To think this was quite a nice packed lunch I made for 20 month old.

[B4Beatrice]

In brief, meeting relative for picnic yesterday. I said I would do food as she works part time so would be coming straight to park. I made our DDs both 20 months, a homemade scotch egg (very big) each and bough them a tub of strawberries to share.

Friend told me it was not an adequate lunch and that a sandwich is more appropriate??

Am I or her BU??

Personally, I would love a homemade scotch egg, my dds would think otherwise and I would be hugely embarrassed. I wouldn't dream of complaining after you'd gone to all that effort though. If I was making the picnic I'd have played safe with some alternatives, maybe sandwiches, breadsticks etc

Nothing wrong with the food itself, and your friends comment was a bit rude but for a picnic I would normally expect more choice.

Ds is 17 months and I doubt he would eat a scotch egg, unless you knew it was something her lo would eat I would have included at least one more option just incase.

Bet my DD would have loved it. I never buy her scotch eggs or make them because they make me heave, so it would have been a treat. And she loves strawberries.

My only concern is that if she hadnt like the SE she would have been hungry. I personally would have added more things, like carrot sticks or cucumber and cherry tomatoes. But then I would also have made sarnies as standard. Poor DD quite often has sarnies in her packed lunch (as do I), although our days off we eat a more varied lunch!

YANBU. And your friend is ungrateful.

I don't think the op turned up with 2 scotch eggs and a tub of strawbs only did she? I assumed that was just for the children.

As for not being adequate, well no if that was the only meal of the day but assuming the children would have two other meals it's fine.

YANBU.
You went to the trouble of making the scotch eggs. Your relative was being rude and ungrateful. She should have kept her thoughts to herself.

Taken on board all comments!

Scotch egg was homemade, free range eggs etc.

Probably should of done a bit more variety, especially being as it wasn't my child.

Just in the intrest of science, the other child ate all of the egg part and about half the meat.

And yes they were oven cooked.

When doing a picnic for my 20 month old charge and her friend we do sandwiches, breadsticks, hummous, cucumber/carrot sticks, fruit, yoghurt so that if they are being picky then there is a choice - but I also know that my 20 month old would want more to eat than a scotch egg and some strawberries.

I cannot actually believe your friend was so outspoken, yes we all do things differently- I prefer to bake cakes and my friend feeds her children shop bought items and chocolate, when we go out together my phrase is... when in Rome....
It does annoy me that friends can be so laid back before children then turn into outspoken obsessives once DC arrive!

Louise
ps we would have eaten the scotch eggs and strawbs and thanked you for providing the picnic

OK pandering has a part to play in fussiness, but when you have a child on a lower centile line and HVs breathing down your neck there's a certain pressure to get them to eat - just eat, anything. So yes DS does live mainly off fish fingers but we're getting there slowly with other things.

Your friend was rude to moan, but toddlers are notorious for being fussy so I'd have brought a variety of things, in teh hope they'd eat something.

Nothing wrong with it as a meal in itself, but Ds1 wouldn't have eaten the strawberries unless pressurised (weirdo) and ds2 is allergic to egg! But if you were my friend you'd probably have known that

Sounds horrible to me but gift horse and all that

Okay thanks guys!

Just a few things-

Relative was the friend, I just used different words!

I knew there was no allergies.

Adults had chicken salad, a couple of samosas and fruit.

Toddlers picked at ours as well as enjoyed their own.

The reason I thought the scotch eggs would be good was,

a, they were different
b, I had them in the fridge mage from yesterday
c, like Wassa said sandwiches tend to be messy.

Anyway lesson learnt, but to be honest the reason that was all I did was my DD eats a wide range of foods, but only a very small amount. If I would make a whole selection she would have one bite of each and there would be a lot of waste, which I dont really like.

Next time I will plan better and take some other stuff as well.

Ds would have loved what you did for adults!

Next time why not just do a selection and adults and children have whichever they want!

Mine would have preferred the adult version too

If you give my son a sandwich, he eats the cheese and tosses the rest. He's 22 months. He's never had a scotch egg, but I think he'd like one!

Your relative/friend sounds ungrateful, tbh. Next time tell her to bring her own!

Mind you, DS couldn't have eaten a scotch egg but he doesn't eat wheat.
For his picnic lunches, he gets rice crackers, Boursin cheese, mandarin or grapes or some other fruit that he will eat (most apart from bananas, dammit!) and if we're pushing the boat out, then he gets smoked salmon to go on the cheese and crackers as well. But actually that's what we all have. He doesn't get anything different.

I think she was rude and ungrateful. It's out of order to tell you that the food you provided was 'inadequate'. Don't bother again, and if she asks just remind her that she thought you provided 'inadequate' food and are surprised to be asked again!

I'd wager your scotch eggs were far more substantial and nutritious than a crappy sarnie.

YANBU.

It sounds like enough food as in the quantity was fine for their age, but the fact that there was only 2 items means that there is a huge margin for error! Its very likely that at 20 months a child will refuse either one or both of the items and it would have been a good idea to have a much smaller quantity but a bigger variety. (isnt that what a picnic is? a range of varous foods that you pick at? not just a huge sarnie and a banana for example?)

OP said that the kids picked at the adults' food as well, so there was a choice.

Sounds like a good lunch. A big scotch egg is at least as many calories as a sandwich anyway, and probably more filling because of all the protein and some fat - fat fills you up and toddlers need it. A low-fat high fibre adult diet is quite a bad idea for them. Strawberries have lots of nutrients. I might have provided some yoghurt, and cucumber sticks as well but if they were nibbling on other stuff as well it sounds like more than enough.

I think sandwiches are quite poor nutritionally. It's misguided to say you have to have 'something starchy'.

Some people go over the top and competitive about 'variety'.

Children need variety but not on every single meal. They 'll not die if they have less carbs, or protein, or veg once, when they are out having fun. You can always balance it up in the evening or next day.

But i would make sandwitches only because they are easier. I don't even know how to make scotch egg. Maybe your friend is lazy/useless like me?

I am surprised that your po-faced friend told you it was not an adequate lunch.

Did her dd eat the scotch egg?