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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that pubs/cafes with a kids' menu should include a plain cheese sandwich? (light-hearted... ish)

96 replies

FranklinDelano · 21/04/2018 23:20

So many times I have stopped for lunch at a pub/cafe with my toddler and even those with kids' menus are all 'fish and chips' 'macaroni cheese' etc which he'll just pick at. My son eats well and a wide variety of foods but some lunchtimes he just wants his favourite - a cheese sandwich.
Not one in fancy bread with artisan chutney and chips for £6.95.
Not a flatbread pizza.
Not a 3-course kids' meal with ice-cream.

Just sliced bread with butter and sliced cheese. Carrot sticks a bonus. And preferably no more than £2.50.

Who's with me?!

OP posts:
SneakyGremlins · 22/04/2018 00:48

See now it's one in the morning and I'm craving a greasy sausage butty..

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 22/04/2018 01:25

While you’re at writing to the PM, can we stop them putting salt on children’s chips?

Mitzeeee · 22/04/2018 01:32

Move to Northern Ireland. O’Briens will literally make anything you want, with or without anything you want, simple or as weird as you fancy, right in front of you and it’s always delicious!

kmc1111 · 22/04/2018 04:08

A local cafe that did that type of thing after a parent suggested it. They just got a ton of snarky ‘I could make that at home for 50p’ comments for their trouble. People started bringing in food for their kids instead of paying for things they didn’t think the cafe was putting any effort into, and the menu went back to normal within a couple of months.

Also for the people saying ask, nicer cafes usually won’t have basic supermarket sliced bread and sliced cheese in stock.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 22/04/2018 04:25

Those saying just offer what adults eat have clearly never had a child with food issues!

In the case of my DD, even a cheese sandwich would be no good - unless the cheese was Philadelphia or the like. She would prefer to just eat the sugar lumps on the table, but that ain't gonna happen sometimes it happens when I lose the will to live

MagicFajita · 22/04/2018 04:30

Pret do this. They have ham ones also.

Bettyfood · 22/04/2018 04:44

I agree, OP, and a lot of their expensive sandwiches are not great and just an excuse to charge more money.

That said, most places should be able to run to a plain cheese sandwich even if they don't generally offer it on the menu.

If they don't, it's because their food is assembled in a factory in Slough then reconstituted for your pleasure by a trained monkey with barely a food hygiene certificate who just has to press the right buttons in the right order.

ohlittlepea · 22/04/2018 05:28

Most places would probably be able to do this. And most do half portions/small portions of adult menu for kids... you only have to ask :)

Fieldsrus · 22/04/2018 06:19

Fondly remembering the days the kids ate off the cheaper kids menu....

adaline · 22/04/2018 06:38

I don't know many cafes here who will have plain white bread and sliced cheese. You'll be able to get a cheese sandwich but it'll be on sourdough, ciabatta or baguette.

Can you bring her something from home instead, or get a packed lunch from Tesco or similar?

MrsSchadenfreude · 22/04/2018 06:42

Pret used to be brilliant when mine were small. They offered plain sandwiches- ham, cheese or jam. And some cut up fruit in a pot, or a chocolate mousse - perfect!

Namechange128 · 22/04/2018 06:48

I'd like anything that isn't deep fried or with chips! My small DDs eat well but already get plenty of junk at parties (and school meals aren't all that great either), it's always so annoying when the adult meals have a nice range of nutritious food then the kids menu is either chicken nuggets or pizza.

DanceDisaster · 22/04/2018 06:51

I can totally picture what @kmc describes. I think, for most people, eating out is a treat, so they aren’t going to want to eat a plain cheese sandwich. That said though, they should be able to make one for you if you specifically ask for one. I have had loads of jobs in hospitality and I think it’s fine to specify, “sliced cheddar cheese on white pan loaf, with some butter, but no mayo, pickle, salad or anything else”. I bet they’ll make it for you. Sandwiches are one of those things I think you need to be quite prescriptive about. But they aren’t likely to put it on their menu, as I don’t think that many people would order it.

Though, saying that, loads of places I’ve been to just have a ‘sandwich’ section on their menu which says what kinds of bread there are, what fillings there are and you can choose. I think most people like to specify how their sandwich is made.

.

hangry24seven · 22/04/2018 06:57

I agree. Offer kiddy and plain foods or give the option of a child sized portion of mains.

Mine would eat pasta with pesto no cheese or tomato based sauces.

KeepCalm · 22/04/2018 06:58

We do! But you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.

Honestly! People complain at whatever you have on the menu for kids Confused

DanceDisaster · 22/04/2018 07:00

You can get pasta pesto in most chain Italian restaurants (Zizzi, Pizza Express etc)

SuperMumTum · 22/04/2018 07:09

I don't really see the point in going out to eat if you're just having a plain cheese sandwich. Why not take a picnic from home instead?

PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 22/04/2018 07:10

Go to supermarket cafés. Kids' cheese sandwiches. 😆

starlightmeteorite · 22/04/2018 07:20

It's always worth asking. We don't have a kids menu, or a large range of veggie/vegan food as day to day there isn't much demnd for it. However we will make anything off menu if we have the ingredients. It isn't hard. Anywhere that won't do this isn't cooking from scratch and probably isn't worth going to.

SadieHH · 22/04/2018 07:38

You say that Buttocks but our local Sainsbos kids’ ‘plain cheese sandwich’ came on seedy bread and with mayo. Poor little dd2’s face fell at the sight Grin. I don’t know if it was a one off, we stopped chancing it and the dds developed an M&S cafe toasted sarnie habit instead HmmGrin

Original poster
FranklinDelano · 22/04/2018 07:59

I'm not really talking about making a special trip somewhere, it was when I was out with ds at the shops and thought it would be nice to have lunch before we went home

Btw when he was really small (1ish I think) we had lunch at a Brasserie Blanc which was great- they brought him a plate of bread, cheese, raisins and pear slices for free! They also do half portions of some of the adults meals.

OP posts:
Original poster
FranklinDelano · 22/04/2018 08:00

Sadie I would not expect mayo on a cheese sandwich, that's just wrong! Fine in a ham sandwich tho obv..

OP posts:
Nightfall1 · 22/04/2018 08:10

We took my then 3 year old to my dad's local village pub a few years ago. I asked for a scoop of ice cream from the menu for her.

It came as a perfectly spherical scoop on a wooden bat! It was fun watching her trying to eat it on our outside table in the middle of July!

FireplaceLover · 22/04/2018 08:46

I don’t know about the kids but I would love to be able to choose a cheese sandwich in a cafe. It’s not that I’m desperately fussy but a cheese salad sandwich is probably my sandwich of choice. No mayo, no pickle, no artisan bread or salad leaves, just a lovely cheese sandwich on either white or brown bread.

hopelessbusiness · 22/04/2018 08:56

Oh, I'd love this - my son is fussy with sandwiches and for years only wanted a plain cheese sandwich. I asked for one once (having been assured they did them) and got a brie and grape panini thing. FFS.

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