to think that they can get what they are given and be bloody grateful

[bogie]

Christmas dinner... was planning, Soup to start then Turkey, roasties, parsnip and mustard mash, brussells, stuffing, pigs in blankets and carrot ribbons with honey and parsly then christmas pud or chocolate triffle (cheese board in the evening)..... I am cooking for 15!! with 3 under 5's wanting to open and play with all their presents.... and now SIL and her DP have decided that this is not good enough because sil's dp doesn't like parsnip or brussels so I will need to do mash potato and a tin of sweetcorn for him and her 2yo ds, now I only have a small oven and a small kitchen, I have planned it all and now I am getting pissed off, if they were going to a resturant they couldn't say oh and you will have to change your menu because my 26 year old boyfriend doesn't like it so cook sweetcorn and mash aswell.

stop it you're teasing me. salivating here

Def a huge plate of roast parsnips & gravy for dinner at mine (preggers so fully licensed for crazy meals)

YANBU
Personally, I feel that he was ungrateful and ill mannered. However, I'd just heat up a tin of sweetcorn and buy a ready-made tray of mash from M&S or whatever is quick and easy and local and put it near their plates. But I'm a pushover and would do it just to keep the peace.

Findingmymojo - no of course I wouldn't phone up and demand which is why I said the OP is NBU.

However, if it is family (I am presuming DP has been around for a while since the OP knows about his fussiness anyway from Sunday lunch at the MIL) and I already know their prefernces then I would have accommodate anyway, that is all I am saying. The only veg on the menu is parsnip, carrots and brussels and people have strong feelings about brussels and parsnips anyway (nobody in our family likes them except DH and quite a few on this thread) so I just think a 2 minute blast for sweetcorn in the microwave isn't a lot to ask.

I don't, I repeat, hold with asking what is being served and then asking for it to change, but I do think the OP should have considered the likes and dislikes of her guests.

Gah, how many times can one person write anyway in a post.

Let them have their hissy fit I say.
Tell them you haven't enough hobs to be doing mash and sweetcorn.

OP - I'm a fussy eater (SN), also do not like parsnips and sprouts. I eat Xmas dinner with my parents, they do like parsnips and sprouts, I just have extra roasties, carrots and peas to compensate. When I have my Xmas dinner with my DP we do parsnip for him and I get some extra sweet potatoes. Simples. I would never expect anyone to cook anything extra for me. I generally cook most of my meals myself or I eat at my parents or at the in laws house and they always do meals they know I like which they also like.

There's never a food shortage at Christmas anyway, not with all that chocolate floating around! :)

YANBU

But then, when my SIL and BIL, we end up cooking:

1. Pizza for their son (who only eats pizza)
2. Another meal for their daughter (who only eats either chicken nuggets or ham and chips)
3. A meal for the adults. Even then, there are certain meals they don't like, so we are quite limited! Last time they visited, BIL said "I'll have the crumble, but no apple" when I dished up desert!

Pisses me right off.

SIL and BIL visit

YANBU OP but the dinner does sound a bit light on the vegetables

They can eat what they want, and not take what they don't. End of. We have one set of occasional visitors whose son is a seriously fussy eater. Now at home they pander to it to an extent because they need him to eat something - but away from home - and especially at such a large family occasion - the line (of which I entirely approve) is that he won't be forced to eat anything, but what there is available is the only option - no special treatment. As soon as you start pandering to fussy eaters, your entire plan will go to pot.

YANBU! You're the one who's going to be slaving away in the kitchen all day so that your relatives can relax and enjoy themselves for Xmas - they can bloody well eat what they are given or be hungry! You have plenty of food on offer so I'm sure they'll find a way not to stave...

My brother insists that he doesn't like turkey, despite never having so much as tried it since he was about 8yrs old. We made him a gammon joint last year when we hosted but it was such a faff to cook a whole extra meat dish in our teeny kitchen that I have said I will never do it again - he's a grown up and if he doesn't want turkey he can bloody well go back to his house and cook his own dinner!

I'd tell them they need to bring their own if they don't like what's being served as you are not running a restaurant.

'YANBU OP but the dinner does sound a bit light on the vegetables'

There are 4 veg dishes on the menu - potatoes, parsnips, sprouts and carrots.

The soup might also be veg-based.

oh don't be ridiculous, he can just have everything except the parsnips and brussels sprouts surely?

he's a bloody grown man!

I don't really count potatoes as vegetables!
But yes, I had forgotten the parsnips.

It´s all very well people saying that Op should do the sweetcorn, & I admit it wouldn´t take much, but I wouldn´t have room tbh.

I don't really count potatos as a vegetable, which leaves parsnips and sprouts - both a bit marmite,people either love or hate - and carrots which are going to have honey on. I'd only eat the sprouts out of those three and I've never classed myself as a particularly fussy eater.

I wouldn't request anything special though, but some people get offended if you don't tell them beforehand and just eat what you like

I don't mind the carrots having honey but they are just ribbons - don't sound particularly substantial

Do lots of people have mashed potatoes as well as roast potatoes? I can see parsnip mash is different (and sounds great to me), but roast potatoes AND mashed potatoes? Really?

What a lovely menu, am nicking your carrot idea, YANBU.

Weirdo SIL's dh asked, at the table, for brown sauce with his roast dinner as he can't eat a meal without it Told him he'd be wiser bringing some with him since not everyone, like us, buys the stuff. His jaw dropped after he stiffly said, "I suppose ketchup would do" and told him we didn't have any of that either.

I usually have roast potatoes,dauphinoise and boiled potatoes with herb butter.

I do think it's rude and I think your menu sounds lovely but I would probably at least do the sweetcorn for the sake of family harmony and be the bigger person.

ask them to bring the additional food prepared so it can be microwaved. Say you your oven and hands are full already.

One of my colleagues insists Christmas dinner has to include mash as well as roast potatoes. I'd never realised that people do both until then. But then I'm not sure what bread sauce is either which seems to be an important part of Christmas meals for some

I used to do mash as well when the children were younger.

Apparantly MIL used to do roast & mash & make her own bread sauce.

Some traditions don´t carry on!