Cold Sunday Lunch

[IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads]

I have invited a distant relative to lunch next week, as they will be in the area. When I asked if they had any dietary requirements, the reply was “we only eat cold food”. (I was expecting veggie, GF, Dairy free etc. I can deal with all of that) My teens will have been out doing outdoor sports and will want something warm and substantial. I’ll be with them, so I need something I can make in advance. And DH can’t eat raw veg.

Any ideas please?

It’s not something I’ve heard of, but how is it that much different than you wanting a hot lunch? Can’t you all just have a cold lunch? Actually saying that, I do have a friend who doesn’t really like any cold food!!

I’d do ploughman’s and also do a big bowl of roast potatoes and maybe veg. That way everyone can pick what they want or do a hot and cold buffet type dinner

I don't like cold food and almost never eat it by choice.

Seems perfectly normal to me to offer a meal to guests and it being all cold, especially in winter is just weird.

My mum used to do a Saturday buffet for drop in family every week and her line up would be perfect for this. Everything just put put out on the table and people would help themselves to what they wanted

• rotisserie chicken sliced up
• several fresh baguettes sliced up
• pickled onions and pickled beetroot
• potato salad and coleslaw
• some good cheddar
• dips
• salad
• a quiche served cold
• then a tray of sausages and a tray of chicken legs would go in the oven with some sliced onions so people could have a hot element

pudding would be a selection of: Sara Lee chocolate gateaux, trifle, profiteroles or cheesecake

I was going to say this!

Massive salad for your guests 🤣

Huge Sunday roast for your family
With Yorkshire Pudding.
Ive never known anyone to only ever eat cold food!!

Cold food is a weird one but in summer I often do things like a roasted joint/chicken, served cold/room temperature, with lots of lovely salads.

eg roast chicken, served with garlic bread, a really good green salad and perhaps some kind of salsa or similar.

Or A roasted sirloin joint served with new potatoes or potato salad, tomato salad - something with a lot of zing, perhaps a dip of some sort etc

Or chicken/lamb served with a couscous/quinoia style roasted veg salad served cold and something like some hummus or baba ganoush.

Frankly, I think I'd prefer that to the standard Sunday roast.

I suspect the DW makes the decisions for her DH too!

What time do you have Sunday lunch @IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads?

To me most of these suggestions are for dinner, eg5pm.

Yes, and despite the fact that it was frequently much more difficult to cater for. My elderly PIL have their version of this, which is ‘Oh, I’ll just have a bun’, which is code for wanting tea and a bread roll, which sounds straightforward enough, but in practice is requested in a formal restaurant or when out for the day when abroad on holiday in a culture where restaurants only serve meals at specific times.

Normally about 1-1.30, after morning activities, but needs must.

Why? Why do they only eat cold food? We need to know!!! 😂

You say the relative asked for cold food, then that your DH can't eat raw veg - they are not the same thing. I know there is a movement of raw food only eaters, but not cold only!

You could do a ham joint/chicken served cool, with cooled roasted mixed vegetables e.g. peppers, onions, etc., and cooled new potatoes, all a perfectly normal meal. The rest of the family would have hot vegetables with their ham.

Selection of breads and then serve:
Coronation chicken
Chicken liver pate
Mushroom/bean pate
Sliced meats
Couple of cheeses
Salad

Why can’t the fuss pots just eat a hot meal?

These are those sort of people who couldn’t possibly eat more than one hot meal a day. As they already have a hot meal planned for dinner, they must eat lettuce and cold new potatoes for lunch because anything else is simply ‘too rich’ and ‘too much’.

I have family like this who like to be seen as picking at food and never having too much, but then when you actually offer them food, won’t take a second helping but will pick off everyone else’s plate or will hoover up the leftovers while helping clear the table.

I’d go for boiled eggs, cold ham, salad, hummus and various things to dip, plus jackets with chilli (or other hot topping).

Or just tell them to let it go cold and then eat it?

I don’t know! But they do certainly eat a lot of whatever it is they eat!