To wonder if I am greedy or do some people serve really small portions?

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

I don't think I'm greedy....I'm a slim person...size 10-12 UK and 5 foot 6.

I don't binge or anything but when I eat a roast dinner, I do want more than 2 potatoes!

When MIL cooks anything she always seems to underestimate amounts....so there's for eg 2 potatoes per adult and one per kids...not a lot of meat and two other vegetables....curry...she'll do enough rice so people get two dessert spoonsfull.

That's not enough is it?

I don't think pigging out on roast potatoes means you are necessarily ummm overweight. Our family aren't (DH, kids and my siblings etc) and we eat a trough full of them. I do 4 per person and then as the meal is going down, I bring out the next lot!

The way I look at it is... it is such a treat to have a crispy roast potato within a roast dinner and I want everyone to eat as much as they want. Then come Monday we all go back to slightly more sensible meals!

I consider roast potatoes to be the size of an egg. I would have about 5, three tablespoons of cabbage,one of peas, 2 of swede or carrots and one other veg. Meat would be about a pack of cards size depending on what, or not at all. Sometimes stuffing and half a pint of gravy. On roast day (like this) I would generally not have breakfast (other than fruit) or tea as we'd eat about 5 o/c. Kids would have breakfast and a yoghurt for supper.

I am over weight by about 7lbs because I don't eat breakfast. I eat too much wheat and sugar too.

OMG! I'm over 60 and I'm a MiL. this thread has got me really worried.

Ah but how many roast potatoes do you serve Maizie?!

Not as many as some people here
Probably about 5/6 (cut up pieces, not whole potatoes) per person with a few over; depending on who I'm cooking for.

Strangely enough, my DD & SiL eat less than we do..

I used to do hospital catering so I am quite conscious of portion sizes - mine are bigger than hospital ones - and mentally measure out probable portions as I prepare the veg.

I have terrible problems with my DP, though. He's got no idea and expects tiny joints etc to stretch indefinitely. On one memorable occasion he cooked full English breakfast for 6 using 6 normal size mushrooms, 3 average size tomatoes, 1 small rasher of bacon each and about hallf a tin of baked beans. Everyone ate a lot of toast... I was very

And I never serve anything onto people's plates except the meat. It's all in dishes for people to help themselves from. I even did this just for the family when the children were at home. My DP's mother used to present us with sky high piled plates which were a real struggle to get through, especially as she was not a good cook; everything was well and truly dead and tasteless by the time she'd finished with it..

A friend did this the first time (post university) I went to see him in London.

Two chicken breasts for 4 people. A small bag of new potatoes - only cooked half of it. A sprig of cherry tomatoes each.

We laughed and bought sandwiches from M&S on the train home.

Cold roast potatoes are the food of the Gods! They are amazing! Therefore if there aren't enough for leftovers, you haven't done enough. When you entertain, I would much rather have too much, than people having to ask if they can have the last one.

my dad is like this, he makes chicken fajitas with 2 chicken breasts, 3 peppers and an onion, and 8 wraps to feed 6 adults and a child. And he wonders why my brother snacks a lot

It's funny how someone always comes on thread like this to bleat about healthy eating.

I think it rude to not serve enough food when you invite someone to dinner.

In my family we always done 3 potatoes each and 'some' for the pot. Although is it's my BIL then it's 3 potatoes each and 10 for Steve .

MaisieD that's what I do too. Some meat on plates, rest of the meat, veg, potatoes, gravy and sauces on the table. I am an over caterer because we will always use up anything the next day. Roast potatoes make a good fry up or frittata

I love food, and have one of those metabolisms that allows me to tuck in heartily without budging much over a BMI of 23. On top of that I'm breastfeeding. You would not believe the amount I eat.

When I first had our baby, my ILs very thoughtfully brought round lunch for me a few times a week, after which I'd often have to sneak into the kitchen to eat a peanut butter sandwich

People's appetites differ, and I know not everyone can pack it away like me, but also your appetite tends to reduce as you get older. I suspect my lovely, 60-something ILs have just got a different idea of what constitutes a good meal!

It could be that some people have small appetites and assume that others are the same. Either that or they haven't calculated properly. My mum's appetite is small nowadays, but fortunately she realises that mine isn't so caters accordingly.

I'm embarrassed to think how many people have gone home from my house hungry, I've only ever done 2 roast potatoes per adult (so half a normal sized potato) with maybe a couple extra in case someone wanted three. No wonder there's never any left, how embarrassing!

did a roast today for 5 people, i piled normal potatoes on plate then counted them, average was 6/7 - true if you chop average size potato into 3/4 thats prob ok, but they do shrink

ie i wouldnt eat 2 jackets but could eat 8 roasties if both chopped into 4

The worst is when you are invited to stay at someone's and find out they are like this. Then you are trapped there, starving.

I was once trapped on a long weekend in such a place. I made an excuse that I needed to go to a chemist and buy some tampons, which I quickly did before nipping into a cafe for a roll and to buy some biscuits and nuts in a shop to hide in my bag.

I budget one whole potato per person, plus one or two extras for leftovers when doing a roast. My thinking is that if I was serving them whole as jacket potatoes I wouldn't serve anyone less than a whole potato!

potap, I hear you. I surprise many people with my passion for fat on meat, pork scratchings and kebabs - not things I have often, but apparently not things that someone like me is 'supposed' to like!

My SIL lives hundreds of miles away so we tend to visit them for a few days at a time. I starve when I'm there, I dread it. She lives nowhere near a shop so I load up on snacks to take to her house. My PILs also have the same complaint so it's not just us. At the last visit I had thirds on the main course as she served about two tablespoons' worth per portion, so I'm not disguising the fact she doesn't serve enough but she doesn't make the connection and I don't want to have to spell it out. Her eldest is constantly starving too poor thing. She's not slim, either. I don't get how she supplements her calories.

Clutterbugsmum

Healthy eating is quite important, you know. I've been a bit by the amounts some people are claiming to eat but, on the whole, they've said a) that they're not overweight and b) that they just pig out on a roast dinner but eat more moderately the rest of the time. Which is fine.

Older people, unless they stay very active, should eat less, they're less active and their metabolism slows down. Parents of young children need far more energy.

So just be warned, all you roastie gobblers, you can't do it when you're 50 unless you want to put on lots of weight (I know, I've been there )

My MIL cooked us a roast dinner last week. She asked me how many roast potatoes I wanted.

"Two please" i replied. She looked at me

"There's no need to be polite" she said

"OK, I'll have two potatoes, you fat bitch".

The old ones are the best eh?

I hate stingy portions on a roast. And I always assume that there will he leftovers if I cook for a group (which get used).

I would assume at least 4-5 each. 2 only acceptable if mash too.

Eddie one potato or two?
Two please
No, one potato or two
two please
etc
RIP Richie