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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

frozen roast potatoes are for emergencies not for Christmas day

468 replies

PrincessScrumpy · 30/12/2010 21:41

I made a double chocolate baked cheese cake for Christmas with the in-laws - they didn't eat it and chose tesco value chocolate cake over my homemade dessert. I had to laugh - my dessert was yummy and dh and dd both ate mine. dh was horrified that his family were so rude and also by their taste buds.

I was alarmed when I went to the fridge on Christmas eve for dd's milk to see no sign of a Christmas dinner. My assumptions were correct - all from the freezer - even the veg including roast potatoes and yorkshire puddings to go with the Iceland roast pork and lamb.

Luckily, my aunt made a fab Christmas dinner on Monday so at least I've had real Christmas dinner.

Don't mean to sound snobby, but I come from a family that enjoys homemade food.

OP posts:
ItsGraceAgain · 31/12/2010 17:22

Litchick, not only do mine helpfully cook themselves in a bit of olive oil & butter, I don't even peel them - so mine are actually 'healthier' than Aunt Bessie's. Some people, though, feel the need to parboil/pre-steam them, then baste them in quantities of fat that doesn't even come from the accompanying meat. Weird Hmm

nomoreheels · 31/12/2010 17:52

Have read this thread with interest, and can't believe there was only one comment about what I found more alarming than the roastie fiasco - serving grade Z meat from Iceland for what is supposed to be the nicest meal of the year! Bleurgh...

I'm sure your cheesecake was lovely, OP. How could they know they didn't like it if they didn't even try it?

And you've said you thanked her for the meal regardless, I agree there's nothing wrong with venting on here.

I feel for you, some of my ILs are very fussy packaged food eaters. They view homemade things with great suspicion. My SIL retched when she heard I'd added some red wine to my gravy, and cooking my carrots in a bit of Marigold bouillon (all normal natural ingredients) made them "taste funny" apparently. Broccoli must be boiled til it's grey. Oh, and their meat has to be cooked to boot leather/cinder stage or they won't eat it.

I am glad I don't have to cook for them very often as it tries my patience!

usualsuspect · 31/12/2010 18:28

I can't believe the 'my dinner was better than your dinner' posts and wtf is Marigold bouillon ,can you buy it in asda? Wink

Alouiseg · 31/12/2010 18:47

I actually can't believe the stress that goes into a slightly larger roast for a few more people. It's easier than a dinner party, it's during the day, it's easily pre prepped.

I'm giving lessons next year!

Panzee · 31/12/2010 18:48

I think we need some kind of Mumsnet Christmas Dinner Masterchef to settle this.

usualsuspect · 31/12/2010 18:49

I've never had a dinner party

Alouiseg · 31/12/2010 18:49

I'm in!

Alouiseg · 31/12/2010 18:51

Usualsuspect! Seriously??

Why not? You don't need babysitters you have your friends over and get them lagging before the first course, everyone has fun. You get invited back. What's not to love?

usualsuspect · 31/12/2010 18:52

I have friends round to eat often ..not formal dinner parties though

usualsuspect · 31/12/2010 18:53

My mates would laugh their heads off if I invited them to a dinner party Grin

Alouiseg · 31/12/2010 18:57

Dare you ;-)

usualsuspect · 31/12/2010 18:58

Do they have to wear long frocks Grin

Alouiseg · 31/12/2010 19:05

Like Margo?!

No, I've had 6 men dancing in their pants on the coffee table before, 2 married women kissing each other at the table.

Sometimes we start at about 2pm on saturday afternoon, so we have a longer party and hangovers don't become too debilitating.

I havnt had one for 4 months because my house is being bashed about but when it's done.....

Adversecamber · 31/12/2010 19:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

toddlerwrangler · 31/12/2010 19:07

You are not being unreasnable. You are being a complete and utter arse.

How rude are you? I have cooked christmas dinner for between 7 and 12 for the last 5 years, and each year M&S have helped out consierably. If anyone dared be so sodding rude as to suggest I was being lazy I would have shoved a jar of goose fat right up thier snotty little arse.

Maybe your cheesecake was rank? WHY is it rude to prefere tesco value cheesecake over homemade? If they had been as rude as you and come on here slagging your efforts off, then that is one thing, but it sounds ilke they did the decent thing, kept thier gob shut and just picked at the bits they liked?

Ruuuuuuuuudddeeeeee lady.

JoBettany · 31/12/2010 19:13

toddlerwrangler - massive over reaction on your part IMO.

We're talking about roast potatoes, not the Geneva convention.

Normanshormones · 31/12/2010 19:14

When my three DCs were tiny, Iceland did a complete Christmas dinner in a box.

Prawn cocktail, roast turkey, roast potatoes & veg, black forest gateau. (I know, I know, but it wasn't that bad).

We had that three years running and it saved my Christmases.

Now I cook everything from scratch & it's much nicer - but not everyone has the time, energy or ability to do that.

Alouiseg · 31/12/2010 19:26

ToddlerWrangler you can come to my masterclass next year :o

higgle · 31/12/2010 19:31

YANBU it was extremely discourteous to offer you such utter crap to eat - especially the Iceland meat. I cannot understand how anyone with half a brain could put a value pudding on the table for visitors.

toddlerwrangler · 31/12/2010 19:40

JoBettany - but we are not just talking about roasties, are we? We are talking about OPs attitude towards a meal that was cooked for her.

I don't give a toss if it is organic homemade of Iceland value value value range - if someone has had the good grace to put a meal in front of you, you should at least try and have a little respect for that fact.

Alouiseg - I may well attend!

And, as a final comment, whilst I actually agree froen roasties are generallt pretty rank (and yes, taste just like nuked homemade roasties), the best roasties I have ever had are Aldi frozen roasties. So there!

SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 31/12/2010 19:58

''I don't give a toss if it is organic homemade of Iceland value value value range - if someone has had the good grace to put a meal in front of you, you should at least try and have a little respect for that fact.''

Likewise, if someone has had the good grace to prepare a desert for you, you should least try and have a little respect for that fact.

Regardless of whether the cheesecake was not to their taste, the inlaws were very rude to refuse to even try it. The OP OTOH chocked down their offerings and said thank you. Doesn't seem to me that its the OP who has the problem.

toddlerwrangler · 31/12/2010 20:12

As far as I can see - she cooked a cheesecake and is now upset that tesco value cheesecake was chosen over this offering? On this I DO gree it was rude if in laws refused to try it.

OP then kicks up a fuss because someone 'dares' cook frozen roasties? Rude, rude and rude again, homemade cheesecake or no homemade cheesecake.

Of course, this is an 11 page thread and I may have missed something? IF inlaws flatly refused to try homemade cheesecake and OP politely ate a meal she thought wasnt very nice, then in laws were very much in the wrong, not OP.

ItsGraceAgain · 31/12/2010 20:17

I agree with Stroppy Toddler!

I may be wrong, but I got the impression OP proffered her homebakedchocolatecheesecake as an UNASKED alternative to ther hosts' bought layer cake. Which, if so, was damn rude.

FanjolinaJolie · 31/12/2010 20:21

YANBU

Christmas dinner straight from the freezer sounds awful and would not taste nearly as nice as made from scratch/home made.

But then there are lots of people who never cook from scratch for various reasons so I can see how they wouldn't change their cooking habits for one day.

But you were polite and thanked them so you are not rude in the slightest.

GeorgeEliot · 31/12/2010 20:22

Next time the OP should host the meal at her house.