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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask what time you eat Tea (or Dinner/evening meal/whatever you call it)

119 replies

AsongforEurope · 03/08/2015 19:15

We have 3 dc's under 5. We eat most days at 5pm. Nice to eat with the family around the table but it always leaves me peckish by about 8pm. I'm on mat leave so that's why I'm able to eat at this time.

OP posts:

NurNochKurzDieWeltRetten · 03/08/2015 20:13

that should have been DH starts work at 7.30am to be home in time to eat together obviously, not pm.

grumpysquash · 03/08/2015 20:14

We try to eat altogether at a reasonable time, but that is often 8pm by the time we are back from work and have cooked. DC are 14, 12 and 9. I guess they eat plenty at school as they don't usually complain about being hungry.
DH calls it tea (he is from Lincolnshire), the DC (raised in Cambridgeshire) call it dinner, I sometimes - and mostly if I am trying to wind someone up, especially the PIL - call it supper (I am a Londoner).

Runningupthathill82 · 03/08/2015 20:18

DS has his tea at 5pm ish, DH and I have ours at half 7 or so, after he's in bed.

It's tea, but DH calls it dinner. He thinks he's posh as he's from Cheshire.

Though what is befuddling is when people call it supper. Supper is a slice of toast or something snacky at around 10pm, if you're hungry. Not a full blown meal.

grumpysquash · 03/08/2015 20:22

I had a friend at school whose Mum used to eat her main meal at about 5.30pm and call it supper. So wrong on both counts (she was a Londoner too though)

LosingTheWillToSkate · 03/08/2015 20:23

No kids here yet and DH works late during the week. I generally eat around 8.30pm. At the weekend we just eat when we fancy. Often we have a big lunch so just have cheese, cured meats etc for dinner.

SanityClause · 03/08/2015 20:24

Between 6 and 7.

But when my DC were little, if was always 6.

spottymoo · 03/08/2015 20:25

5.15 on Monday Wednesday and Thursday

5.00 on a Tuesday

6 - 6.30 on Friday Saturday Sunday

DD has training in the week so have to be out the door at 5.50 dh eats with us if home in time if not I either leave him something or he makes something when he comes in.

It's tea in our house

SqueezyCheeseWeasel · 03/08/2015 20:27

We always ate with the kids unless they/we had an activity or something that threw the times out. Food was around 6 - 6:30 when they were small. They had a small snack if necessary after school to tide them over.

overreactionemoticon · 03/08/2015 20:29

Usually between 6 and 7. All eat together.

I can't imagine eating dinner at 10pm, we're usually in bed by then! (Dp gets up at 5.20)

MehsMum · 03/08/2015 20:31

Dinner at 7pm, with everyone who is at home eating together.

When the DC were younger it was tea at about 5.45, just after DH used to get home.

Tuskerfull · 03/08/2015 20:34

Dinner between 6 and 6:30.

IsItMeOrIsItHotInHere · 03/08/2015 20:35

When the kids were younger I'd do dinner for them at about 6 and then dinner for DP at about 8 to 8.30 because he didn't get in until about 7.30 and didn't want to eat straight away.

Sometimes I'd eat with them, sometimes with him, sometimes both.

These days he gets in earlier thank God and I really dislike eating later that 6.30 or 7 now. I'd eat at 6 all the time if I could.

Oakmaiden · 03/08/2015 20:36

Wow - this is really interesting reading! I nearly posted and asked this exact same question a few weeks ago, because my dh is of the firm opinion I am "doing it wrong" if dinner is much past 6:30pm. Since we generally eat at closer to 8pm, because of children's activities, and the fact that I didn't actually get home from work til 6:30, then it was a source of glowering resentment between us.

As a child we always ate fairly late - I have always thought 8pm to be fairly normal - my dh had me convinced that actually it was just my family that were abnormal, and "reasonable" people ate much earlier. Glad to see he is not completely correct!

Happy36 · 03/08/2015 20:39

Oakmaiden Why doesn´t your husband take control of preparing dinner at 6.30pm, if that´s what he wants?

Psycobabble · 03/08/2015 20:39

Oakmaiden you could always get your dh to have your tea (dinner whatever ) on the table for you on your return from work at half 6 if he's that concerned !!

crazykat · 03/08/2015 21:56

The kids eat dinner between 5 and 6, dh and I eat dinner anywhere between 7 and 9 during the week depending on what time dh gets home. Weekends we all eat together about 6.

I'd prefer to always eat together, it's a royal pita cooking and washing up twice, but dh doesn't get home till about 7 during the week which is too late for the dcs to eat dinner.

JaceLancs · 03/08/2015 22:01

7.30 here, although happy to move it anywhere between 6 and 9 depending on everyone's commitments

PurpleBananaPie · 03/08/2015 22:05

For those who eat at 9:00pm or later, what time do you go to bed? That would be far too late for me, I'd get indigestion!

We tend to eat around 6:30 (no kids) during the week, sometimes later at weekends.

whatarethose · 03/08/2015 22:10

I think I would be sick I had to eat @ 9.30! It's so interesting hearing how other people do stuff, I love it.

SenecaFalls · 03/08/2015 22:13

As an American, I always find these discussions interesting, especially all of the separate mealtimes for children. I wonder if this is a particularly British thing. Growing up, we (adults and children) ate around 6:30-7:00. DH and I did the same with our children. They are grown and out of the house now and we still eat around 7:00 most nights. We call it dinner usually, but sometimes supper, especially if it's very casual and involves leftovers. Supper is not a posh word or concept in the US; it's just another work for dinner, especially in the South.

I think children in the UK go to bed earlier than in other countries (certainly earlier than in the US), which seems to account for the separate meal times.

Happy36 · 03/08/2015 23:10

PurpleBananaPie We eat at 21:00/21:30 as that´s when my husband finishes work. We eat a light meal, sometimes just half an avocado each or a few anchovies and olives. If we´re really hungry, we´ll have scrambled egg, or share a large chicken breast with some vegetables. I tend to go to bed between 12:30 and 01:00. Always trying to make it earlier, always failing.

Hangingandhidingout · 03/08/2015 23:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

yummumto3girls · 03/08/2015 23:32

Tea here between 6 and 6.30, 3 kids all eat together. Can't be doing with this multiple meals and kids eating separately, I'd like an evening not spent in the kitchen.

OvertiredandConfused · 03/08/2015 23:42

Supper at about 8pm with DH

Eat together as often as we can but DC (11 & 13) will eat with our fabulous au pair about 6pm on most school nights - mainly to accommodate their activities that happen at various times from 7pm to 9pm.

BumpTheElephant · 03/08/2015 23:47

We all eat the same meal at the same time which around 5pm.
I couldn't be arsed with cooking/eating after the kids were in bed!

Sometimes me and DH might have a bowl of ice cream in the evening but I generally don't eat after about 6pm.

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