in thinking that Sunday lunch should be at lunch time

[BramblyHedge]

Is it normal to have family Sunday lunch at 3pm? Off to mums later and that is when she is doing it which is just great with a 22m and 4 year old. Will have to do them a lunch snack to keep going and probably a tea snack as well. I am not usually precious about timings for naps/ food etc and they do roll with whatever we are doing but why can't it be either lunch or tea? It will only be grandparents and an aunt apart from us. GGrrrrr.

it is normal to have sunday lunch at 3, but if you've got little ones, then you should give them a snack at about 12.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but if it is a problem why not say "sorry to be a pain mum and really looking forward to lunch - any chance of having it a bit earlier cos the kids will be far easier that way?"

My parents always did Sunday roast at 2pm - 2.30pm, not much better for children who normally eat at 12. I tend to give them a small snack to keep them going but as others have said they then may not have room for the roast. I like 3littlefrogs idea though.

Weekends involve a loooong breakfast which sometimes rolls into lunch and then an early dinner which also often overlaps with lunch. Routine is not something we suffer willingly.

Never had a problem with kids. Most BBQs happen in the early afternoon. Just give them a snack.

this doesn't phase me.

Went to see SIL yesterday, arrived at "lunch time", but I hadn't fed the kids, even though I knew she wouldn't start cooking until after we got there.

They had "lunch" at 3pm....they lived.

But I guess I'm kind of used to it with my IL's (And i think it's pretty Zimbabwean thinga ctually) even if you haven't been invited for a "meal", no matter what time of day you're there you'll be fed.............very well. So you could turn up at 9am and leave before lunchtime.......and have been fed a meal........likewise if you turn up mid afternoon after already having had lunch you'll be fed at some point.

Each to their own I guess,
Saying that my mum always had Sunday lunch at 1pm, tea was at 5pm,
Xmas dinner was also at 1pm and tea was also at 5pm, thats how her mum did things too.
And I must admit I like to have lunch at 12-1ish lunch time to me and tea/dinner at 6pm.

IMO 3pm is too late or too early for everything -

No, the later for me the better.

I have a weird thing (not quite a phobia, but a strong dislike) of doing any heavy-duty cooking before noon. I just don't want to be manhandling raw meat and peeling vegetables almost as soon as I get out of bed.

I could never have a slow cooker!

So, I am prepared to start cooking at about noon and unless it is a humungous joint of meat or Christmas Day, then Sunday lunch tends to be ready by about 2.30pm/3.00pm.

I would always prefer to eat in the evening, though, if it were entirely up to me, which it isn't .

YABU We often have a late lunch on a Sunday,Just give you DC's a snack or a late breakfast, It's only a one off so won't hurt them,

We have Sunday lunch any time between 1-5pm. 3pm would be quite normal.

We usually have ours at about 3pm. But then we don't get breakfast until about 10 and DH often does a big cooked breakfast.

3 pm is a stupid time for lunch. Would annoy me too.

Just like I'm annoyed when "Easter dinner" or "Thanksgiving dinner" is at 4 pm. WTH kind of time is that for dinner???

3pm is a normal time for sunday lunch imo....

if you're not precious about timings for food, not really sure what your problem is to be honest (not being mean, but it does sound a bit precious?) What I find a bit odd is that you can't talk to your Mum about it to see if you can agree timings which suit you better , if it's difficult for you to work round her schedule? TBH I'd pack some sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt, and not get too stressed if the children don't eat much of the meal she's prepared. We sometimes have Sunday Lunch at 3 when we are having people over (never otherwise) so that they can do there own thing for most of the day. They have a buttie or something at midday before they come hand seem to cope. If they have little ones, I make it clear that I can provide food if they can't wait til the meal time. I always thought people were ok with this, but you've now got me worried that they're all secretly complaining behind my back?!

THEIR own thing...

We have Sunday dinner not lunch. Personally I do roasts for dinner time as it has always seemed wrong having dinner at lunchtime as you then need 2 dinners to be cooked.

I do Christmas dinner for around 4ish too, but no actual set times so there is no panicking about food not being done etc. I have 3 dcs, 8, 6 and 3.

YABU. With two small DC's I am up by 6am eating brekkie. I am ravenous by midday.

In these circumstances, I would feed the DC's lunch as normal (and would have my normal sandwich also) - not feeding them would result in hungry/ irritable little people. Then when the 'lunch' is served, they can eat whatever they feel like, and I would eat a small amount. I would find that the DC's would then be ok until given a pre bedtime snack.

I think people forget what it life is like with small children. 3pm is fine when you have a sunday lie in and leisurely breakfast with the papers. Havent had a morning like that...ohhh....since the children were born.

No we don't go 7 hours without food lol. We have a nice breakfast (kids are up by 6am on a good day :p) and I do a proper lunch (ie not dinner), we always have loads of snacks like nuts, pickle, cheese, crackers etc so there is definitely no waiting about for food. Then dinner around 4pm. I do starter, roast with lots of trimmings and then a choice of deserts. I do tend to go over the top with food at Christmas though!

I always thought (and have noticed in other families) that christmas dinner is at lunchtime, but that wasn't what we wanted, the kids were nowhere near ready for a full dinner by then at all as they just never have that at lunchtimes and wouldn't enjoy it.

Just to reiterate, for us it isn't lunch!!!!! It's dinner!!!! We have a lunch and then Christmas dinner. We are used to eating at 5ish so perfect for us, if we waited any later for dinner the kids would be grumpy and starving, much like those assuming no lunch and eating for the first time at 4 lol. I've never understood making children wait until, say 7pm for dinners personally though.

I really don't see what the problem is with the way we do it, no lie ins, far from it, and the turkey takes about 5/6 hours to cook normally plus an hours standing so that fits in perfectly too.

It's not Sunday lunch it's Sunday dinner. In our house it is the focal point of the day - Sundays are spent in the preparation and eating of a small feast. It takes all day. On Sundays (like on Christmas day) there is only ONE meal - we don't eat breakfast or lunch on Sundays, we eat three courses over a few hours later in the day. Preparations begin at about 1pm ish and last all afternoon before sitting to dinner at maybe half three or four, and we stay at table until eight-ish.

Everyone in our house has open access to snacks if they want them. But on Sundays and special days - Christmas, Easter, Boxing Day, New Years Day, May Day - there is only one meal in the day.

That is the way it is supposed to be.

Lunch at lunchtime here. If someone wants to cook a meal at 3pm then I'd feed us all a light snack at lunchtime and then shuffle off (bemusedly) to eat this mid-afternoon meal and be prepared to do a snack later in the evening.