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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

am I just behind the times .......??

30 replies

ilovemyspace · 10/12/2023 21:49

Posting for xmas gift idea traffic please - I'm seriously thinking about buying a fondue set as a xmas gift for my DD and DSIL as they're both cheese lovers .................. but is this a bit old-fashioned?

I remember them being around years ago - but are they a bit dated now ??(fondues, not my DD and DSIL!)

OP posts:
Dartmoorcheffy · 10/12/2023 21:50

If they are cheese fanatics then they would probably love it. We would.

Cheeseplantalltheway · 10/12/2023 21:51

Well I think vol au vents are coming back so it might be time for a resurgence of fondue as well...

ghostyslovesheets · 10/12/2023 21:51

I love a fondue but not with cheese - we had many parties in my 20's with fondue and meat and card games and much booze - not always advisable with hot oil on the table - I'd love one as would DD1 (21)

PelvicFloorClenchReminder · 10/12/2023 21:51

Richard Osman is always giving them away so they must be back.

PoppyCup · 10/12/2023 21:55

DS2 is hyper-fashionable and he asked to borrow our old fondue set for a party the other week...

Original poster
ilovemyspace · 10/12/2023 22:10

@Cheeseplantalltheway that made me laugh! 😂
@ghostyslovesheets makes me quite nostalgic ........

and if Richard Osman is offering them out, then it's obviously totally ok! 😄

Thanks :)

OP posts:
ActDottie · 10/12/2023 22:15

I don’t know, it’s the kind of thing I’d use a couple of times and then put away.

Depends how often you think they’d use it tbh. I love cheese but would be disappointed with this as a present.

FadedRed · 10/12/2023 22:16

We often use ours, love cheese fondue.
You can get something very similar in a stoneware dish in supermarkets now, if you can’t be arsed to do the real McCoy.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/312227664

purpletrees16 · 10/12/2023 22:37

How much storage do they have? Test the water with their opinion on rarely used appliances (e.g. bread maker, nutribullet, rice cooker etc.) to check you’re not accidentally gifting a burden.

if they do express a lack of storage space then there are cheese subscription services that send new exciting cheeses every month.

Original poster
ilovemyspace · 10/12/2023 22:43

@purpletrees16 there's loads of storage/worktop space.
Although, when I think about it, I once gifted them a Hotel Chocolat velvetiser - it sits on the worktop ..... not sure if they've ever used it. I've never asked and they've never mentioned it 😂😂

OP posts:
Original poster
ilovemyspace · 10/12/2023 22:44

@ActDottie can I ask why you'd be disappointed?

OP posts:
purpletrees16 · 10/12/2023 23:02

Still worth checking - we have loads of worktop space and someone gifted us a rice cooker (very thoughtfully as we love rice). However, I value a large kitchen worktop space to cook and chop different parts of a meal so like it completely clear and easy to clean.

And then the second bit of “clear” worktop is part of our laundry cycle to avoid heavy lifting which is where the relative thought it would live. I’ve never gone through a use case for each worktop section with anyone before so they would have no idea. If you visited, it would be empty.

The rice cooker is now in the garage and we’ll give it away once an appropriate time has passed. Still a thoughtful gift - just a little awkward.

lljkk · 10/12/2023 23:07

Are they just a nightmare to clean like chocolate fountains, & lots of cheese gets wasted? Maybe makes sense if you feed a lot of people & big party for hours.

I love (most) cheeses but would hate the waste & have no one to eat it all with.

AuntMarch · 10/12/2023 23:21

I love cheese. It definitely doesn't mean they want to eat fondue enough to warrant the storage space.

Original poster
ilovemyspace · 10/12/2023 23:26

Lots to think about - thanks to everyone :)

OP posts:
theduchessofspork · 10/12/2023 23:27

Yes but due for a revival

Bloody love a fondooo

OddityOddityOdd · 10/12/2023 23:29

I'd buy them a cheese subscription instead. Not so one dimensional.

NeverTrustAPoliceman · 10/12/2023 23:30

My adult children have both borrowed mine which I've had for decades. They have used it for chocolate fondue instead.

FourLeggedBuckers · 10/12/2023 23:33

Fondue aside, I’m just here for the fact that someone with a username that might reasonably be read as “I love MySpace” is asking if they’re behind the times 😂

dontgobaconmyheart · 10/12/2023 23:43

For me it wouldn't be so much about whether or not they're dated but whether it's something they will actually use. I love cheese but wouldn't personally want a fondue set. If I were gifted one I can definitely imagine it being one of those things you get out once for the novelty and then it either goes to the back of the cupboard or to the charity.

As an aforementioned cheese lover I did however love the following cheese related gifts :

Artisan Cheese subscription (if you google there are so many lovely independent companies offering them). Most if not all of the artisan cheesemakers will also do gift cards, hampers etc

Artisan cheeseboard - which we got last christmas and was such a treat. I think it was from L'affinage. A selection of cheeses, some charcuterie bits, biscuits and accompaniments.

A personalised olive wood cheese board - not for everyone and DP thinks it's naff but I really like it and look forward to using it over the festive season. It was a housewarming gift and just has the date we moved in on it, so nothing particularly controversial.

Original poster
ilovemyspace · 11/12/2023 00:16

@FourLeggedBuckers 😂😂 May have to change my user name now!

  • didn't know MySpace was an actual thing ........... 😆
OP posts:
Original poster
ilovemyspace · 11/12/2023 00:22

@NeverTrustAPoliceman how does yours heat?

There seems to be a choice nowadays between gel fuel /methylated spirits, electric or tealight - just wondering which is best?

OP posts:
etmoiandme · 11/12/2023 00:26

FourLeggedBuckers · 10/12/2023 23:33

Fondue aside, I’m just here for the fact that someone with a username that might reasonably be read as “I love MySpace” is asking if they’re behind the times 😂

😂

OP, I would be ecstatic if we were given a fondue set as a present.

Definitely due a revival as PP said. And a good present if they like to entertain at home.

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · 11/12/2023 00:36

lljkk · 10/12/2023 23:07

Are they just a nightmare to clean like chocolate fountains, & lots of cheese gets wasted? Maybe makes sense if you feed a lot of people & big party for hours.

I love (most) cheeses but would hate the waste & have no one to eat it all with.

No, they are nothing like a chocolate fountain. The cheese doesn't go through any complicated tubes, just sits in a bowl - you can wipe it all out with bread so none is wasted, and it's as easy to wash as any other bowl.

LauderSyme · 11/12/2023 00:45

I was under the impression that fondue has made a comeback but I seem to be in a minority here in that belief.

We had one when I was growing up and it was always such a scrumptious treat!

Not all cheeses make good fondue though; the ideal varieties have a creamy texture and melt smoothly, eg Gruyère, Fontina, so lots of delicious cheeses wouldn't work at all.

Fondue sets are easy to clean.