Do you eat ready meals regularly?

[RedRosette2023]

Following from another thread - I heard a statistic the other day that said up to 90% of people regularly consume ready meals. As in, in a plastic container and from the microwave or oven.

I sense that MN is quite middle class so likely not representative of the whole of the country. But I was surprised by that statistic.

I genuinely can’t remember the last time I ate a ready meal. I occasionally gave eldest DC an Ella tray when they were weaning, a meal I could keep in my changing bag and have handy in case we were out over tea time. My youngest refused any pouches etc so he has never had one. He’s always just eaten what we’ve eaten and taught me baby food is totally unnecessary, albeit convenient at times.

I am coeliac so it’s possible my habits have been formed due to necessity - I would struggle to pick up a ready meal I can eat with ease. M&S do some and I think GF ones slightly more available now but I just don’t buy them.

I’m also not a SAHM Mum, I work a pressured job four days, my DH works away mostly during the week, I use hello fresh etc 3-4 days. But I always find time for a meal. My ready meal is something batch cooked out the freezer.

No judgment - just genuinely interested.

But then really what we’re saying is no processed foods. So chuck the ‘ready made’ bread out too. You can’t say the hand made sandwich in your home kitchen with processed bread and cured meat filling is any worse than buying it ready made off a supermarket shelf.

My Mum remembers gluten free bread in a can 🤢 I think she had to get it on prescription.
We have limited supermarkets here, but do have M&S. We always have the goujons in the freezer!

I'm not sure how you can feign disbelief over how anyone can buy something premade but then use frozen roast potatoes, jars of sauce and buy breaded chicken/sausages rolls whenever you are able to.

I also get negative comments from my Mum for giving DD the MandS or Cook ready meals as she 'cooked properly' for us when we were children.

She's evidently forgotten at least half our meals each week involved chips, frozen pizza, fish fingers, chicken nuggets. Followed by Angel Delight, rice pudding, sponge pudding and custard etc! All washed down with orange squash.

I generally shop at Aldi, and then do an online shop from Morrisons to stock up on GF pasta, bread, pizza base and breadcrumbs, that kind of thing as Aldi is limited on GF. i love M&S gluten free but don’t have a local one.

When I say a family ready meal I mean a meal for 4 people.

I’ll admit it’s partly habitual for me too. I also feel safer knowing a food has been prepared by me. I’ve been ill in the past when people have smiled and nodded and assured me it’s GF and it’s not been. It makes me ill for days!

I’m pretty happy with my habits so not desperate to find GF ready meals. Although I was pretty happy when I found a GF pepperoni pizza. They seemed to have discontinued the ones I like.

My mum is the same! We lived off oven chips I’m sure! My dad asked me if my Mayo was homemade the other day…!

Delia smith was criticized for using frozen mash in one of her recipes years ago!
I love a decent ready meal, but it is now and again once a month maybe as the posh ones are expensive.

I want melted cheese on it too!!

I am not.

I just thought 90% was quite high.

We never eat the ‘typical’ ready meals in the trays but we do buy frozen fish fingers, alphabet bites for dc and often have a pizza in the freezer.
Dh and I both enjoy cooking, so take it in turns. I love the slow cooker & use it 3/4 times a week, 15 mins prep time in the morning, put it on slow, then I can forget about it till tea time👍🏼

We don't buy them, or much pre made food generally. We do keep fish fingers and ready made pizzas in for emergencies etc.

Where are you even getting the 90% from?

Personally I think if you use jarred sauces, frozen roast potatoes, sometimes feed your children fish fingers and whenever you have the option you buy GF premade food like chicken goujons, sausage rolls and pepperoni pizzas then I would put you in that 90% too.
So it is easy to see how it is high number when you view yourself as someone who never eats ready meals and only cooks from scratch but actually your life does involve many convenience foods.

I quite clearly said I was talking about a meal on a plastic tray.

My point re class was only to acknowledge that MN is not going to be a representative sample of the entire nation. I’m not sure why you have taken such offence to that. Do you disagree and instead believe the users of MN are representative? Because that’s fine if you do.

I was just intrigued and looking for a discussion.

If I’ve touched a nerve because you have particular sensitivities about this topic then please feel free to leave the thread.

I mentioned upthread. It was a statistic quoted in a book.

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0BL1M9XCL?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=player_overflow

About halfway through chapter 10.

Just to clarify it was about “tv” dinners, which originated in the US but the UK soon adopted too.

Oh far far better. I am hoping though, as people are now changing to plant food, that it doesn't suddenly mean a drop in what is available to us now.
I remember the first time I found a good gluten free bakery , I had to recheck that the bread was actually gluten free, but to be fair it was that long since I had eaten "proper" bread that it could still have been vastly different .
Gluten free has improved so much that often my partner now will happily eat it even over something else.

You honestly can’t be that surprised, someone has to buy them or there wouldn’t be such a huge variety in the shops. I don’t like the taste of them, and they are very expensive at least where I live.

Again if anyone’s interested here’s the source for the 90% stat quoted in the book.

I use M&S ones a couple of times a week as I have to eat gluten free , so my H is quite happy with an M&S meal a couple of times a week- I just add extra veg -

@JuneShitfield thank you.

I eat them regularly. I'm autistic with food issues and they mean I actually eat. I'm an m&s yellow sticker queen!

Yes you have touched a nerve because you are clearly being very judgemental and i hate for people to be put in 'classes' as that is such an outdated term and if you actually would educate yourself you would see most people (who you would probably consider as Upper Class) don't use that term anymore. I also have no desire to leave this thread just because i disagree with you and you have suggested it.

Would love to hear of your 'cook from scratch' recipes though :)

Jarred sauces, Frozen roast potatoes are all READY MEALS!

I think also a time and convenience thing. It's noticeable that the Sainsburys Local by the railway station has large numbers of ready meals to buy. The one in a much poorer residential area has hardly any.

There was surprise in my head when I heard that statistic. Honest.

You might be surprised I was surprised but I could say you honestly can’t be surprised at my surprise. But given I’m not in your head I’ll take you at face value of your own thoughts.

I don't think a frozen roast potato is a ready meal. It's not a meal. It is a convenience food, for sure.

Not commenting on whether either of them are bad or good, by the way. Just that people have different definitions of things, as we can clearly see on this thread!