Entertaining guests when you’re not a great cook

[TheOtherBoleynGirls]

I have an old friend visiting this weekend. She’s an amazing cook, likes to make everything from scratch, dislikes anything pre-made. She tends to stay occasionally when my DH is working away, as he is the weekend.

I’m not a good cook. I mean, I can feed the kids and not poison anyone but DH does the cooking and I tend to stick with things like slow cooker stews, pasta etc with plenty of veg to make me feel like I’m serving the kids something reasonable. These are often meat-based.

Friend is a vegetarian, and the food she cooks herself is never just basic pasta and salad, veggie chilli etc, she likes to eat more elaborate meals.

Friend was planning on coming late afternoon today, so we discussed dinner. She knows cooking isn’t my forte. Obviously I’m not just going to serve her pasta pesto, but every suggestion of mine was shot down. Nice quiche, gnocchi, filled pasta, I would have got garlic bread and made a good salad, none were acceptable. Doesn’t want takeaway either, even though we have a good choice here of delivery from decent restaurants. Friend finally announced they’d leave later than planned after having dinner first at home.

I can’t decide if I’m in the wrong here, should I have been practising something good and homemade to serve her? Or does have too high expectations if she only wants food of the standard she’d cook at home?

I concur with pp, I eat meat , my DB , is veggie, I cooked him shop bought cheese and onion pie chips, beans and garlic bread ( we have a long running joke to have garlic bread with every meal)

Absolutely fine for both of us and had a few drinks snd a great evening.

Your so called friend needs to wind her neck in and either eat what you cook , agree to a take away or bring the main course with her .

Your friend sounds insufferable.

I love to cook and would describe myself as a foodie but I’m not a complete dick! When visiting friends it’s their company I’m after and the food is not my top priority. I would have been delighted with any of your suggestions as we would have had a relaxed & enjoyable evening.

YANBU

I can't tell you all how relieved I am to know that most people think a filled pasta, salad and garlic bread is a reasonable meal because that's my most regular go to with guests 😅 Plus a posh dessert and wine and everyone is winning, surely?

She sounds rude and ungrateful. It shouldn’t be about what you cook but just about being together. Don’t sweat. Get a takeaway or do something simple, don’t stress. If she doesn’t like it she’s not worth bothering with.

Yes this sounds lovely!!!

She sounds awful! How very rude.

Good gravy she sounds like a rude bitch

Is this some of eating disorder playing out perhaps? (clutching at straws maybe - but might make her not intentionally rude.)

Don’t discuss what you give her in future, just plonk it down.

I love when the first answer nails it.

Yes it sounds delicious.

Give her that on Sat and say it has past the mumsnet nest of vipers test

That! Living alone I cook every single meal
If someone makes me a cup of tea and toast, I could hug them

Your friend is so rude! Next time, don’t run it by her. Just give her what you fancy.

Horrendously rude OP, absolutely mortified for her. I would love to eat what you cooked, right up my street.

😅

You're right, I should stop asking her. And resist the urge to next time serve her entirely own brand plain tomato sauce with pasta, a few slices of cucumber, and a defrosted garlic baguette

So rude she shot down all your ideas, what were her suggestions?

In fact my friend used to be
"White bread? Brown bread? Do you like tomatoes? Ketchup or mayo? Butter?"

Now she's "here, food"
Easily pleased

She sounds rude but how about this suggestion:

Pan fried halloumi with jewelled rice.

Finely chop half bunch parsley
Zest and juice a lemon
Finely chop 3 spring onions
Chop a handful of pistachios
Chop half pack feta
Deseed half a pomegranate or use prepared pot
Slice half jar roasted peppers
Slice and fry halloumi, heat 1 pack wholemeal rice, add peppers to halloumi to heat.
Put hot rice into large bowl, add everything except halloumi, plus some olive oil and gently toss. Serve with halloumi on top.

Ask her to arrive early and cook for both of you. That's assuming you still want her there. She sounds rude.

>>pricks up ears and looks very
attentive <<<<
Posh pud and wine you say ? Ummm could you please DM your address and I will come around and sample your main course to make sure it passes muster and scoff all the pud and slurp the wine 🍴🍷

She sounds horrendously rude tbh - if she didn't fancy your food a oh don't worry about cooking let's order in would be sufficient but surely a salad pasta and garlic bread is perfectly acceptable, bloody hell

What a cow! Doesn't sound like a friend

She sounds rude and ridiculous.

But I'm curious to know what kind of things she makes?

Nah fuck that. Proper friends put the friendship above any meal FFS.

I"m very very fussy with my food.

I cook from scratch, I like organic produce, I don't like eating too many carbs, prefer certain meats over others, etc.

But - if I'm seeing a friend, being hosted, I eat whatever I'm given, with gratitude!

Your friend sounds like she has a disorder.

Seeing that she didn’t want the meals you suggested perhaps she could have offered to cook?