Travelled to friend's house for dinner, just strawberries for desert - AIBU to think it's low effort?

[Carefreebie]

On the weekend my partner and I travelled to a friend's house for dinner. The journey was over an hour by train.

The main course was sausages with nice sides (potato salad, tomato salad, another salad). That was nice.

But desert was just strawberries with some pouring cream.

We had a nice time, but AIBU to feel that the desert was very low effort and unexciting, and should have been more exciting than strawberries given the journey?

When my friend came to mine, I did a 3-course meal, feeling I should make a big effort because of her long journey.

What's wrong with sausages? Pan fried or otherwise?

So what if it's basic?

Just match her effort next time.

I think the main point of going to someone’s house is to spend time with them, and I enjoy whatever the hosts make.

However, if you spend a lot of time and effort to impress her, at least you’re off the hook now. No more 3 course meals, just make an easy meal like she did.

Just over an hour on the train? It's hardly a pilgrimmage to Mecca

Exactly! Dessert used to be fruit eaten away from the table while the servants cleared up, hence one desserted the board.

I love strawberries and cream.

@SallyWD

It's a great menu!

This post must be a wind up surely. I find it incomprehensible that anyone would complain about this meal, or indeed any meal cooked by friends who have invited you round to their house.

Personally I would be very happy with strawberries and cream in season. They could have made or bought in something more fancy, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with strawberries in July as a dessert.
YABU

It doesn’t sound like the most effort in terms of a meal but surely the main thing was spending time with your friends. Maybe they have a lot going on and didn’t have time to spend ages in the kitchen.

I worked for an organisation and every year we'd do a civic dinner for the city's VIPs. It was a very fancy affair. Guess what we often had for dessert? Strawberries and cream!

Strawberries & cream is perfect summer dessert 😋
I often meet a friend either at her house or ours & we meet to catch up & chat, enjoy each others company not judge cooking skills. Its often a simple easy meal due to work & time constraints so I'm hoping I'm not judged as harshly as you judge your 'friend'.

I rarely do dessert so you probably wouldn’t have had one if you’d come to mine!

You are rude and unkind.
Some of us don’t like rich, heavy, sweet desserts.
I would be overjoyed with strawberries and cream.
Now, you must post the menu showing us what you’ve served your friend so that we can similarly judge you.

I really want strawberries and cream now

Strawberries and cream is such a lovely end to a meal.

I can't imagine being the type of person that visits a friend then goes rushing on Mumsnet as soon as they're home to complain how crap it was. Glad I don't have any 'friends' like that and I really hope the host doesn't come across this thread because its really shitty.

You win Mumsnet for the most entitled post about food.

I have only read the first page but this is exactly why we have shit food and shit health in this country

People finding fresh food 'unexciting'

Its the same on threads where people are talking about their dinner, if its jacket potato or things on toast people dont seem to think thats a dinner or good enough or exciting enough.

We all think we're top chefs and have to go around creating (more likely buying) prepared expensive foods with lots of different bits to it and in the doing so have created a really unhealthy and unreasonable approach to good healthy food.

I wouldnt go again OP, she deserves better.

🤣 honestly you sound utterly ridiculous. It’s the summer - strawberries are a lovely dessert, without causing too much stress for the host. But it seems you expect her to be sweating over a hot stove for the commensurate number of hours that you travelled. Get over yourself - and don’t bother going again.

Sausages and 3 salads made me laugh. It sounds so random.
They either couldn’t be arsed and went to supermarket last minute to get things you don’t have to prepare yourself. Were the salads out of a tub? Or, they thought sausages and salad was a nice summer meal.
Regardless, did you have fun? Were they pleasant company? If so, I’d write it off and just have a (private) laugh about it,

In season strawberries are my go to at this time of year. I might crumble some meringue over if I looking to push the boat out 🫢

So bring your own then.
There is not point justifying your attitude by saying "I did/would have done XYZ for them". That's your decision. For all we know, when your friend was visiting she was put out by having to spend all the time travelling just to have you spend hours in the kitchen fussing over 3 course meal and not have much time to talk to her.

OP would hate me... We last had friends a week ago, we just did sausages, hot dog roll, onions and cheese and for after we all had a Magnum 😂

Curious on what OP would have liked then.

Someone making me anything when it was quite warm in many parts of the UK over the weekend would have been appreciated instead of having to cook myself in a warm kitchen.

Perhaps, OP should always bring the desserts so they aren’t disappointed.

An hour on the train, where you just sit and relax while someone does the driving and you can talk your partner without them having to also pay attention to the road, the horror.

It's completely fine for dinner in the summer! I'd have loved it.

OP is rude.