Need a moan about nanny and food

[lobsters]

I'm just getting fed up with my nanny not using common sense about what food to use in the fridge and need a whinge. I know some of it's my fault, I didn't want to look mean and have told her to help herself. But twice now she has used expensive steaks I've bought for me and DH to make stews. Who thinks to make stews with steaks? In the mean time the meatballs I've bought her 'cause she asks for them have gone off as she's not used them. Also given the heat at the moment who keeps making stews anyway. And she makes enormous quantities of things, a very big pan full of chicken risotto (using 2 chicken breasts) most weeks, and there's only her and a one year old to feed. And the one yr old doesn't have a big appetite.

I'm going to have start leaving lists of what to use and not use, but I really didn't want to get to that level, I'm too busy.

Am fed up, had a bad day and was looking forward to that steak.

leave a note on food you dont want eaten - a please dont eat and a works well

i have done this if made a lasgane for next days tea (db likes to nibble lol)

check meat/fish you buy and if on last day then freeze

maybe your nanny is making tons to freeze, sometimes when only have one child it is easier to bulk cook then waste food

or text during the day and ask nanny to get a steak out from the freezer for your/dh tea - hopefully she will take the hint

least she seems to be cooking healthy meals

Could she be making large amounts so you and dh can have some to? A friends nanny often makes cassaroles/stews/fish pie/cottage pie/lasagne in large quantities so she can freeze a few portions and then leaves the rest for mb and db to reheat for their supper (which they think is amazing as hate cooking after long day at work ). My friend also has a shelf in the fridge and a cupboard that is for 'parents' and the nanny knows this so dosent use stuff on those shelves.
Re the meatballs. If somthing is about to go 'off' or needs using up my friend usualy just says to nanny 'do u mind using up x,y,z for dc supper tonight'. Which has neer been a problem.
Im going to do a simmilar thing for my nanny in oct (if i ever find one that isnt scared of farm animals)

scared of farm animals?

as long as i dont have to kill and cure the meat, im happy to cook it

I leave my nanny instructions about what food to cook/leave/defrost etc
Seems to be fine and it means there is no confusion

Blondes. We live on a farm and have lots of animals. Although the nanny will not need to look after them, the dcs like to spend time with them. Our eldest 2 have ponies and so tend to spend most of the time in the yard with one of the grooms. We would however like a nanny who dosent 'shit themselves' when a cow moos or one of the dogs comes over for a scratch. We had one come for an interview last week who had a mini break down when dd wanted her to go into the yard and meet her pony, this was despite the fact we advertised for a 'animal fiendly' nanny and stated we lived on a farm .

mbar - iswym - not suprised you are annoyed

as you are on a farm, they are part of your life, plus you dont want any fears of the nanny to grow on your dc

Gosh mybootsaremuddy I'd love to work for you! not that I'm looking as love the family I'm nanny for We have no other animals here except a small herd of cows, who the children loved visiting when the were in the barn over winter and producing calves, or 'baby moos' as my youngest charge called them. I'd love to have ponies to groom and a dogs to walk, and fuss over, I have had alsorts of animals around in previous jobs, my wellies lived in the boot of my car for such opportunities to go visit/feed/groom the animals!!

OP, as blondes says, put a note on what you don't want using, if you do in a friendly tone, she won't take offence!

exactly!! we have one comming tomorow who has been riding since she was 8 and has 2 dogs herself and has assured us she LOVES animals (and kids obv!!) She sound lovely and has even said that her bro would be interested in helping out duing harvest/bailing/shooting and any other farm related help we may need (me and dh have fingers toes and eyes crossed that shes 'the one')!!

She sounds fab , fingers and toes crossed for you! Animal loving nannies do exist!!

Sorry for slight hijack OP!!

i love animals, just not our manic woofa

Oh, food waste hacks me off too. If I find something repeatedly not being used I don't buy it next time it appears on the list.

Just put meat in the freezer when it arrives, then if she doesn't use it, it doesn't matter.

I do get annoyed when nanny specifically asks for something and then doesn't use it (not that current nanny does this).

lobsters, instead of a list, could you allocate her a space in the fridge and tell her she is only to use what is in that space.

Many of my aupairs also waste food by asking for it (eg fruits) and then only eating one or two in the week, leaving the rest to go bad. Instead, they eat food meant for dcs ...

I point it out and if it happens again, I leave it to rot until the next time the rubbish goes out and then, like Strix, don't replace. It is because they don't pay for food bills they can afford to take this cavalier attitude.

I often remind my dcs not to waste their food.