaboots · 22/05/2023 16:09

5pm to match the children’s timetable. As they get older I think we’ll stick to early though, I prefer it.

Bargellobitch · 22/05/2023 16:09

7 to 8pm normally. Occasionally earlier or later but in general I'd say that time. We're eating at the time we want as not constrained by shifts or other activities

Fiftyisthenewsixty · 22/05/2023 16:10

8pm or a bit later in the summer.

bluechameleon · 22/05/2023 16:10

I'd probably eat about 7:30 if I could choose whenever. Then there would be plenty of evening left after eating and clearing up. We actually wat about 6:30/6:45.

Original poster
AgneathaTheCat · 22/05/2023 16:11

Do those of you who eat at around 9pm have a large lunch?
My DP eats at 10pm, regardless his schedule. No culinary shared romance here, lol!

I have wondered if his obstinacy with eating so late has other implications tbh.

OP posts:
TheBitterBoy · 22/05/2023 16:14

We have gradually moved from about 6 ish to 7-7.30 as DS has got older, and so we are back to the time we ate pre DC.

I'm curious, those of you who eat at 6pm or earlier - do you ever eat out in the evenings? What about with friends who eat later? How does that work? We have family in southern Europe and it's very normal to eat after 9pm there.

moderationincludingmoderation · 22/05/2023 16:14

6/7pm

Dinner is my favourite.

GeraltsBathtub · 22/05/2023 16:14

Usually around 7.30-8.30. Even as a child we ate no earlier than 7 (and we didn’t have an after school snack either) so that we could eat together when my dad got home from work.

Kinsters · 22/05/2023 16:16

7:30pm, I think I'd go a bit earlier if work weren't a constraint though - closer to 7pm. At the moment 7:30pm is when DH gets home so it's the earliest we can eat.

Mañanarama · 22/05/2023 16:16

About 6pm as we all eat together. I don’t sleep well if I have a big meal too late (and also find I put more weight on)

If I’m going out for food 7:30 is about my cut off, otherwise I need a mini tea before I go out.

Lemonademoney · 22/05/2023 16:17

About six as we have DC. On a Friday night though we feed them earlier than have something we fancy about 730 ish with a bottle of wine

Ginmonkeyagain · 22/05/2023 16:18

@AgneathaTheCat not really. If I am in the office I will usally have a small filled roll, a packet of crisps, some fruit and maybe a biscuit bar or small chocolate bar.

If I am WFH I often have left overs - so today it was half a smoked mackerel fillet, a bit of left over roast sweet potato and veg and a green salad.

maddiemookins16mum · 22/05/2023 16:19

WFH has changed this for us. We pretty much sit down to eat at 6pm most mights. I now wfh 8-4pm whereas pre-Covid I didn’t get in until 6.15pm.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 22/05/2023 16:20

6.30 ish - a carryover from when I was working and going to bed at 9pm because I was up at 6am.

Lyricallie · 22/05/2023 16:21

We aim for 7pm but there’s usually stuff on during the week it can be any time from 5:45-9:45pm!

MapoTofuLettuce · 22/05/2023 16:21

Usually 8 although it sometimes gets pushed back to 9 depending on our commitments.

If it were just me, I'd eat dinner at 6.30 and be in bed by 9.

mynewusername2023 · 22/05/2023 16:22

Normally around 5.30pm and we both work. I finish at 4pm and DH at 3.30pm although we both start earlier than 9am to be able to finish early.

fancyfrogs · 22/05/2023 16:22

Around 6ish, we all eat together - me, DH and young DC
It works well for after work, then time for baths etc. I can't imagine having a proper meal after 8pm/when they're in bed - that's my time to tidy up their mess from the day, have a bath and watch something other than CBeebies! Even pre kids me and DH didn't eat later than 7pm generally. I'd be starving

SquigglePigs · 22/05/2023 16:23

Either 5.30-6ish if we eat with DD or 8ish if we eat after she goes to bed. My ideal would be 7-7.30pm.

Silvergoldandglitter · 22/05/2023 16:24

We eat 7pm-8pm here. If I ate at 5pm I'd be starving again before bedtime.

Partytastic · 22/05/2023 16:24

5 o’ clock due to children. My body clocked had adapted to it.

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