To hate Sunday roast dinners.....

[Toastandstrawberryjam]

It's not Sunday big family dinners I hate. It's specifically roast dinners.

Firstly every single time we have one (or I eat one somewhere else) I'm ill afterwards. I have no idea what it is but some part of it sets off an upset stomach followed by days of cramps. I'm ok if I just eat the meat and a few veggies but frankly that's not the most exciting of dinners.

Then there's the stipulation of "roast rules", always in the evening not at lunchtime. Invariably being everybody is tired and the DC barely eat anything. Then there's the "at least 2 types of potato" rule (but preferably 3 - roast, new, mash) and "at least 5 types of veg". It's such a palaver.

Last week I cooked roast chicken with crunchy baked potatoes, ratatouille and nice bread - that to me was perfect. Low fuss, minimal clean up. But it's not classed as a proper roast here :(

I think mash and Roast are a northern thing I sometimes do both

I was going to come on here to tell you you are wrong, roasts are easy and a pretty nice meal to do each week, but my roasts are a lot easier - meat in the oven in a roasting tin with a rack, potatoes and sweet potatoes shoved under the meat rack, carrots and parsnips chopped in big chunks also in the same tray, boil a bit of broccoli, knock up some gravy and i'm done. About 15 minutes prep, throw it all in together (except greens), go play for 1.5 hours, get meat out to rest and put on greens, make gravy and serve.

low effort, one roast tin, one pan one chopping board and one knife to wash up.

My roasts might not be the most "fancy" but its a nice weekly tradition.

Your DHs roasts sound like a crap way to use up the whole day on a Sunday.

Ive pushed the boat out ive bunged some frozen yorkshires in

My Mum was quite traditional about Sunday roasts and until I left home (not until I was late 20's ) I had one almost every week.

It was nice in some ways as it was the one meal we were all there for. I worked so used to eat later than parents and younger siblings during the week.

However I had long stopped enjoying the actual food I was served, and I love my food. Didn't help we used to have it at 2.30pm and I'd be starved a few hours later.

Moved in with OH and he isn't a roast fan so I never got into the habit of cooking them. In-fact only learnt how to make my own roasties and Yorkshire puds a few years ago.

I do variations of a roast quite often - fave is lamb neck fillets and minted new potatoes with veg.

I do however get the occasional fancies and must say I do make a lovely roast when I fancy it and can be arsed.

Oddly now I don't eat at my Mum's much going round for a roast is an absolute treat and I am literally salivating at the thought of Mum's Crimbo dinner already.

The notion of 3 potatoes and 6 veg - "demanded" by someone else - is plain bizarre to me. I'd tell my OH to fuck off if he ever demanded anything for dinner, he eats what he is given.

I love roast dinners but they are so much more work than people (well my DH) realise. I think it's because he thinks it's an easy "throw in the oven" meal... yeah right. I do love lot's of veggies, I always do baby carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc... and I roast some potatoes and parsnips. I used to use an electric food steamer for the veggies but I recently went back to using my ikea pots with layered steamer baskets on it - I steam up to 3 baskets which is more convenient. It's much quicker than the old electric steamer too.

I also like doing a roast chicken in the slowcooker surrounded by potatoes & parsnips, they get very moist and I just put them under a broiler to brown them for 5 minutes at the end.

Im not a big fan of roast dinners either. They never have been my favourite meal. Christmas dinner is worse too as that is just a glorified roast really and doesn't fill me with excitement.

I like them but keep it simple. Only roast potatoes.... I am pretty greedy but the thought of three types of potato makes me feel sick. I do one green veg like broccoli or green beans.

Christmas dinner is worse. Two types of stuffing, more veg etc etc. but it has the benefits of Turkey sandwiches afterwards (would happily eat those instead of the dinner!) and bubble and squeak the next day!

I think if it was a quicky roast I wouldn't mind so much, but 3 hours on a Sunday is such a waste of time. We were supposed to have lasagne, I was really looking forward to that!

Rainbunny - we have the opposite here, DH is normally out when I cook the sunday lunch (he usually goes out for a bike ride every Sunday morning), and his mum made such a palarva about cooking the sunday roast, that he believes it's 2-3 hours of soild work to make even a simple roast, whereas I do go with the 'bung it all in a roasting tin together' approach, so only really a short amount of 'work' - I don't feel any need to enlighten him into how little effort goes into my roasts.

Two to three hours?

Most of that time is spent with stuff in the oven. Peeling the veg takes 15 minutes tops, yorkshire pudding batter and prep 5 minutes, gravy 5 minutes.

Total hands on time 30 minutes,

Today I had roast beef, roast parsnip, roast potato, peas, carrots, sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Going to have dessert of Black Forest cake.

It's only twice a month I do a roast so go all out.

OP you have still not said what you don't just say no every week. If DP told me to cook like that ever, he would be ex DP.

As it is he plays football on a Sunday night do has porridge when he gets in.

We don't always have a roast on a Sunday but tonights is Turkey, with roasties, and 3 veg and yorkies.

We sometimes have roasts during the week as well. But if your dh is being a pain, he can cook the roasts.

What do you do for Christmas?

Because it's true that my DC do like roast dinner (although they don't care how many veg or what type of potatoes!), so I like doing it for them. Also there's the guilt that DH grew up with a huge roast every Sunday and I dont "provide" that.

I really wouldn't mind doing a simplified version once a month, I just think it's a shame that when it's quite often the only meal we all eat together that it has to be something that takes up a big chunk of my day.

Christmas is just a more involved version of a Sunday roast!

But, toast, why do you feel guilty?

You clearly have the resources as a family to have a big Sunday roast, but was it in your wedding vows that you would cook one, just as your dh likes every Sunday and clear it up afterwards?

WHY WHY WHY do you feel guilty about this???

Sounds like he's got a roast dinner confused with Christmas dinner. I absolutely love a roast and it doesn't take 3 hours to prepare because I never do it and it's only bland if you make it bland.

So why don't you just serve a simple version? A roast meat, roast potato and a roast veg all in one tray, plus a green veg. Gravy. Done. Much quicker than making a lasagne

Why can't DH do it if he loves it so much? Why is it your job? I love a Sunday lunch, but don't do them that often as I work weekends

Because he won't eat a simple version! Just like he won't eat anything that comes out of a slow cooker (not proper food). It drives me insane. So I do it to save the arguments.

And as for resources? Not really. I had budgeted my meals for the week but he insisted on a roast so yesterday I was back to Tescos to buy the food for it which is IMO an expensive meal, and it will be me who has to explain why the food bill is so high this week!!

When he starts cooking, you take the kids and the dog out and come back when it's nearly ready

"Because he won't eat a simple version!"

Then he will be hungry. Boo hoo.

How old is he, five?

he won't eat it if it's all been cooked in one tray?! I bet if you just served it he'd eat it.

It does sound a bit like your DH acts like a complete wanker once a week, I do hope he's truely a fabulous person the rest of the week to make up for it.

He sounds like a demanding manchild and by giving in you are enabling his poor behaviour.

And who exactly are you having to explain the food bill to? You're not an employee reporting to a manager.