Home cooking. Or lack of. Post Christmas meal.

[MarianneSolong]

If you have people round for a big meal, would you expect to do some actual cooking i.e. bake or roast something, do veg prep etc etc?

I didn't see my family over Christmas, but went to see relatives for a 'big' meal yesterday. I brought prosecco and a large chunk of the Xmas cake I made.

The host couple provided a lot of Waitrose-type things. A pate for starters, and a quiche for main course. Cream doughnuts and carrot cake slices for desert.

There had been plenty of effort when it came to shopping, table-setting etc I realised that I had been harbouring an expectation that some actual cooking would have taken place.

(Cooking equals generosity/love? Do other people think along these lines?)

Also no exchange of gifts - other than my bringing bottlle plus cake - as the couple don't 'do' presents.

When the host couple had last come to me it was more of a just passing through visit, but I'd done a home-made soup (from stock I'd done myself) and home-made desserts.

However, I enjoy cooking. Not everyone does.

Oh! Sorry, you said Asti. Yes please. Love the stuff :)

I have to buy Asti for my mom who claims that prosecco takes the enamel off her teeth
We call it Nasti Asti

My sister can drink two bottles of Asti by herself.
We are proper classy :)

"Some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That's about one in nine people on earth. The vast majority of the world's hungry people live in developing countries, where 12.9 percent of the population is undernourished."
Hunger Statistics | WFP | United Nations World Food Programme ...
m.wfp.org › hunger › stats

monday we just bunged a load of beige type food in oven

Sunday we had fish fingers and chips for tea. bloody lovely it was too after a heavy roast and the boxing day turkey soup

YABU. The meal they provided seems fine to me and the sort of thing I would do around Christmas if it wasn't.Christmas Dinner. Also no need to do presents

Your leftover cake sounds fab. I assume it's a rich fruit cake. ie a traditional Christmas cake. I used to return to uni with a chunk of my mum's Christmas cake. I came home to loads of her baking too. Yes, I definitely associate cooking with love. Happy memories.

I think most/a lot of people can't be bothered though - not judging - just saying that's my impression.

Well, yes, it is a bit informal to bring round leftovers, but you see that a bringing a bottle as your part of the 'exchange of gifts'. A bit odd.

I'm sure 90% of food posts on here seem to be designed to earn congratulations for making your food. A pretended misunderstanding that leads to lots of reassurance and 'your stock sounds delicious' etc etc.

Some people don't have much confidence in their ability to cook food that others will enjoy.

I know I get nervous when I am cooking for someone who I know to be a keen cook. And baking is even worse - I've no finesse.

If I was invited to anything in the Christmas/New Year week, I would pretty much expect it to be buffet style with various leftovers and party foods. I should think people buy all sorts and try to empty the cupboards of the extras before New Year.

Cooking= generosity/love. You sound very ungrateful tbh.

You took a bit of cake. Not a whole cake. A bit of cake. They probably won't be inviting you back anyway.

I had a very close friend who sadly died last year. I dont mind cooking when I am in the mood and when I think it is the right thing to do and will be appreciated. However for this particular friend ready made (preferably party food or chips) was definitely the preferred option and I would say showed more love if anything, as she didn't get to eat food like that at home.

We went round to a friend's house for dinner and she had actually got caterers in! It was all lovely but it didn't occur to me to tell her she should have been in the kitchen herself.....

Having said that, I was also inivited to a bbq this summer where there were only sausages - literally! No salad, bread or anything else. I did think they could have given us something else but I wouldn't expect anyone to cook if they don't want to.

Well... I know what you mean! I love cooking and wouldn't dream of serving a wholly shop bought meal to family or good friends. Mainly because I like to share whatever it is we are enjoying at the moment or cooking something someone really likes but rarely gets offered.

But I know people whose cooking makes me pray for M+S tray bakes, and I am as atheist as you can get, under normal circumstances. Then again, I also know a lovely woman (who I wouldn't offend for the world) who uses her staff discount to buy all the almost out of date party food her employer (big chain) sells. Sounds great but she only buys their value range and her employer is not M+S or Waitrose . Her BBQs are infamous and her NYE get togethers require serious pre-fortification and taste bud removal.

Wouldn't cross my mind to criticise anyone who was kind enough to provide food I haven't had to shop for on plates I don't have to wash up in a house I haven't had to tidy before and after entertaining me for a whole evening.

YABVU.

Just dropping this off here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2531000-What-is-the-worst-meal-someone-has-cooked-for-you

Pre made food for the win

Leftover cake would go straight in the bin.

Leftover cake would go straight in the bin.

why?

Because none of us likes Christmas cake.

What you've described sounds lovely to me.

I would have been happy with the food they provided.

Christmas cake: the new marmite

I like Christmas cake, my dc don't it turns out (luckily I didn't make one!). Apart from marzipan, which is all kinds of wrong.

Marzipan = Satan's play doh

I can cook and I can bake but....meh. since I started peri menopause I just cannot be arsed.