Is your family is snobby when it comes to homemade dishes

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My in laws are very snobby when it comes to homemade food.

When I say snobby they wouldn’t judge a single mum relying on something pre made for example but when it comes to the stuff they eat they massively favour homemade stuff. I just find it amusing tbh! They all get VERY excited when someone brings over homemade bread and desserts. Wanting to know what recipe/method you chose. All birthday cakes are homemade. I swear a cake from Tesco would sit completely unopened in the fridge.

There is one vegetarian family member and my sister in law is going to make an entire veggie wellington just for him. I suggested just getting something from M&S and she completely baulked at the very idea. Tbf everyone is a good cook.

It definitely stems from MIL. Who grows her own food, makes chutneys etc. They would never dream of shoving in an Indian selection from Waitrose as starters like my family doesx

I just find it fascinating tbh.

Anyone else have family like this? Even croissants are homemade!

Snobby or… preferring unprocessed food

I would say snobby is about judging the choices of others and looking down on them.

Home made food is normally much more healthy and usually tastes so much better. I buy shop bought cakes for kids birthday parties but even though I have a sweet tooth I wouldn’t eat a slice as they just don’t taste nice to me.

“Compulsive desire for home made food”.

But they’re the insecure ones, of course.

Nowt snobby about steering clear of supermarket ultraprocessed food.

It would be a short convesation about the provenance and process of buying a tesco loaf

See no problem at all - Many of the ready made options are easily home made ( minus additives / E numbers / colours enhancers etc ) and coming from a background where much of our food was home grown and mum made croissants from scratch every Sunday If I had the time I woudl totally do the same. Supermarkets give us the same options of fruit and Veg all year round - its hard for people to know what the seasonal fruit and veg are now .

Not snobby.

Shop bought cakes are grim… I love baking and home made are miles tastier. I’m a single mum so obviously allowed to have no standards according to you 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also, all of the examples in the OP (apart from the MIL who grows her own food and makes chutney) are of special occasion food: birthday cakes, dinner parties where people are bringing bread and desserts round, a veggie wellington probably for Christmas dinner - these are all occasions where even people who do habitually use convenience foods might make a special effort.

It’s not snobbery to prefer food that generally tastes better than shop bought. One of the best things about home cooked food is you can adjust what you use so it matches exactly what you like, so more garlic or less pepper or changing the vegetables used etc. If they love to cook, eat, and swap recipes then it’s just a hobby with a delicious and useful outcome!

I wonder if thinking this is snobbery is a little bit of insecurity around your own cooking and food choices? Because you shouldn’t feel like that. I love to cook and prefer home made but am realistic about how much time I have and that I’d prefer spending more time time with DC than cooking, so we eat lots of prepared things too. I think that is pretty normal.

They just sound like they like good food (Tesco cakes are undeniably crap), and enjoy cooking as a family - however it is annoying when people bang on recipes if you aren't into it

It's snobbish BTW, not snobby, though don't think that's the issue in this case.

Are you my sister in law? 🤣

This is my family and also my own family now. I don’t eat pre-made/ultra processed stuff and a shop bought cake probably would sit there…it just doesn’t taste as good and I usually find most things too sweet or too salty.

Ooh I must have missed the page in the single mum handbook that says I'm allowed to rely on shop bought food! Such a lot of home made baking and cooking for nothing! Except for better quality, nutrition, and flavour that is.

I would not eat cake from Tesco unless it was a social occasion where it’s extremely rude not to. It’s not being snobby, it’s just not wanting to eat a load of preservatives and too sweet icing.

I’m with your in laws here. It’s not snobbery it’s just appreciating decent food.

I’ve actually come across the reverse of this - one ex-colleague who looked down on another for preferring to make an apple pie rather than buy one!

Funny

You gotta get it from a deli, I'm pretty much a non cook and this is what I do and it passes muster. Often a free dish too..

Snobby? Very odd word to use. They just sound like people who are interested in food and enjoy cooking, and you aren’t and don’t. Both are fine.

Well I'd psychoanalyse the pair of you and think your opinion about your in laws comes from a place of your own insecurity. Of not making home made food and feeling like you may be judged.

I prefer home made food, I don't like ultra processed stuff. I wouldn't eat a Tesco cake out of choice. Like maybe to be polite I would. But it wouldn't be as nice.

I do work full time and have three children. I also tend to cook from scratch. Cooking for my family is my love language (boak!).

Yes I think foodie not snobby, as they don’t look down on people eating packaged/premade foods, they just have a clear preference for homemade and think even the small improvement in food quality is worth the effort.

It’s also worth noting that “good” frozen/jarred food is pretty new, and even then the taste is often inferior.

Some people are into food and have the time and inclination to make everything from scratch. I do admire this as fresh cooked food is healthier and more nutritious.
I am not one for making everything from scratch due to time and also not being great or enjoying cooking as a hobby.
But I wouldn't think anything of people that do and I think once you get in the habbit of doing it all from scratch it becomes a lifestyle.
If they have the time, money and skills to do this then good for them and I would be very happy to eat at their house even if they didn't want to come to mine for a premade lasagne and shop bought cake!!

Convenience foods have their place, but part of having guests is showing I value their presence by making the food. I pick up something quick and easy for myself all the time, but I just wouldn’t do that if I am hosting or bringing a contribution to a gathering.

Also how on earth does choosing a recipe, cooking it and then serving it to guests become a sign of insecurity? Surely it’s the exact opposite?

Im with your inlaws on this one, homemade food is generally nicer and far healthier for you. I think it often depends what your parents did growing up, my mum made everything from scratch and now myself and my siblings do the same. I wouldn’t judge someone for using premade as it’s obviously quicker and lots of people are time poor but 90% of the time I would make homemade and if there were two options at someone’s house I would pick the homemade one

I agree. Shop bought cakes are too sweet and cheap ingredients.
I actually do buy shop bought cakes for occassions as I am a crap baker. But will give everyone a slice to mark the occassion then chuck the rest.
As a pre packaged food buyer I still know I am buying an inferior product to a fresh made from scratch home cooked one.

Mine and DH’s family are both like this tbh, maybe that’s why we work!
To be fair it’s not snobbery, we all just think homemade puddings taste better, do you not?! I wouldn’t eat a store cake unless I was in a situation where it was rude to decline, just because I don’t like the taste and to me it’s not worth the calories!

In my opinion there is a place for a veggie wellington from M&S, but at Christmas I enjoy making a bit more effort and spending a bit more time in the kitchen. I don’t think that makes me a snob.