Lunch suggestions

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Aibu to ask what would you provide for a friend that is visiting tomorrow? She is coming with her daughter (9) and driving 100 miles to see us. If she arrives at 12.30 what should I give for lunch? I know it's a stupid question but I'm crap at cooking and so tend to get it all wrong. I have 2 kids myself (10 & 12)

Tomorrow's Sunday so I'd do a roast. Chicken with roast pots gravy and veg.

Baked potatoes with lots of different nice fillings and salads so that everyone can have a good lunch whatever their tastes.

I second the Sunday roast, can't go wrong with a roast and will be nice and filling too x

Yes to a roast. I would just double check that's ok with her first.

If you’re not a confident cook and find getting lots of things ready at the same time stressful, then a cottage pie or casserole would be easier. You could make it today and just reheat tomorrow. Serve with peas. Keep it simple!

A ROAST!! I've never cooked a roast!! Surely it's very very hard??!!

A little buffet. Nice bread, butter. Salad bits in different bowls. Cold meat. Pate. Fruit.

Then child can choose what they like with no pressure.

If you have a supermarket with a rotisserie nearby you could get a roast chicken from there and serve it cold tomorrow with salads and baked potatoes.

I'd go the rotisserie roast chicken, with a salad and baby potatoes.

Roast is easy, it’s just getting timings right.

Failing that if the weather isn’t too grotty you could do quiche, salads, coleslaw etc etc? Minimal prep and a lovely lunch.

I’d buy some cartons of soup, crusty bread, selection of cheese, baby tomatoes, hummus, carrot sticks, grapes and slice a couple of apples. Arrange everything nicely so people can dig in and heat the soup when they arrive. No cooking/timings to stress about and everyone can eat just the bits they like.

Do you eat your main meal at lunchtime on Sunday? If not get serve yourself things; salad, olives, some nice crusty bread, cheeses, ham/salami/prosciutto etc, some nice crisps, humous, cucumber, carrot sticks and let people pick at what they want

A roast sounds harder than it is. A chicken in the oven, you can get a bag of frozen roasties which is no different to cooking oven chips, some peas & carrots and gravy. You can manage that OP!

I often make a quiche too, but the higgedy ones are nice and you just bung them in the oven

Quiche and salad. Pastry is easy to do but even shop-bought pastry and home-made quiche is lovely. And quick. Ice cream for dessert.

A rotisserie chicken is a great idea, you can even put part of it and make a nice pasta/lasagne.

I would love a chicken off the hot counter with some nice bread (salt and pepper bread!), cheese, salad, chutney/mayo

@bridgetreilly unless they don't like baked potatoes, haha.

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If it was me, I'd keep it simple, with a buffet style lunch. So, sandwiches, crisps, nibbles. I find it's better for everyone as it's less formal, less stressful to make, and then people can eat as much or as little as they want.

Or something slow and easy, big pot of spag bol/ragu from scratch you can put on in the morning, Chuck a load of veg in , finely diced carrot, onion, courgette, mushrooms, garlic, browned mince, stock, chopped tomatoes, herbs, simmer for a couple of hours on low, serve with garlic bread and spaghetti/pasta

Have your friends got any dietary needs? As a vegetarian low carver I couldn’t eat most of what’s been suggested here.

Low carber

Keep it simple, something you know you are good at, or the buffet idea is great. She's coming to see you, not to stress you. Enjoy your lunch and take the kids for a walk later

Why don't you ask your friend what they would like for lunch??? Surely that makes the most sense. What if one of them had specific dietary requirements that you're unaware of? Always ask.

I'm stunned that you've never made a roast! If you're not big on cooking though I wouldn't try attempting one if you're likely to be stressed out by it. Buy lots of cold things: nice bread, salad, little sausages, rotisserie chicken etc. Then everyone can help themselves and you don't have to worry about it. Get a nice cheesecake or something for puds.

A roast is definitely not difficult but if it will stress you out than that's totally counter productive and there are millions of alternatives.

What do you normally have for Sunday lunch? Is the visiting child particularly fussy?