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AIBU?

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Original poster

to hate this obsession with Sunday Lunch.

355 replies

fckUsundaylunch · 01/05/2016 11:39

Yes I get that years ago everybody worked long hours and Sunday was the only time people could gather together to eat.
But times have changed.

If I get up on a Sunday and it's a really nice day, rather than spend all morning cooking, we will go out for the day.
We'll have the Sunday lunch on another day during the week..
I don't want my whole day to revolve around a meal.

My DM is always horrified ^But You have to have Sunday Lunch!''
'How can you not have Sunday Lunch?
Me Why?
DM ''Because it's Sunday!''
I think she would have a hear attack if I told her that sometimes we live really dangerously and go a whole month without seeing a roast potato Grin

Before the food police have a go, I cook really healthy meals, and we sit down to eat as a family on a regular basis,
just not always on a Sunday.

Anybody else have older parents who think this way?

OP posts:
pearlylum · 01/05/2016 14:58

NorbertDentressangle - if it;s the meat aspect you don't like then I understand.

But to hate Sunday lunch altogether ( and we eat it at 5pm or so) seems odd.
There are so many variations to a traditional Sunday lunch surely you must have tried some things you like?

I had a vegan relative stay with us from abroad for a month, and she was delighted by a Sunday lunch, OK no roast meat for her, but there are so many twists and spins on the usual meat and two veg that it seems a little unimaginative to write it off altogether. I have even made vegan yorkshire puds.

My OH is cooking Sunday lunch today, I see a pot of fresh mint, asparagus, tenderstem broccolli, and some portobello mushrooms ( no idea what he is doing with those.
What's not to like?

GraysAnalogy · 01/05/2016 14:58

Every week 2 people on my facebook posts photos of their sunday lunch, so much so I now think 'oo they're a bit late eating today'

YouTheCat · 01/05/2016 15:03

I grew up in the 70s. We couldn't afford to have a Sunday dinner every week, so it was a roast chicken about once a month I didn't eat it anyway as I was massively fussy until I was a hungry teen . Sometimes we'd go to my Gran's for dinner on Sunday.

I do love a Sunday dinner but I do yoga on a Sunday evening and I can't eat a big dinner before and do that as I'd be farting all the way through. Grin

I occasionally cook a roast on a Friday and use the leftovers to make a pie on Saturday.

BennyTheBall · 01/05/2016 15:06

I am proud to say I have never cooked a roast dinner in my life. My mum used to spend all day on a Sunday cooking a roast and baking.

Dh loves them (and does all of the cooking), but we only have about one a month or less. We do always have a sit down, all together dinner on a Sunday evening though, but it could be anything.

I can't get excited about roast meat and lots of vegetables, nice as it is. The amount of work involved seems disproportionate to me - all that peeling, chopping and whatever else that goes on.

Original poster
fckUsundaylunch · 01/05/2016 15:08

When I was a kid, the women slaved away all morning preparing the Sunday dinner (no-one called it lunch) while the men buggered off to the pub. The women then spent the afternoon clearing up while the men fell asleep in front of the telly.

Fuck that

Exactly.
I know lots of men cook, but a lot of times it falls to the women to cook that big meal on a Sunday. That's as well as cooking all week.

Fuck that.

OP posts:
DramaAlpaca · 01/05/2016 15:11

We've never done Sunday lunch, but then my parents didn't either so it's never been a tradition for us. I think MIL used to do it occasionally.

We prefer to have our main meal in the evening because we are all busy during the day. We might have a roast, but usually it'll be something else. DH likes experimenting with curries which are quite time consuming, so we often have that on a Sunday.

Last week I cooked a roast chicken with all the trimmings on Thursday, just because I felt like it.

Original poster
fckUsundaylunch · 01/05/2016 15:13

Last week I cooked a roast chicken with all the trimmings on Thursday, just because I felt like it

On a Thursday?

Go You! Wink

OP posts:
OrlandaFuriosa · 01/05/2016 15:15

DM was Not a good cook, but she did roasts well. So Sunday lunch was decent.

I do them from time to time, but not necessarily at lunch time, possibly the evening. Then I usually have spare meat for shepherd's/cottage/chicken pie, my most recent lamb stew invention, risotto, ragu, and don't have to think during the week other than a veggie day and a fish day. V helpful.

LittleHouseOnTheShelf · 01/05/2016 15:16

We haven't had a roast dinner in years, I can't remember the last time I cooked one - when you throw a vegetarian, a child with a nut allergy and another with a gluten intolerance it becomes a challenge!

LittleHouseOnTheShelf · 01/05/2016 15:17

throw a vegetarian into the mix - I'm not in the habit of throwing a vegetarian around!

SwedishEdith · 01/05/2016 15:19

I love a roast but have it in the evening and I don't cook it. (It's not that big a deal to make, though). I don't know anyone who's "obsessed" with them.

TexanKenDoll · 01/05/2016 15:20

I understand OP. We're busy during the day on a Sunday for a lot of the year and I don't like the traditional roast Sunday lunch so it doesn't happen in my immediate family.

Christmas lunch is perhaps my worst meal of the year (well, I don't actually eat most of it) and I know it's sacrilege to say it on here, but I don't like roast potatoes or Yorkshire pudding! I much prefer 'forrin muck' on any day of the week..

SlimCheesy · 01/05/2016 15:23

I love Sunday roasts. :)

We had them when I was growing up, but dad did them.... he is an incredible cook. He is Jewish though, and about 5 years ago decided to be more religious and my mum (CofE) actually converted so they do a proper Friday night shabbat dinner with roast chicken. Mmmmm...... yum yum.

So now I find myself doing a smaller version of shabbat then often a roast on Sundays after we go to church! My take on it is that if there is a celebration I'm in on it, no matter what religion it is!

NorbertDentressangle · 01/05/2016 15:26

pearlylum - no it's not just the meat aspect I don't like, it's the whole package really.

I think I've probably had too many soggy or undercooked veg, greasy roasties and nasty gravy over the years.

I'd much rather have something Italian/Mexican/Indian TBH

CMOTDibbler · 01/05/2016 15:27

We never have a Sunday lunch ( obv we eat but never a formal meal at lunchtime) there's far too much to do to be cooking for the middle of the day. I'd say we might have a roast in the evening on a Friday/ Saturday/Sunday once every 3 months or so but I'm really not a fan tbh

YouTheCat · 01/05/2016 15:31

CMOTDibbler, you could always have a nice sausage-inna-bun or rat-ona-stick. Grin

OurBlanche · 01/05/2016 15:36

We have Sunday roast every week... if you accept that it also includes other meat based dishes that we look forward to.

It doesn't take long to make though.

Yesterday: I spent 5 minutes making brine, left it to cool, then poured it over the belly pork and threw it in the fridge.

Today: I took it out of the fridge, put it in a tin, on top of some slightly worse for wear veg and threw it in the oven. We are doing all sorts of other stuff in the 2 -3 hours it takes to cook. DH peeled and boiled some spuds, so they are sat waiting to go in.

Later I will put the stewed apple I found in the freezer under some crumble - about 3 minutes to make. That will go in the oven when the pork comes out. It will take about 5 mins to make custard for it (hopefully we'll have an egg left, if not Bird's it is!).

All in all it usually takes up to 30 minutes prep, usually in 3 or 4 stages, and 5 minutes to plate. A week day meal takes the same, but all in one hit. We use Sunday's to make slow meals... quite often a slo co meal or slow roast meat.

But I do remember MIL taking hours to get it all done. It was just about the only meal she could cook, she loved doing it, it always came out really well, but took her forever to cook it. DH was happily surprised to learn how easy it can be to cook one.

pearlylum · 01/05/2016 15:37

NorbertDentressangle- do you eat any "traditional" British food?

whathaveiforgottentoday · 01/05/2016 15:38

My DH is like this about Sunday roast and insists on having at 2 in the afternoon. I'd prefer to go out but he makes and song and a dance about being back in time to out roast on. In his defence, he does cook the roast but I'd prefer it in the evening so we can go out.

NancyPiecrust · 01/05/2016 15:41

I didn't even realise Sunday Lunch was a thing ! ..... ! Wow !

LarrytheCucumber · 01/05/2016 15:41

We have roast most Sundays because I don't have to spend long on it
Peel veg, put meat and potatoes in on 180 degrees, go to Church. Come home from church, put on veg, make gravy, just in time for children and grandchildren to arrive. I have thought about making other meals, but it works for everyone.

OurBlanche · 01/05/2016 15:43

Do you cook them from scratch Norbert?

We do them on Saturdays. I am happy enough to make up the spice mix, pop whatever it is in the fridge or slow cooker and then go out to do whatever needs doing. Mexican is our go to weekend spicy meal, it takes longer chopping the salsa stuff than anything else Smile

NancyPiecrust · 01/05/2016 15:43

Oh ...I see from other messages that it's a meat based thing so takes hours to cook..I see ! I'm a vegetarian and was when I was a child too so yeah we never revolved our Sunday around preparing, cooking and eating a dead corpse, no. Definitely a strange tradition but I like the idea of all sitting around together relaxing and eating lunch on a Sunday.

pearlylum · 01/05/2016 15:43

ourblanche "We use Sunday's to make slow meals"

Exactly. Well it's my OH who does it, but all at this slow leisurely pace.
He loves it, prepping veg, the odd glass of beer, , meat in the oven, all veg prepped off and blanched into iced water listening to the radio, . I pop in to empty the dishwasher and a chat.
A fun day Sunday.

NewLife4Me · 01/05/2016 15:44

People have always sat down to tea/dinner together, it's only recently that some people don't.
We have sunday dinner about 5.30 and then it fits in with our school run quite well.
I suppose if you only have a bit of time together as a family and it's weekend then it would be a bit of a bind.
I don't think I'd change sundsy dinner, my lot love it and it's the best meal of the week for us.
It needn't be a chore, get the kids involved.
You or oh cooks, the other washes up and kids set table, wash up and put away.