British "lunch" times at the weekend - why so late?

[Howdoyoulikeyoureggsinthemorning]

Riddle me this, MN. (I'm British myself btw).

Been invited to yet another pub "lunch" with the family. What time have they booked? 3pm!!!!

I just don't understand this tradition.

At school, lunch is usually 12ish, if not 1ish.

At work, lunch is usually 12ish, if not 1ish.

For this reason, most of us have been pretty conditioned to get hungry around the same time of day.

So whenever I'm invited to one of these super late lunches, I end up either:

• Making a pre-lunch for myself anyway because I'm too damn hungry to wait (which often leads to overeating that day...)
• Waiting until I'm so weak that I barely feel like socializing by the time I'm in company (morning ruined) and just counting the seconds till food is in front of me...

Oh, and these late lunches always ruin my appetite for dinner as well!

What gives?

YABU: Weekend lunches are not, nor should they be, like weekday lunches.

YANBU: You're correct and the standard for all pub lunches/roasts/buffets should be brought forward a couple of hours.

Because breakfast (if you're eating out) starts at 10am.

We treat ourselves to breakfast on the weekend, but finding a cafe that opens before 10 is nigh on impossible. We are early risers and the cafe that opens at 8.30 gets most of our business, and we are never alone in there!

Assume everyone is a lazy beggar on the weekends!

YANBU
Lunchtime to me is anytime between 12.30-2pm.
If I suggested to someone we had a late lunch I would be referring to 2pm maybe 2.15. But 3pm is not lunchtime!

I mean technically our bodies need food roughly every 3 to 4 hours so why not have a balanced snack at 12 then lunch at 3?

You have a breakfast and then a snack in the evening. 3pm is a bit late for me but 2pm is perfect.

I wouldn't eat a proper dinner if I had lunch late afternoon. Probably just have a brunch then wait for the afternoon meal.... Just have to adjust everything a bit. I agree though 3pm is a weird time.

I rarely get up before 11 on Sundays so we have "lunch" about 4pm

I love a late lunch ... yesterday ours was 4pm . Didn't have breakfast till 10.30/11 then 'lunch' at 4...tbh by the time we got our mains more like 5 ...shock horror 😂. This way, no need to worry about dinner. Win win as far as I'm concerned.

If I'm even 1% understuffed then I can't sleep.

This is disordered eating OP. People shouldn't fill themselves to the brim at every meal and definitely shouldn't make sure they've topped up that last 1% before they can go to bed every night

You have a late breakfast, a big meal at 3pm, and then either no dinner or something light like cheese and crackers at supper time.

Sounds ideal to me, actually!

Oh I didn't mean it that extremely, just in case I've worried anyone! I just like to heave a hearty dinner not too long before bed. Once my stomach's empty I start to get insomnia. Wish I could go to bed on less! Oh and I'm very slim, fwiw, in case I've given the impression I'm overeating in general.

It's really not.

At this time of year I think it makes an awful lot of sense to have a later lunch as it makes the most of the little light we get. I’d feel that a long lunch at 12 would be wasting the best of the daylight. For example, Saturday we did a good hill walk with the kids. Gave them an extra bit of toast around mid morning then a snack on the walk. We then ate lunch at the pub around 14.30, having felt like we’d maximised the light of the day. Got home 16.30 as it got dark for a film, then they had egg on toast for tea while we had cheese and biscuits and a bottle pf
red once they’d gone to sleep.👌

It's harder with kids but for a 3pm lunch date I'd have given them a normal breakfast, a light lunch or snack at Midday, main meal at 3pm and then a light snack later.

For myself I'd have had a late breakfast, main meal at 3pm and light supper.

It's not a big deal.

2pm is normal lunchtime for me!

I like a later lunch if we're going out as it means I can get things done in the morning before having to get ready to go out!

That said, I too like that "full" feeling before bed - going to bed with no dinner is just odd to me 🤣

We normally have a late breakfast at 10ish, then a bit of a snack at about 2 (cheese and biscuits normally!) and then dinner at 7ish on a Saturday and 6.30 on a Sunday if we're at home.

I don't get out of bed until 10ish on the weekend so my first meal is later. 3pm is perfect for me at the weekend.

Or just simply say that's too late for us. Can we do 2?

You sound like you have a toddlers attitude to food! My child is 7 and she can cope with having a small snack and eating later or whatever. Just have a banana or something. Also needing to eat dinner if you’ve finished a big lunch at 4:30 or so is a bit weird.

@Howdoyoulikeyoureggsinthemorning

try being more flexible op

the weekend doesn’t have to have exactly the same timings as a weekday

at the weekends try having a later breakfast

if you go out for a late lunch you don’t need a big evening meal, just a snack

for Sunday lunch as well - have a pint or g&t before your meal can take off the hunger pangs and may help you unclench a bit

Normal breakfast
Snack at 12 (slice of cake, toast, popcorn etc)
Big lovely pub roast
Bowl of soup and crackers or whatever soon before bed

I do watch my calories but I see it as splitting my dinner in half and having half of it at 12noon and half at 9pm. Would that help?

I also find it’s fine with small children - I have two. I give them sandwiches at noon when I have a snack and then they have pudding at the pub plus bonus roasties

Pre kids this would have suited DH and I fine. We regularly used to have 2 bigger meals (brunch and then late lunch/tea) instead of 3 at a weekend. Would be dreadful now we have a toddler 😂

I love weekend brunches. Preferably after a lovely walk, or some time mooching about little local shops.

If it's something more substantial then in our friendship group it's probably going to involve booze so invariably it's later cos we're too old to start day drinking before three. Unless on holiday. In that case we'd probably just have a snacky tea.

I'm with you op. I have my meals same time every day of the week. 3pm is neither lunch nor dinner. It's in between.

I hate the “afternoon tea timed” lunch on Sundays that only work for those who sleep in all Sunday morning.

I’d decline blaming plans at 4ish, but suggest brunch instead - much easier to bring your lunch forward and eat at 11:30am - for you 2nd meal of the day (just have a lot less for breakfast), for the hungover first meal. Everyone is happy!