Meals for everyone's dietary requirements?

[MrsCrouch]

I'm going on holiday to a self-catered cottage next week with DP, his parents, his brother and his gf (6 of us). We'll eat out a few nights but me and DP have to cook dinner one night and there are a lot of dietary needs. I'm panicking about what to make that's quick, easy and won't cost a fortune meeting everyone's needs.

So:

• DP only eats very plain food. Staple dinner is meat + mashed potato/chips/rice + veg. He'll also eat pasta.
• BIL is gluten free, but will eat most things otherwise
• Me and BIL's gf are both vegetarian
• In laws will be pissed off if there's no meat option for dinner and don't really like vegetables (think veg is poor people's food?!)

Help. Any ideas?

I’d do a roast. It’s naturally gluten free so you’re not buying gluten free alternatives which are pricey and often not good. It fits the need for plain whilst not being dull. And it’s reasonably easy to cook if you have an oven. Make something delicious as a main component for you and the girlfriend in advance

I had a similar issue recently with two flavour free guests on a work trip, we all took turns to cook. I just made what I wanted, after all they had made food completely devoid of flavour rather than making something everyone else would enjoy, so I did the same. Dietery requirements were of course met, thats a completely different matter.

Bangers and mash, and make beforehand a caramelised onion gravy to go with it.

Keep it simple.

Yes thanks for noticing that @RampantIvy. They don't want anything that tastes of anything. They're very functional eaters.

Me and DP usually eat dinner separately, we're generally on different schedules in the week anyway, I work shifts and he's a 9-5er. We do have meals together sometimes, eg. roast, veggie pasta, fish and veg (I do eat fish occasionally). He'll also eat things like spag bol and lasagna with Quorn mince/lentils.

I'm a coeliac, and I'm horrified by the lack of knowledge or detail given of one or two answers on here. I will spare their blushes, but please, never feed a coeliac or advise others unless you have checked what you are doing. Sadly I've too much experience of being "poisoned" by people who breeze, "Oh, it's easy really, isn't it?".

As a previous poster said, if everything is gf then you'll avoid the real risk of cross contamination and not be worrying.

Some easy options I'd suggest:

Aldi Bratwurst sausages are GF and very good. Buy some ready made mash and a big bag of "stabby veg". (The prepped ones in a cellophane bag, stab the bag and cook in the microwave). If you wanted you could cheer up the mash with a dollop of Maille dijon mustard. Knorr beef stockpots are GF.

Alternatively, M&S Cottage Pie is GF ( ONLY the one I picture below in the brown coloured sleeve). I scatter some grated mature cheddar and thick slices of tomato on top before it goes in the oven.

While you're in Marks'. you could pick up a big tray of their ready to cook roast potatoes with butter to pop in the oven too.

For the vegetarians you'll be on safer ground, but I'd suggest buying some gf pizzas ( many are also suitable for vegetarians) and augmenting them with lots of sliced mushrooms, onions, red peppers, more cheese and Italian herbs. Serve in slices. Put it all on the table and let them dig in!

As ever, check all labels or get BIL to, in case of recipe changes.

It's all a bit processed, but it's one meal, it's tasty and safe and you're on holiday. 😊

PS if you want to thicken your gravy, make sure you use flour or cornflour which are gf, of course.

I have a few friends who are coeliac @SeatonCarew and they have been at pains to educate me about foods that don't obviously contain gluten - soy sauce, malt vinegar, some brands of mayonnaise for example.

When I cook for them I am meticulous about ingredients and reading labels.

Instead of doing something cooked, I think I'd just do a buffet - so platter of e.g. good ham (for the more traditional meat eaters) and other cooked meats, e.g. prosciutto, salami, chorizo for the more adventurous meat eaters, and a tray of cooked sausages - high meat content sausages are usually gluten-free, but they will be marked as such on the pack. Devilled eggs always go down well - hard-boiled eggs, with the yolks mashed with mayo/curry powder/mango chutney and then piped back into the white shell. (Or, shovelled in with a spoon which is what I usually do!)

Then a range of different veggie salads e.g. potato salad, pasta or rice salad, green salad, tomato salad. Add stuff from M&S deli to complement.

Then a cheese platter with some GF crackers, and celery/grapes

And some kind of centrepiece/showstopper dessert to keep everyone happy!

On holiday you say?
Make your life easy with baked potatoes all round, put bowls of various fillings in the middle - grated cheese, baked beans, tuna mayo, coleslaw etc with a big Mumsnet salad.
Let everyone help themselves.