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?

I usually have a full freezer of frozen meat (yellow sticker hunting had it's advantages!) so that wouldn't be a problem but would need to pop out to the local shop to buy extra veg (unless they wanted potatoes and carrots as always keep bags of those in the house).
It might be an uncoordinated meal but I could come up with something to feed people.

I could, but it would be veggie burgers or fish fingers with tinned sweetcorn. If they wanted something more fancy I would hand them the takeaway menu.

We could probably rustle something up but it wouldnt be a three course meal!!

And if it had been today they'd have had to have scraped the furry bits off the bread!

I'd have to change the plan of what I was going to cook, but I'd be able to russle something up. Always have half a dozen eggs, veg, probably some sort of cold meat or bacon and a cupboard full of tins, pasta, rice etc.

I could... but it wouldn't be a show stopping meal! Something more thrown together and random!

I could pull together pasta with chorizo, red peppers, and tomato sauce, something with eggs, beans on toast type stuff, cheese and ham sandwich. DP does an excellent carbonara so that too. Also always have frozen pizzas, peas, and oven chips for emergencies.

We do meal plan so I would be really caught on the hop, tbh!

We are a family of three and I probably have enough food for at least three months, excluding fresh fruit and veg but I have that frozen too. I come from a family with a large pantry, and dh comes from a family with a large pantry too. We live in Utah with a box room size pantry.

I have always had a well stocked larder - I'm my mother's daughter in that regard. But can always Whiz up pasta, rice, or something but again that's how I've been brought up.

My household is me and teen ds. I'm WF. He's an athlete.

If 3 adults dropped in unexpectedly I may be able to make a bowl of pasta meal, whip up some sort of bolognese or cheese sauce and Chuck in some bacon.

Or make some jackets and toppings.

I wouldn't have stuff to make a sandwich and crisps type lunch as we just don't have those ingredients.

Haha only on mumsnet does friends or family stopping by become a terrible offence

Where did I say it was a terrible offence? I think it's rude to turn up at someone's door unannounced, it's not always convenient to answer the door, no matter who it is.

@gurglebelly

We are trying to keep food waste minimal so wouldn't have enough in, and I would be furious if 3 people turned up expecting to be fed without us making plans

I have tons of food but don't waste any.

We'd be able to make a pasta, rice or similar meal. Last March we had to self isolate for the full 14 days when getting a supermarket delivery was hard and it was a pain so since then I have made sure I have enough pasta, tins and frozen food to feed us for a fortnight.

Am aware not everyone can afford this though.

Yes .. not sandwiches as buy bread when needed .. but would always be able to make a pasta dish, a curry , or a chilli.. plus i serve gin ! 😂

I wouldn't be able to make a load of sandwiches at short notice, but a jar of pesto and a packet of pasta and maybe a can of tuna if I were feeling generous - that I could rustle up for an emergency lunch.

@MillyMollyMandyish not different at all, really. I have a full pantry. My small freezer is full. Meat and veg. My fridge was not full, as shopping arrives Fridays, so most fresh stuff had been used. I dont often keep bread in as we don't really eat it.

We shop daily so we’d be screwed if we wanted an extra meal ourselves never mind 3 other adults 😆😂 unless you want some Mini cheddars or a Nakd bar

[quote ImFree2doasiwant]@MillyMollyMandyish not different at all, really. I have a full pantry. My small freezer is full. Meat and veg. My fridge was not full, as shopping arrives Fridays, so most fresh stuff had been used. I dont often keep bread in as we don't really eat it.[/quote]
You know you could just make them a dinner at lunchtime right or a table with a little bit of everything?

@arethereanyleftatall you're just like my best friend but I'm the polar opposite!

I shop twice a week, planning for four then three evening meals and all the lunch and breakfast stuff in between.

If we had unexpected guests though, I'd obviously scrap that evening's meal and, erm, have a take-away or Charlie Bighams!

"I always have a fully stocker larder and full chest freezer. I never meal plan (never heard of it before mumsnet), just do a weekly shop for fresh fruit/veg/dairy and whatever bargains are there for my larder/freezer. So, of an evening, I decide then and there what we're having. It works for me.* so many people saying similar things. I hope all posters who have made similar comments realise how privileged they are. "Oh I always have a fully stocked larder (most people don't have this) and a fully stocked freezer (many don't have this either.)

I can't imagine only buying enough to last precisely a week. I have a stash of imperishables.

But neither can I imagine showing up unannounced and empty handed to someone's house at lunchtime.

Why do you few people eat sandwiches it’s very odd.

I think I'd order a take out such as pizza or something. I don't have enough space in my fridge, it's tiny and I have to go out shopping every 3 days or so but if I had unexpected guests and I was on day 3 of my stock, then I would order pizza or something. I know it's different circumstances for everyone but no, I wouldn't be able to provide that amount of food for unexpected guests. If I'm going to home cook, I will need to know in advance so I can buy and if not, then it's take out because no one leaves my house hungry.

My mother and nan on the other hand, they can make food out of nothing because they comes from a country that has lived through wars and embargo's which meant her country had shortage of essentials and they learnt how to make food out of the most basic items. Believe me their food is a lot tastier than any place I've eaten so far or made myself using the richest ingredients. I always tell my mum to open a street food booth in Camden ;)

@arethereanyleftatall

Well you're totally different to me, but I have no idea which of us is more Unusual. I always have a fully stocker larder and full chest freezer. I never meal plan (never heard of it before mumsnet), just do a weekly shop for fresh fruit/veg/dairy and whatever bargains are there for my larder/freezer. So, of an evening, I decide then and there what we're having. It works for me.

I'm exactly the same. Can't meal plan, too much work! I open the fridge and pull something together, but I appreciate it's not for everyone. And OP, if someone drops in randomly you can always give them what you've got and get a top up for you later. It depends also on who is visiting. I assume they are not expecting a master chef performance? If they are close friends I'm sure they will be content with a sandwich or whatever, as the sharing food experience is more important than the menu. Also, you can pop in to the nearest shop quickly and pick up couple of pizzas or something? Fix a salad quickly, and voila!

I grow up in a culture where feeding people is such a pleasure and anywhere you go you are offered food at any time of the day, and I just love feeding people myself..

On the day before my weekly shop then fresh bread would be low, or run out, but if a situation ever arose whereby I suddenly needed to feed 3 unexpected adults, I could always throw together some pats, and a tomato-y sauce with cheese. I would almost certainly have some sort of bacon or chorizo or ham to chuck in too.
Generally I'd have some bread in the freezer so could do things like beans on toast too.
Normally I'd have eggs so could rustle up an omelette.
I'd generally have a pizza in the freezer, and could probably gather things out the freezer like burgers or nuggets or fish fingers and throw in some chips.

On the day before the shop, the fridge / pantry might be more empty, but I'd never be in a situation where I can't find something to keep starvation at bay.
I realise I'm fortunate to not live hand to mouth, but even when we were skint I'd generally have things like tins of beans in and pasta.

Your question is a bit weird when you clarified- you COULD give people a meal just not sandwiches, because you don't eat much bread. Why would you worry about 1 type of food? If people want much they can have whatever, sandwiches are not the only food.!