To buy ready made food for Christmas?

[SpicyMargarita1]

Honestly, I’m exhausted. DH and I work in a physically demanding job. We are working until late on Christmas Eve and have been working 7 days a week so we’ve got enough money to cover us for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

We are going to PIL for Christmas Day but we have to take our own food because we’re vegan and they aren’t.

Would IBU to take a ready made vegan roast and a tray of ready made veg? I just CBA to make everything from scratch. I’d rather spend some downtime with my DH and DC.

I’m an excellent cook, but I’m exhausted.

You can choose to be a total martyr.

Or you can have a nice Christmas with food that was put on sale precisely for people without the time, inclination or willing to DIY it.

OK so I’ll get a ready made roast for us. A bag of potatoes. A bottle of avocado oil. And a ready made dessert. How does that sound?

We’re having accidental vegan potatoes this year. One is Vegetarian so beef dripping is out, one is oddly allergic to anything with wings so no goose fat and one is DF. So to suit our small collection of oddbods I’ll be cooking them in Olive Oil

Thank you.

Perfect. Can I come 😁?

Absolutely!
Hope you have a lovely, relaxed Christmas OP.

I use to do that when we had friends around for dinner. I went to COOK and bought one of their lovely meals and then transferred it to one of my serving dishes! I got away with it for years!

Why can't pil cook it?

I think the Mumnset consensus is that vegans should always take their own food, it’s not the host’s responsibility to cater to vegans.

Ah I disagree. I would never expect someone to have to cook their own food, as if they were an inconvenience, when I've offered to host.

Every year I buy everything prepped from m&s ….what’s the big deal?

Completely agree. If someone is staying for several days, then it's generally polite for the guest to contribute in some way. But for a single meal - no way. Being vegan is just as reasonable as being a meat-eater and certainly mainstream enough for a good host to accommodate.

I dont get how vegan roasties are more difficult than those done in animal fat...? Can you just buy vegan pre-made ones and put them in your own roasting tray before you arrive?
Pudding is the only thing I'd consider making myself in your shoes. Where are you going to get the time to do anything else?

This was Christmas Dinner. We provided the nut roast and potatoes, PIL supplied the green beans.

Not here it isn’t! DS, DDIL and dd are vegan or vegetarian, I happily sort out suitable food for them.
Oh OP! That’s a miserable excuse for a Christmas dinner! Couldn’t MIL at least made some effort?

OP it sounds like you’re too much of a people pleaser.

Needing 'permission' to eat ready made food. Taking your own potatoes instead of them just serving potatoes in olive or avocado oil for everyone. Stand up for yourself more and do what you want rather accepting second class offerings from your hosts.

I understand taking your own main, gravy and dessert because preferences vary. Some people love a nut roast, others hate it. Likewise vegan meat alternatives or mains involving mushrooms, lentils etc. I'm not sure what desserts could be vegan as so much involves cream or eggs.

But sides are just normal food like potatoes and vegetables. I would normally cook roast potatoes in animal fat because they're next level delicious but olive oil ones are pretty good too, so I don't see why they can't just serve the same vegetables to everyone.

Also this is the second Christmas dinner thread where there's been no sprouts. What's wrong with people?

@Bjorkdidit yeah, tbh, I was expecting a bit more their side than just untrimmed green beans.

oh - this looks extremely sad op I’m sorry. Where was the rest of it?

Oh OP that’s miserable, did they literally just provide meat and green beans??

hope you are planning a relaxing and low key Boxing Day

@Talkingtomyhouseplants that was it.
@PotatoBreadForTheWin they just provided the beans.

How low effort and disappointing!

If it was me I would have done a vegan cauliflower cheese for you, vegan stuffing for everyone, parsnips, carrots, sprouts, peas (all obvious vegan) and then you could have put it with your nut roast.

The portion is also teeny tiny especially on Christmas Day - so your in laws not like fun?

They’ve always been miserly and begrudging. And they hate the fact that we’re vegan, hence the refusal to cater for us, even though MIL is an excellent cook. I think they would prefer we were on crack, tbh.

And @Talkingtomyhouseplants by the way, we’re coming to yours next Christmas 😂

Lord, this has actually seriously pissed me off.

Where is the rest of the food and why are they so ignorant they can't imagine just cooking for vegans. What do they think the full array of vegetables are for?

I hope you get to do Christmas dinner again today- and properly. And that you get a rest.

I think your PIL are BU. I can actually understand not wanting to cater to vegans, but I would just say that I couldn't do so. I have vegan relatives but I never invite them for dinner. What I wouldn't do is invite them and then not host at all!