I need help meal planning for inlaws visit

[allhailtheaubergine]

Inlaws are coming to stay. This is a very big deal, they are travelling thousands of miles and we haven't seen them for a couple of years. They are 'foodies' I suppose - they appreciate nice food and MiL always cooks amazing food when we visit. They would be polite about junk food or stodge, but would not appreciate it.

I am pregnant. ALL food is disgusting. Supermarkets smell of onions and vomit and rat wee. I am tired and tearful and sore. Pathetic but true.

Also, I live in a country with no M&S foodhall or Waitrose. And the meat here is disgusting imo - no free range or organic anything, just big nasty warehouse supermarkets selling catering packs of imported yuck.

I want to make an effort, and I want it to be nice for them, but I don't have the oomph at the moment so I am looking for a cheat's way.

Also, I am vegetarian and ds has a dairy allergy

First issue - What to feed them for lunch on their first day? They will be tired. I usually do Sunday roast but maybe they won't fancy it in the heat?

Cook whatever you'd normally cook or, better still, get your husband to cook. Visitors should be polite enough to smile and say thank you, even if it's baked beans on toast.

After a long trip they'll probably want something relatively simple & comforting. How about soup with nice bread?

If they are 'foodies' they will appreciate a good oil, a good cheese...So you can make something very simple-even salads or platter- but with good olive oil and good bread.

Could you make some 'local' recipes? Not sure where you are but i think foodies would appreciate tying new stuff!

A lovely deli picnic always goes down well - buy what's good locally with nice bread, oil, cheese, salad/roasted veg, maybe make an onion tarte or quiche type thing if you cba. Fruit with meringue and cream for pudding.

BTW I also have inlaws coming to stay next week and am also pregnant and feeling exhausted - I'm going to make Delia's chicken basque but this may not suit you as it's got chicken and chorizo in it. But a great dish to make ahead of visitors.

Simple risotto maybe?

Can you get smoked salmon? Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs always looks good but is easy.

A bit more work - but vegetarian (bean based) burritos are yummy.

googietheeggs tart or quiche idea sounds great too.

Oh god - how depressing. There are no delis. There is no good bread here. There is no good oil. There are crappy cheap Indian or American imports. There is Velveeta and Tang orange juice powder and Ritz crackers and multipacks of deep frozen battery chicken which you have to check carefully for mould before cooking because the supermarkets get power cuts and everything goes off and no one understands about sell by dates.

There are good olives and dates. Sometimes the Indian or Sri Lankan supermarkets have good fruit and veg. My local supermarket runs out of flour and tomatoes most weeks.

I am going to hope the big supermarket has some decent tomatoes in and make a tomato and aubergine spaghetti with salad, and melon afterwards. And then I'll think about the next 10 days.

It could be a marvellous cooking challenge, but I feel sick and it's just a giant pain in the backside. I weep for a Waitrose.

What do locals eat? Maybe you can try that? Can you get rice/lentils/spices for example? Make a lovely dahl and make your own chapattis (if you can find enough flour!) and then have spicy spinach on the side and melon for pudding.

What sort of thing do the locals eat? Are there local dishes you could try? Your PILs would probably find them interesting, and they'd presumably be easier to make with the available food.

Good olives and dates are a great start. If they can sit around with some of these and a glass of wine or beer it will set a nice scene for the meal. Can you get decent tinned tomatoes? They can often be much better quality than fresh and make a great base for rice and pasta dishes.

If you can't get decent bread in the shops, can you knock together a basic bread like soda bread at home? (make a lot and freeze, rather than knocking yourself out every day!) This plus a nice soup is a lovely simple meal.

If you can afford it, take them out to eat a couple of times for dinner- it will come under the "seeing the sights and showing them about" heading, too.

And try not to get too stressed- I am sure you normally eat pretty reasonably, so they should be fine normally eating what you eat. If they can't appreciate that you are pregnant, tired and sick, they don't deserve to be waited on hand and foot anyway! Good luck.

Firstly let your parents in law know how difficult you are finding food, and request a food parcel when they come.

I think going local is a good idea, noodles or rice with stir fried veg perhaps.

Then get you parents in law to cook for you. If they are foodies on holiday they will probably be itching to get into the kitchen. Don't suffer in silence, let them know that food makes you nausious. And don't reject junk food, GPs are often very forgiving if it is a treat for the grandchildren

Food parcel is a genius idea, frenchfancy

I would suggest this website too Not quite Waitrose though but could bring you some respite from the poor choice?!