To not be able to feed 3 extra adults unexpectedly for lunch?

[ImFree2doasiwant]

I'm single, with 2 small children. I do a weekly meal plan and shop once a week.

If 3 extra adults dropped in for lunch, I'd either be able to feed them but have to go shopping again, or not have enough food in to feed them at all.

Its not like I can't afford to, I just buy the food that we, as a family, will eat. I have a small freezer. I could probably manage dinner better.

Am I that unusual?

This is so randomly specific...!

Unexpected guests, at lunch time, who were only satisfied with sandwiches...?!

I really wouldn’t be losing any sleep, let alone posting on MN, about it.

I couldn’t feed them off the cuff, but I always have tin soup and could rustle up cheese scones in 15 mins, so I could feed them lunch. Dinner would depend on what I had planned - risotto, no problem, just add extra. If it was jacket pots then I’d only have 3 in!

Oh there would be lunch. But it would be random! They wouldn’t be making a point of coming again after cheese pitta breads with cucumber slices

(We always have pitta bread in the freezer. Amazing for emergency sandwiches - toast on the defrost setting then slice and stuff full of random stuff from fridge, or a bit of tuna from a tin)

I always have a well-stocked larder and fridge and could rustle something up if needed, but, like you, it probably wouldn’t be sandwiches as my family aren’t big sandwich eaters. I grew up in a family where people dropped in uninvited all the time and ended up staying for a meal so it feels very normal for me. But I have friends who shop for what they need for their family for one week and therefore have little to spare for an unexpected guest or two. I don’t think it’s always a money issue, my friends who do this just seem really organised and good at meal planning.

I think it’s unusual not to have enough food to cook one meal extra (if no financial restrictions are involved).

I could so long as they were happy with fish fingers and pasta with frozen peas.

Been many times in my life wher I wouldn’t have had that much. I like to keep a freezer stocked now, but mostly with fruit & veg I’ve grown/gathered/been given.

Yes, I could do sandwiches or some other kind of store cupboard meal fairly easily. We usually have bread in the freezer - might not always be sliced loaf sometimes it’s bagels or English muffins etc or if not there’s some part baked baguettes in.

Fresh stuff it depends on how recently we did a shop but there’s usually some tomatoes and red onion at least if not a full salad. I buy whatever veg we fancy for the week and use up any leftovers with a big pan of soup so there would almost always be soup either in the fridge or freezer too.

I found out after moving in with DH that he gets stressed when the freezer/ cupboards are full and starts fretting about how we need to use stuff up, whereas I like them to be as full as possible so that there’s always something in and preferably a few options. So it’s always a bit of a battle - but things don’t get wasted they all get used or frozen for another day or turned into soup or a pie or fritters etc.

I remember my mum talking about always having a tin of salmon in in case of unexpected visitors

I have a fairly large extended family.
In non-Covid times it was pretty normal for
us to call in on each other if not exactly unexpectedly then at short notice. Food would always be offered. I wouldn’t expect to be fed in the ‘feel entitled to’ sense but I would expect it in as much as I know full well that it will be offered so if I didn’t want to eat I’d better have my excuses ready.

DH’s family are different. His parents often invite us for a meal and are very generous but if we happened to be there at other times no food would be offered even if it was over a mealtime. It was strange to me as my mum wouldn’t have dreamed of not trying to foist food on you and giving you some to take home too. But it’s just different families way of doing things I guess. When we used to visit DH’s gran she wouldn’t offer so much as a cup of tea unless it was specifically ‘tea time’ in her mind but if you did happen to be there at that time you’d get the full tea service on a silver tray.

I could probably make something and bulk it out but it might be a bit random.

You are very different to me @ImFree2doasiwant. I always have a store cupboard with basics and since Covid have stocked up to feed 2 of us, for at least 2 weeks, in case we had to self isolate and not able to get an online delivery.

I'd feed unexpected guests something like omelettes, (always got eggs and cheese), pasta with homemade tomato sauce and parmesan, jacket spuds with cheese, or fish fingers and oven chips.

I'm another one who rarely meal plans.
I buy a whole stack of veg, fruit, eggs, cans of pulses, cheese, dairy, and some chicken/ fish. Just make it up on the day depending what I want to eat.

How funny that the poll shows 80+% agreeing with the OP but most of the actual posts are saying she's unusual

But thanks to Covid you need never have this problem again!

Haha, in all seriousness, no I expect your situation isn’t that unusual.

@maddiemookins16mum

I think it’s unusual not to have enough food to cook one meal extra (if no financial restrictions are involved).

And the OP can actually provide unexpected guests with a fair few options.

Just not sandwiches, it seems, which is the only thing the guests wanted.

I would have enough for an impromptu dinner party for 12 people.
Granted though, they would have to eat bread or my cupboard food, so beans on toast, cheese sandwiches, tuna/cheese/pesto pasta. There's always something to eat because I like a little stash.

I always joked my mum could feed an army at the drop of a hat. Me and 2 siblings would regularly bring friends back with no notice and she could feed everyone. a well stocked freezer and tinned goods were her secret.

@ImFree2doasiwant

I'm single, with 2 small children. I do a weekly meal plan and shop once a week.

If 3 extra adults dropped in for lunch, I'd either be able to feed them but have to go shopping again, or not have enough food in to feed them at all.

Its not like I can't afford to, I just buy the food that we, as a family, will eat. I have a small freezer. I could probably manage dinner better.

Am I that unusual?

If you have no backup like family or friends to shop for you, it seems a little unwise to fly by the seat of your pants all the time. If you were ill, how would you manage for more than a week?

I don't get why you need to think of food as 'lunch food' or 'dinner food' rather than 'food'

If they are coming to eat, why can't you use your dinner food at lunchtime? Not everyone eats sarnies for lunch.

Don’t understand the post - I could find something to feed them with (cheese and crackers, toast) but not. Proper meal?

3 adults is loads why would anyone buy more food than they need? EspciLly if you eat fresh stuff

well, this is quite an education.
i am older than most on here, so maybe that's relevant.
but i am surprised by people saying it would never occur to them to give a sandwich to a visitor. not about unwelcome/inconvenient/ no food, but that serving a sandwich wouldn't occur to you.
to my mind it is perfect, a step up from biscuits with tea/coffee.
it is less of an imposition, as not involving cooking, just assembly.
it's a different issue about whether people should drop by.
and people who never eat sandwiches, that surprises me too, unless you have to avoid wheat. but many mention other wheat products.

It depends how recently I'd done a shop. But I'd also not think anything of using food for guests who stopped by and having to replace it more quickly than I'd intended.

If cheese and pasta and a bit of salad/beans is a meal, I could. Or I could usually manage an omelette and toast. Don't have lots of anything, except oats for porridge.

I’d just make some egg Mayo, tuna Mayo or cheese savoury sandwiches, rolls or wraps. All made with items is usually have in as basics.
They’d get a cuppa and a biccy as dessert. If they didn’t like it they could go elsewhere. To be honest I’d like notice as these days I’d be more concerned that I’m dressed lol.

Or I’d add soul and bread/roll as I’ve either got some in the freezer or a tin of Heinz Tomato.
Actually soup, sandwich, tea and biscuits is absolute fine!

With 4 (now adult) children, I got good at being able to throw random meals together in case there ended up being hollow legged teenagers turning up. Plus, being very rural, we stock some stuff in case.

Happened to me last week when ds and his friend were doing some outdoor work for us. Pasta, tuna, lemon parsley, garlic - sorted and all stuff I have in. Or I'd make soup with some vegetables, chuck in loads of herbs/some pasta and call it minestrone.

Equal amounts of cheese/butter (Stork works)/flour and I have mini cheese biscuits to serve with drinks.

Always have a loaf in freezer or partly baked crusty rolls in cupboard.

Always have tin of tuna or beans in cupboard plus cheese in fridge.

So options would be

Toastie sandwich
Beans on toast
Tuna/cheese/pasta.

Always have herbs and spices in cupboard so three extra adults wouldn't phase me.

Am I the only one who eats last nights leftovers for lunch?

I have no idea what I’d feed one person for lunch