To not expect to be served a ready-meal when I eat out?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

We bought some gift vouchers for family members for a big chain 'restaurant' place named after two Italian gentlemen that they love and go to frequently. All fine.

But it got me thinking as we personally can't stand that place. When we went there with them once, the food was terrible - chewy, tasteless and thoroughly unappetising, the same as it was when we went some time ago - I suppose we were hoping it might have changed in the meantime, but it was actually worse. It wasn't cheap either.

We've experienced this at a number of other places too. Looking online, it appears that it's become the norm at a lot of restaurants to have dishes prepared centrally (often from a generic third-party wholesaler) that they then keep in the freezer and just heat up - often in a microwave - when they're ordered.

We don't have ready meals at home unless it's a real emergency - in such cases, we'd rather have something simple and basic like beans on toast or a sandwich than a microwave meal, which we invariably regret immediately afterwards anyway.

We're not snobbish in any way - we've had many a satisfying meal at greasy spoon/transport cafes and pubs where they've had a chef who actually cooks rather than just microwaving. We don't like and couldn't afford and would probably be turned away at first glance from 'gourmet' restaurants owned by a celebrity chef and with a waiting list, but we're happy to pay a fair price for a good meal.

The worst ones are carveries, where 80% of customers are eating pretty much the same thing all day, with a steady stream of demand, and yet some still use frozen roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.

It seems like a lot of people don't mind it, and some obviously enjoy it, which is great if you do - maybe the atmosphere and theme/surroundings is what matters most to some folk - but I really wish there was some clear way of knowing in advance whether a cafe/pub/restaurant serves food prepared and cooked on the premises or just shoves an unpleasant ready-meal in the microwave for you. Maybe something like CAMRA accreditation but for food rather than just beer?

In France, the menus show a little picture of a house next to all the items that are made on the premises

You can also get certain clues from the menu, no way is a lamb shank or belly pork going to be ordered and ready in 20 minutes unless it’s on a Specials Board maybe.

Centrally preparing food for a number of restaurants doesn’t automatically mean it has to be shite - lots of meals freeze well such as lasagne, pies, sauces for spaghetti bolognaise, soups, stews. Made with fresh good quality ingredients they can be frozen and reheated with no loss of quality. And economies of scale should keep the prices down. I think the biggest problem is the use of very poor quality (cheap) ingredients which they try to perk up by adding loads of salt. So you end up with food that has very little taste.

Zizzi and Pizza Express pasta dishes are all ready meals pinged in a microwave. I avoid the pasta dishes and go for the pizza.

Having worked in restaurants you’ll be surprised how many ‘home cooked meals’ aren’t actually home cooked or fresh at all!

It’s a quick and easy way to get food out.

Although I agree about Frankie and Benny’s being the worst. Having worked there albeit a short time beside it was so bad I wouldn’t eat there ever again

I worked in an Italian for most of my teenage years and while the meals were pre prepared they were all made on site by our chefs. The hygiene standards were much higher than I'm led to believe most other places are too! I have no shares in the business but happy to recommend it to anyone looking for a place to eat in teessid!

You can also get certain clues from the menu, no way is a lamb shank or belly pork going to be ordered and ready in 20 minutes unless it’s on a Specials Board maybe.

This is soooo true. Personally, if I'm expected to pay £££s for a meal, I don't want something frozen being reheated. You really can taste the difference, however much some people try to argue it's the same. It's not. It's not just taste, it's also texture, and I've found that properly cooked food (from raw) keeps hot a lot longer than something frozen zapped in a microwave which I've found cools down very quickly.

That's why if I want a "proper" meal, I go to a proper restaurant (not a chain), and if I just want something to eat on the go, i.e. when travelling or middle of the day sightseeing, then I'll go down the fast food route or supermarket cafe - at least then it's honest food, and not the pretense (and cost) of frozen/microwaved masquerading as proper food.

I'd give my front teeth for a decent vritish readymeal. I dream of tescos chicken korma or those steamed salmon meals and mash from M&S... if im paying more than 6 quid for a meal though, I would want fresh cooked.

I rarely eat out as it is too expensive and I am picky about the food. I cook from scratch at home and so can afford a bottle of Champagne and a nice red for the DH.

The issue is finding an independent with an actual chef and not just a head ping person.

I want to go to your place Thunderpants! PM me if you don’t mind saying where it is.

I totally agree with you! I always cook from fresh at home. I’d rather pay a bit more and get proper freshly cooked food any day. I detest chains with their fake Italian/Mexican/whatever food. Years ago went to Prezzo after Slimming World class (as you do) and I had spaghetti and meatballs - it was horrible, the meatballs were rubbery and I left most of it. Never went back. My usual Italian restaurant is fab, family run and delicious food freshly çooked. Huge portions too.

The ones that annoy me the most are pubs that call themselves gastropubs. Charge an arm and a leg for deep fried or boil in the bag crap. Bloody cheek.

Just come back from lunch at my local pub. Great atmosphere, everything freshly prepared or cooked that day, and they make their own desserts. Nowhere seems to make their own desserts anymore! They’re not cheap, but I’d rather go out less and get good food. My 3 course meal with 2 large glasses of wine and a coke came to £30 and it was amazing! Yet you can pay that in Prezzo with their boil in the bag pasta. We just need to avoid these crap restaurants.

The good thing about f&b is it is quick, you pretty much know what you’re getting every time and there are always really good offers on - I have been a few times and I’ve never paid full price. Usually 2for1 or 40% off. The lunch menu is cheap too.

Wow so many anti Wetherspoons here, a couple of weeks ago I had a chicken rib/ rib combo and it was lovely and their pizzas are better than some takeaways at half the price. However I have heard it depends on the pub

Wetherspoons food is alright for the price. However it’s owners politics which are forcefully rammed down your throat upon each and every visit is significantly less palatable.

am anti-Wetherspoons because of Chief Executives position on Brexit

In France, the menus show a little picture of a house next to all the items that are made on the premises

^ seems great idea.

I almost never eat out now, because its so bad. If I don't want to cook I can buy a readymeal from M&S without all the restaurant nonsense thrown in.

to the pp who used to work in f and bs-why have they changed the music or was it just in the place i went to

The good thing about f&b is it is quick, you pretty much know what you’re getting every time

The last two times we went, they had no steaks, so it was microwaved ready meals or burgers - we declined and went elsewhere. Rather than not having any, I suspect the "proper" chef hadn't turned up and the other "pingers" didn't know how to cook the steaks, so they were telling people they'd run out!

am anti-Wetherspoons because of Chief Executives position on Brexit

^cheap and childish point-scoring.

P.S. I'm pro-Brexit and believe in democracy, I'm against supra-states and unelected politicians. I try not to go on about it on unrelated threads though, in that tiresome way Remoaners do.

The good thing about f&b is it is quick,

Er ... maybe 1 in 4 times ?

In France, the menus show a little picture of a house next to all the items that are made on the premises

If only we were in the EU.

Oh, hang on ...

When the meals cheap i.e. spoons then I don't mind as you wouldn't expect anything more at that price, but for the prices that F&B charge I do.

We went Miller & Carter and were shocked when my Dad asked for a basic french salad dressing rather than what was on the menu to find that even their dressings are pre packaged as well as the sauces

We went to our local Beefeater a few months ago and my DD wanted plain pasta from the kids menu, instead of having the sauce on it. They said they couldn't do that as it came with the sauce! Even the pasta comes pre-packaged - how long does it take to cook some plain pasta?!

F&B’s quick? I’ve never waited so long in my life to place an order, to wait for food, to be able to ask for drinks top ups, to order deserts, and usually have to go hunting to find someone to bring a bill. Even when quiet. It’s never quick haha

Remoaners how original. Mr Wetherspoons whatever his bloody name is, I don't care enough to look it up again can do some waffling on the subject himself. I might not have boycotted his chain even though I strongly disagree with his views, but the 'Leave campaign' beer mats he littered our local one with was a step too far. I wanted a quiet lunch not to have his bloody views thrust in my face when I'm trying to eat.