Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
Original poster
PrincessScrumpy · 31/12/2010 11:02

usualsuspect: So you've never bitched about anyone? This is my 1st AIBU thread so not like I do it a lot!

And for your information, yes our parents are very proud of us both as we've worked hard to get what we have, and have a strong relationship. Not really sure what your point is.

Anyway, FIL is to blame for MIL's lack of effort - he always used to criticise MIL's efforts in the passed apparently so she stopped bothering.

OP posts:
Original poster
PrincessScrumpy · 31/12/2010 11:04

past - not passed - sorry, doing art with dd.

OP posts:
sarah293 · 31/12/2010 11:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Panzee · 31/12/2010 11:08

Did they ask you to bring pudding?

mippy · 31/12/2010 11:14

This is how my mother makes Christmas dinner. I live with it because she is not well-off, and after all she is cooking me the meal, but every year I offer to do the veg for her and she says no because she likes the frozen versions. She even asked why I didn't use them when I cooked a roast when she came to visit...

(She also knows nothing about wine, so buys Lambrini for Christmas dinner. LAMBRINI. I avoid saying 'It's just cider in a posh bottle!' and offer to get the wine, but it's what she likes, so I can just drink somethign else.)

Do your in-laws cook much on their own? My mother's given up on cooking since my dad died, so when I go round she's always eating ready meals if she eats at all. A lot of people too see cooking properly as really expensive - certainly buying a ready made shepherd's pie, for example, is cheaper than making it from scratch even if the homemade one is much nicer. Also, as an adult I try new things - for 18 years I had never eaten spaghetti bolognaise with more than a spoonful of tomato puree in it, because my dad didn't like tomatoes, and I'd never eaten squash, pesto or aubergine.

It's still fucking rude to ignore someone's home-made offering, though.

AlpinePony · 31/12/2010 11:15

I crashed the car yesterday - can someone please provide me with some frozen roast tatties?

JiltedJohnsJulie · 31/12/2010 11:16

MrPrincessScrumpy, how embarrassing for you that you have to admit that you haven't managed to master one of the basic skills of life.

Have you thought about enrolling on a cookery course?

Odd too that you say you can't cook but then sneer at the food you have been served.

PigValentine · 31/12/2010 11:20

I am a perfect guest btw, will choke down anything

Me too. If I don't have to cook it; I'll eat it Grin

I do prefer home cooked stuff, we generally have home made things supplemented with convienience food, which I think is quite normal, but people do seem to get inordinately proud of themselves for making homemade food. I don't know why it's such a big deal. My MIL used frozen roasties when we went there for xmas day once, and quite frankly it was the least of my worries, what with the fighting at the dinner table and "platewarmergate" Grin

usualsuspect · 31/12/2010 11:20

Wind up

TallyB · 31/12/2010 11:30

Yes, you are BU, maybe they prefer to spend Christmas day relaxing with family. Some people do.

I can see why you were upset about the cheesecake, it must have been disappointing that they didn't have any after you went to all that trouble. However, not everyone likes cheesecake, it seems to be a bit like Marmite, people either love or hate it. I'm in the latter camp: it genuinely makes me nauseous.

VickstaS · 31/12/2010 11:45

It just sounds like mr scrumpy's parents were being deliberately rude to her by choosing to eat the tesco value cheesecake rather than the one she went to the effort of baking for them. It was rude of them. Why shouldn't she be annoyed?

FellatioNelson · 31/12/2010 11:45

I agree with LeQueen. Bisto gravy granules and frozen Aunt Bessies roast potatoes have their place (which is as a fall-back for stressed weeknight suppers when you didn't manage to get to the supermarket for anything fresher or more interesting) but if it's your idea of a good roast dinner on the most special day of our cultural year, when we are supposed to feast like kings and make merry, and lavish our nearest and dearest with lovingly prepared treats, then...well, you have no style.

I'll reserve judgement on Waitrose roast potatoes in goose fat as I'm sure they are very good, but anyone who thinks that factory made roast potatoes are EVER the same or better than home cooked ones, needs a lesson in how to cook a decent roast spud.
(preferably from me. Grin)

And the OP is not rude to come on here and moan behind her mil's back. That's what MN is for - sounding off anonymously. What would be rude is if she'd told her mil to her face that she thought her dinner was a second rate cop-out.

tinkertitonk · 31/12/2010 11:52

Ace thread, well done everyone. (Fellatio, do you have any tricks to share besides potato-roasting?)

FellatioNelson · 31/12/2010 11:55

Well sadly, if you asked my DH my greatest skill I think he'd opt for the potatoes. Wink

TrillianAstra · 31/12/2010 11:56

Of course you sound snobby.

It's not what I would choose either, but if someone prefers the taste of shop-bought cake to your homemade cake then there's more for you.

From their perspective if they genuinely prefer the shop-bought, probably-cheaper (ingredients for cheesecake are expensive), not-time-consuming option then that's great for them. I sometimes wish I had cheaper tastes.

FellatioNelson · 31/12/2010 11:58

So do I! That might be my aim for 2011 - to develop cheap crap taste. I'll save myself a fortune.

TwoJackRussellsdefrosting · 31/12/2010 12:04

I have to admit that I have bought in frozen veg and a ready to roast frozen turkey for DH and I's new year dinner, but that's mainly cos I do cook from scratch almost always and DH insisted that I have a break this time. I have just made a homemade baked cheesecake though, just cooling on the side as I type, looking forward to that the most

Your cake sounds lovely princess and have to agree that if your IL's prefer the shop bought one then all the more for those who do like homemade Xmas Grin

Quenelle · 31/12/2010 12:11

We hosted all the parents plus a brother and an aunt on Christmas Day. DH did the whole dinner, from scratch. It was delicious. Sadly DH missed watching DS open most of his presents because he was busy in the kitchen.

Next time I'll suggest using convenience food. I can have a homecooked roast any time but there are more special things to enjoy that only occur on Christmas Day.

AuldLangMammaries · 31/12/2010 12:19

Next time there is a dire emergency in my life I will immediately reach for my bag of Aunt Bessies ...... I never realised that they had such an important place in disaster management!

I really think that Aunt Bessie is missing a trick when it comes to marketing ...... they should be advertised on the back of Hospital advice cards adjacent to the No Win no Fee Solicitors!

Ring 999 now and ask for Aunt Bessie (the 4th emergency service)

bruffin · 31/12/2010 12:30

My roast potatoes are legendary Grin
but the tescos finest in goose fat are really good as well.

SylvanianFamily · 31/12/2010 12:32

We had frozen roast pots and yorkies for Christmas lunch.

It really is far too busy a day to have trays of smoking oil, and 'timings'.

I'm a pretty reasonable cook - me and the kids had rustled a mean trifle the night before for pudding, and we ate a very tasty organic chicken - but I thiink Christmas day is not a good time for culinary showmanship

bupcakesandcunting · 31/12/2010 12:53

I used the Waitrose dripping frozed spuds when I cooked Christmas lunch when 7 months pregnant. I also used pre cut carrots and sprouts and gravy out if the chilled section at Marks. The only home prepared thing was the turkey.

The only bad thing about it is that I'm on the dole so shouldn't be buying pre-cut fayre, heh heh Grin

usualsuspect · 31/12/2010 12:57

Well thats just wrong bupcakes ..do they even let dole-ites in waitrose and marks?

bupcakesandcunting · 31/12/2010 12:59

I'm a well dressed dolite, I spend my WTC and CB on threads from Boden. I remember to drop my haitches too when hasking where the hanchovies are.

JoBettany · 31/12/2010 13:08

I think frozen roast potatoes taste wrong but would eat them if I was a guest(had them at my brother's - they were vile). I would never serve them myself and I would be surprised if someone served them at a 'special meal' such as Christmas/Boxing Day.

Usually, I would have thought, if you invite people round for a meal you try your best?

Frozen roast potatoes are surely more expensive than a bag of potatoes and some vegetable oil? They are so easy to make too.

OP, YANBU.

Swipe left for the next trending thread