Everyone eats melba toast when they're ill

[ProbablyLate]

When I was young if I ever had a day off school poorly, mum would make me homemade melba toast by cutting the crusts off some bread, toasting it, then slicing it in half horizontally (like making two thinner slices) then grill it with what had been the inside of the toast slice up so it curled up.

I thought, until yesterday, that this was a perfectly standard off-ill delicacy and offered to make some for DH if he had a bad reaction to his vaccine. He was perplexed by the concept and consultation with a wider group suggests this was not as common a practice as I had been led to believe.

So two questions for you all:

1. Is homemade melba toast something that for you goes hand in hand with a day off ill?
2. If not did your parents/carers have any special recipes reserved for the suffering?!

1. no
2. heinz tomato soup and a cheese toastie or an egg mashed in a cup with mayo.

You have to rub away the inside untoasted bread before you grill it!!!!
Missing the point but good lord!!!

No, in my day it was Lucozade, and if you were ill with a sore throat, a chopped up banana in custard. Don’t think I have ever had Melba toast outside a restaurant.

The correct food when you’re poorly is Heinz tomato soup with plastic white ready-sliced bread, untoasted, thickly buttered. Maybe salt and vinegar crisps but only once you’re up to it, perhaps after lucozade.

Why would you want crispy thin toast when you feel bad?!

I’ve never eaten melba toast in my life! Our ‘illness food’ was tomato soup.

Nope.

Chicken noodle soup.

No Melba toast here. It was digestive or arrowroot biscuits when I was a child, often washed down with Lucozade or Ribena which, at that point, you could only really buy at the chemist and it came all cellophane wrapped.

Never had that but quite want to try it! I love melba toast and never tried eating it.

DH is Greek and all Greek mums give their children boiled chicken in rice and lemon when they’re ill (as in boil the entire carcass). I can’t stand the smell of it cooking but once made it for DS when he was ill. He wouldn’t touch it!

1 - no never!

2 - Heinz tomato soup (bubbling hot) with hot buttered toast is “poorly food”. Well know fact

1. no never
2. chicken soup

1 No
2 Heinz cream of mushroom soup (reserved for measles and the like)
Honey vinegar and butter hot toddy for sore throats. I still use this but sometimes I get posh and use lemon instead of vinegar.

Never had it. I can't remember eating anything particularly special when ill. No reason it can't be a tradition in your new family though

Another one for tinned tomato soup and well buttered untoasted white bread. Also hot ribena.

Lucozade was for hospital admissions in our house.

Nope, never heard of that
And egg in a cup when you're ill. Boiled egg and butter in a mug and cut into pieces by stirring with a knife served with toast soldiers. Hot lemonade served as well if you had a cold!

No, the only melba toast I've ever had came out of a box from the supermarket! When we were sick we got Heinz chicken soup. When I was very young I used to get tonsillitis and lots of ear/nose/throat problems and my mother would force feed me warm orange squash with honey in it, revolting and it didn't work!

No

Chicken broth with egg and/or rice in it

My mum would make jelly or a tin of Heinz tomato soup.

My kids like Heinz tomato soup or a cup noodle/pot noodle sort of thing. They've never eaten Melba toast

Never had melba toast in my life. It's digestive/arrowroot/ginger biscuits here and white tea with sugar. Although my favourite ill food is plain aunt Bessie's Yorkshire puddings.

Nope not here either ,
Heinz tomatoe soup and buttered toast during the day and horlicks in the evening was our ill food

Nope...boiled egg mashed up in a cup for general malaise and teeth extractions or porridge if you had an upset tummy

Never had a melba toast and not wholly sure what they are.
I have tonic water and plain cracker like a water biscuit (but not too high fired). Pale.
Or plain porridge.
Then Heinz tomato soup when bit better.

When I was a kid my mum used to make me milk toast. Toast in hot milk.

I have heard of melba toast, but had no idea what it was, and can confirm I've never eaten it or heard anyone mention it as a thing, poorly or otherwise.

When I was poorly, I had hot ribena.

DD used to like home-made egg custard and when about 2 or 3 it was her threat to monsters for me to tell them to leave her alone or their mummies wouldn't make them any custard.

Sounds too much effort. Never had it. Regular toast is fine and a lot less hassle.