frozen roast potatoes are for emergencies not for Christmas day

[PrincessScrumpy]

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.

Personally, I wouldn't ever produce ready-made dinner from the freezer - let alone on Christmas when I like to cook from scratch.

But each to their own. Some frozen or refrigerated ready-mades are pretty decent, and obviously a lot of people like them just fine or the supermarkets wouldn't stock them!

If someone invites me to their house, I suppose I do hope for yummy homecooked goodness because I love good food and enjoy the care that has gone into making something special... but its not a problem to me if their offering is out of the freezer. I've actually had some very good meals out of the freezers of cooking-challenged friends.

As for the cheesecake... sorry, blergh. Cheesecake is one of very few things in this world that I just won't eat (My DH dislikes it too for that matter) Maybe your ILs just feel the same way about cheesecake as we do?

i hate aunt bessies!! and am certainly no snob! i would be disappointed too op.

Wouldn't dream of having Christmas at home without family. Loved Christmas - this was just a minor thing. I do love my in-laws, and dd had a wonderful time so I wouldn't change it.

Yep, okay I accept I am a snob when it comes to dinner - but I don't care. I believe in good manners, etiquette and good food. Obviously MIL was thanked for her meal and it just would have been nice if she returned the favour.

I'm not hugely angry or upset, it was just a niggle.

You lost me on the baked cheesecake

Having said that I do agree that it was a bit off not to try what you'd made. Unless of course they feel the same way about baked cheesecake as I do. It's hard to be polite when you're gagging

This is all easily solved by simply hosting Christmas yourself next year. Then you get to do it all your own way.

I make most things for scratch. Good for me. If I go to someone else's house I accept that I will be given their preference food wise and try to be a good guest. I wouldn't dream of going on an internet site and slagging of what they gave me to eat. That to me is not good manners, especially when they are your in laws.

Have frozen roat pots all the time, as no one notices the difference sif they are poreprly done, and life s to short to messa bout hand making everything whe n the time taken lugging home pots, peeling and preparing them would be better spent tobogganing with the DC. And as to nadmaking cheescake - am defintely with your ILs on this - good on them - suggest you take their hint next year!

I had M& roast potatoes in beef dripping, I frozen them and cooked them from frozen as part of our Christmas dinner.

They were fucking lush!! I want more!!

And I cannot stand chocolate cheesecake - no everyone likes chocolate cheesecake regardless of how it was made.

So YABU and a bit snobby.

Frozen roast potatoes a la Aunt Bessie's are never acceptable. They taste horrible, all soft and spongy.

My DH does all the cooking at home but even I know how to make half decent roasties and they take hardly any time to do at all.

YANBU OP.

Everyone has different ways of doing things. I don't think serving food that doesn't come up to your guests' standards is as important as good manners and etiquette.

I cook from scratch mostly,nbut we have frozen veg in the freezer for emergencies. Can't imagine a roast potato emergency mind you.

Being related to a raging food snob, I can tell you that I would prefer to be served frozen roasts than regaled with tales of how the potato was grown from scratch according to the phases of the moon before being roasted in a gold plated tin in a custom built oven and sprinkled with a rare herb that is only found growing on the slopes of mount everest at the summer solstice.

[beats self into unconsciousness with a hand carved wooden spoon]

Get your parents in law a Good Housekeeping magazine subscription. They can follow the time plan for the xmas dinner :) From November there's info on getting the xmas pud & cake done and pressie ideas.

You sound lovely. They invited you around for Christmas Lunch and you come on here an sneer at what you were given. Charming.

Hee hee this thread is fantastic, British class structure, common if you use frozen, not if you dont!!! hilarious

RIVEN: Free dinner? no, cost lots - cat in cattery for 5 days over Christmas plus £100 in fuel to get to in-laws.

Ps. I had frozen roast potatoes in the freezer after dd was born so DH could cook them - he's wasn't very confident but wanted to help with cooking.

My mum used to cook for 15 on Christmas day but we all chipped in doing veg and stuffing the turkey etc, then we all helped to wash and dry up. It was a real family affair. I guess I just miss it as my parents were abroad visiting my brother and SIL. We're having our Christmas in January.

Well, I used frozen potatoes for Christmas.

I also bought a boned and ready stuffed turkey (shock horror! She! did!not!make!her!own!stuffing!), it was moist and yum.

I had 15 people who decided to have Christmas with us (all invited themselves, which I was fine with).

I was not going to serve up a cooked and boiling hostess.

So I bought Waitrose frozen roasties in beef dripping. People liked them and had seconds.

yabu!

aaaah Princess.

I get it now.

for MEN it is fine to do frozen potatoes.

Women should know better and try harder.

did not realise it depended on the sex of the offender.

Try this thread in the feminist section, could be fun

yanbu The whole ready meal culture is disgusting, and hugely lacking in essential nutrients.

its not hard to peel a potato. Frozen peas are ok though

yuk about choosing the cake over yours. It is true though that some people dont like cheesecake

Chandon: Noooooo, please don't start an argument like that. DH wasn't cooking Christmas dinner! DH had to learn fast as his mother wouldn't let him or his brother near the gas cooker as it was dangerous for them (even in their 20s) so he'd never cooked anything other than toast.

I am happy to have frozen stuff, I would just rather fresh at Christmas and I know MIL makes nice ones on the few occasions the has.

Put your wooden spoon away. I'm simply having a whinge about my MIL (which I thought was allowed).

Not ungrateful for meal, but many of you imply that I just turned up and sat their having never done a thing for in-laws. We do lots and took them on hols with us to France so they could spend time with dd as they were jealous of my parents as they see dd more (they moved so they can live closer).

chandon its ridiculous to bring up male female debate. Princess said it was because he was not confident cooking, not because he is a man

YANBU frozen roasties are never the same IMHO