Is your family is snobby when it comes to homemade dishes

[Calgator]

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!

If that’s their thing then why not. I don’t think think it’s snobby. However, it is healthier as no additives or preservatives, in a lot of cases probably tastes better e.g. homemade cake from even a mediocre baker is going to be nicer than a Tesco one and where it doesn’t taste better because I really doubt they do croissants as well a good bakery, it’ll still be saving them a lot of money. In the case of the veggie wellington I also think it’s really nice they’re going to as much effort for the veggie as the meat eaters. As long as they’re not rude if you serve a premade dip or whatever then I really don’t see the issue.

Ah, now I realise my PILs thought I was a food snob. That kind of makes sense now. MIL in particular just wasn't into food, and couldn't understand going to all that trouble and mess to make something people were only going to eat.
Nothing wrong with ready made stuff when you're short on time, energy or skill. Or even if it's just what you fancy. But it doesn't compare to dishes you make for yourself, which you can adapt precisely to your own taste.

I don’t think it’s snobby, they are foodies and enjoy cooking. I also prefer home made cakes etc and never buy a birthday cake from a shop. However, I love to cook so I don’t see it as a chore.

Homemade food is nicer, I don't always cook scratch working full time with two teens who never stop eating but I would prefer to cook from scratch when I can. My 18yr daughter is actually going to stay with my parents tonight and already given my Mum her food requests 😂. She says she's looking forward to my Grandma's cooking and is hoping that there will be some breakfast cooked for her too unlike here where dinner always over runs.

Also the effect of highly processed food long term may not be felt for many years. I have always tried really hard to cook good proper food despite having a very limited budget many years ago . My DH has a large family who all IMO eat very little actual food as opposed to convenient meals and the contrast between him and his family is becoming more stark as we age. The interesting thing is they all seem to spend far more on their diet than we do! I think of food as medicine

Isn’t it also about feeling valued and perhaps loved? Tonight I’ll be making dd2 and dp spag Bol from scratch. Both say it’s better than shop bought and I get pleasure from making it.

Well ready meals taste horrible so they are right

When shopping I often read the ingredients and put it back on the shelf when I conclude I can make it relatively easily with ingredients in the cupboard, all of which I recognise. I make “ordinary” bread but buy sourdough, I make cakes but buy frozen chocolate eclairs, make shortcrust but buy chilled puff pastry, make ice cream but buy yogurt, make fish cakes but buy fish fingers. I don’t agree that it’s snobby to fail to see any appeal in bought cakes!

I don’t think it’s snobby either - I cook most things from scratch (I don’t ever buy ready meals for example, I just don’t really like them) but I’m happy to buy “nice” sourdough bread, dips, etc. Try to not buy too much UPF though every now and then we buy a vegan meat substitute like burgers as a bit of a treat. I’d love it if someone gave me a loaf of their own bread or some homemade jam or cake!

But I would also be delighted with shop bought chocs or chutney etc - I’m able to cook so much because I’m a SAHM who home educates so I have the time (and I enjoy it), I fully understand it’s a privilege and not everyone has time (or inclination).

If you think that a shop bought Christmas pudding is better than a home made one you're doing it wrong! I used to make a really old Christmas pudding recipe that made 2, so I needed to do it every 2 years, the spare was kept wrapped in the fridge and was amazing the next year.

Can I have the recipe for that please? It sounds delicious.

I'm with the homemade gang. The joy of my life is a church hall fayre with a homemade rock cake on offer

I wouldn't say snobby. Homemade food is just tastier, and it's always interesting to have a go at making things. She says, meaning it's always interesting when DP has a go at making things - he makes his own bread, own pasta, own granola, own chutney, almost all actual meals. There's not much out there that he hasn't made from scratch. He has actually made a veg wellington for veg friends coming for dinner before!

Neither of us is against the occasional bit of shop-bought junk food (especially when hungover) or using dried pasta for quick weeknight meals at all - it's just that when you're really into food, homemade is just better. And while DP has done homemade scotch eggs and homemader croissants, those are obviously not everyday activities.

Absolutely no to supermarket cakes though. Just so sickly and weird-tasting compared to homemade. I wouldn't even eat a free slice of them.

My parents were like this. I remember it seemed like the weirdest thing when I met my now husband and he would get an M&S ready meal after work. I would always make something even if it was just a sandwich or quick stir fry. Now I'm also time poor myself I sometimes do the same.

I always check ingredients and if it's equivalent to what I would make (eg sauce made of just veggies and olive oil) I often buy pre-made because it's cheaper for them to produce it due to economies of scale.

As if I was trying to think of a person that was most likely time more

Bit of a strange take, OP. Homemade food is generally better and (depending on dish) healthier than pre-packaged dips and foods full of preservatives and seed oils. I'd take a home made cake over shop bought any day! Plus - unless you're a truly dreadful cook - it shows a bit more thought and effort. I'm team homemade!

It's sad that you think a family who all enjoy cooking and appreciate food cooked from scratch is a sign of snobbishness.

Not snobby but growing up our food was always home made, because my mum has coeliac disease and there just wasn't really much ready made gluten free stuff in the 80s and 90s. Nowadays they can buy more ready made stuff but I'm sure they still prefer home made.

Homemade is invariably nicer and healthier than shop bought. Cooking can be a lovely, creative thing to do. Sharing food you have prepared yourself with your loved ones can be a gift and an act of love.

They don’t sound snobby for not being interested in a cake from Tescos.

I’m like that. Definitely not snobby or insecure, just a strong preference for homemade. I try to avoid UPFs generally and don’t like very much pre-made food. Those selection pack things always look nice but taste like disappointment. A shop bought cake would go off in my house. Don’t care a jot what other people do or serve though

@Calgator
The thing is that once you cook almost everything from scratch from fresh ingredients, then food that has been mass produced, and has some sort of preservative which makes it last longer than it would do normally, just tastes bad.

It doesn’t just taste plain or bland, it really is often unpleasant to eat.
I wouldn’t refuse or anything, and if someone brought something I wouldn’t want to make them feel uncomfortable, but I’d only have a tiny portion.

It’s a bit like being very slightly short- sighted. You get by just fine without glasses, but one day you put glasses on and start wearing them. If you wear them for a couple of weeks and then take them off, then it’s like you are blind, and struggle to do without.

Home made food ‘can’ be much nicer and have less crap in it but it very much depends on who is cooking and what’s being made - my gran used to cook a lot from scratch but to be honest I’ve had ready meals and baked goods that were much nicer, because she didn’t go a bundle on herbs or seasoning and used cheap ingredients

Ah, now you've got me googling recipes for spinach and artichoke dip. Sounds great! (If you can buy in supermarket, please tell me where!)

I generally bake and cook from scratch. As others have said, it is nicer and healthier. My 3 dc are older now but I still did the same when they were young and I was (and still am) working full-time. I don't judge anyone who chooses to do it differently.

The only snobbery and insecurity I see on this thread is coming from the op and her sil.

What will we be called "snobby" for on MN next, I wonder? Eating from a plate? Wearing clothes?

The British sneer-a-thon, which seems to take aim at anything remotely nice, is getting out of control.