Mumsnet users discuss family mealtime rituals with Uncle Ben's & Dolmio

[AaronMumsnet]

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While some evenings are for a hastily prepared and eaten meal as you taxi your child around to football/ballet/karate, others are for taking the time to share the chopping and stirring, then sit down and enjoy dinner as a family. Family dinners come in all shapes and sizes and can be noisy and often messy affairs - but they’re the perfect opportunity to create family mealtime rituals and spend quality time together.

Uncle Ben’s and Dolmio believe in the power of dinnertime to bring people together:

‘We all know that one of life’s pleasures is to share a meal with family and friends where you can take time to connect with the ones that you love, but in the midweek mayhem it’s not always possible to take time to cook and eat together. We want to hear your stories, what mealtimes in your house are really like, tips and tricks to overcome barriers to a great mid-week dinnertime and the rewards that eating together can bring.’

Did you make your daughter’s first boyfriend sweat over a flaming hot chilli con carne? Is it while your kids help you in the kitchen they have suddenly chosen to open up to you about their feelings, school day, worries or dreams, or did this time together produce a mini Nigella, now boasting cooking skills and flare far beyond what you’ve taught them. Does the dinner table give rise to stage-worthy performances, perhaps an impression of their teacher so legendary that it still leaves you in stitches, even now? Or do you still brag about the famous spaghetti bolognese in which you successfully hid a grand total of four portions of veggies and hit your family’s nutrient quota for the day?

Whatever your meal time wins, and rituals might be, share them below to be entered in to a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks, and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Dh works long hours so we hardly ever have a meal with him during the week. I usually sit and eat with the kids and we ll just chat.
We do have meals together as a family on the weekend.
Dh makes breakfast on the weekends, Saturday is usually a take away or dinner out and Sunday we have a roast and then a film with a dessert in the evening.

My boys sit and eat, I just kind of hover waiting for them to need something. We talk about our days and its simple but lovely.

Latest mealtime ritual is my homemade chicken curry - not using a recipe but frying the chicken and onions then throwing in whatever spices and other ingredients I can remember from various indian restaurant menu descriptions. Surprisingly good and because the DCs love it I can get away with using cauliflower rice, so healthier too.

Our family tradition at mealtimes is to feed each other which is part of showing love in our culture If the kids are tired (whatever age) we will spoon feed them just to pamper them, although obviously they do know how to use cutlery! If we're eating different dishes we will all feed each other a spoonful to try each other's dish.

It brings back good memories as a kid of having meal times together every evening but honestly we don't have them now. DS has just turned 1 and my partner has been posted over seas ! I'm lucky if I eat at all !

We do not really have any meal time rituals due to my partner working long hours however we do love to enjoy a family meal on a saturday night and talk about our week.

I have older kids and a toddler and whilst I'm dishing up, one's asking if they can have their tablet, the other is sat with a book, and the toddler is standing up about to do a skydive. I plate up three meals, before I've sat down the eldest has moaned that they don't like it, the next asks what's for pudding and I have to fight with the little one to not throw the plate. So I separate his meal into two plates and give one at a time whist throwing my own fork down my throat to get it over with, in the hope that it will be eaten by the time we have to go swimming with enough time they don't vomit into the pool.
When I'm old I'm going to find eating alone incredibly hard and wouldn't change it for the world.

During the week we aim to eat our evening meal at 6pm. That way we can all eat together (when DH is home, which is rare). DD(5) and I chat about mostly her day, and what she wants to do at the weekend. DS(8mo) makes a mess (blw), and I just enjoy chatting and eating my food. Before DS was old enough to join us for meals I used to really struggle to eat, so having him contentedly trying to eat everything on his tray makes me very happy!

We eat together most nights
Almost a ritual that if I'm out, I leave DH and DC with steak - they both like theirs bleeding - as I find it a bit boring and they love it
Also some meals are definitely for Fridays such as chilli. Vary when we will all be home or out on Fridays so just heat and eat then use the rest over the weekend

We eat as a family nearly every night, even if it means a bit earlier or later than usual. Lately my older DC have been cooking while I'm laid up with a broken ankle. They have risen to the occasion beautifully and they don't know it yet but they will be cooking far more regularly from now on!

I read somewhere that sharing meals releases oxytocin in people, this creating a bond between them. However true that may be, I feel family meals are an important touchstone in our day and are a high priority for dh and me.

Friday nights is take away night.. But we lay table with best China, posh wine glasses and linen napkins.. It started as a joke but now family ritual.. The more basic the food the posher the settings

Our ritual is: Me or DH will cook the food, when it's nearly ready we will tell two youngest DC and ask one of the to tell the older DD - who is usually on her bed with her phone glued to her hand.

DD normally then has to be told a 2nd or even 3rd time (we're working on this but I am cutting her some slack as it's exam season ) before she comes down to join us - without the phone as they are not allowed at the table. Then much talking and eating takes place.

We eat together most nights.
Lightning the dinner candle
Everyone has a specific chair
Talking about your day

We make homemade pizza and dance around the kitchen on Friday nights 🙌🏼

On Fridays I have a big platter of salad and a big bowl of rice ready for after school. I make the dining table pretty. My 12 year old daughter then delivers her food technology lesson dish. Sweet suffering Jesus, we've had to endure soggy fajitas , mushed fruit salad , and tonight fish and vegetable red Thai curry that completely blew our heads off. But we say how wonderful it is so that she can experience sharing food. You can feel the pride radiating off her. Super cute

We pretty much always eat together and stay at the table until everyone is done. No rituals, no menus, generally just time to chat

The family enjoy my roast dinners on a Sunday. We also enjoy a lazy bacon butty on a weekend it is time to catch up with everyone.

The least stressful meals are the ones where the components are put on the table and everyone helps themselves, it means everyone is happy with what they have but I still consider it cooking one meal. Typically English dishes don't work as well for this, but can still have an option of which veg to have. Mexican, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian etc all work great

This is what I do when we have guests as well as it means they aren't presented with food they don't like, or being given too much or to little, and feeling awkward

We try to eat together when we can. On nursery days we tend to eat snacks together before bath and cuddle up on the sofa. They're my favourite nights

At least once a week have a family meal around the table.
When DC have friends over get them to decide what to eat and prepare it with them. Thee 9 year olds assembling sushi is memorable!
Encourage them to get involved in decorating cupcakes or birthday cakes. This worked to the point of teens going to a friend’s house on their birthday taking a yummy chocolate cake with (friend’s favourite!) coffee buttercream. And candles. Much appreciated!

Our meal time wins are the help yourself type meals. Chilli with tacos and lots of salad, guacamole, soured cream etc. Fayitas with spicy chicken and dips. Pitta breads with Greek style chicken with hummus, Greek yoghurt and salad. The boys all seem to eat more if they can take what they want. The only problem is the amount of plates and bowls to tidy up afterwards!

Midweek dinners are generally a rush. Quick meals prepared between activities and homework, or food swiftly heated and decanted into Tupperware to eat on the go. Uncle Bens savoury vegetable and special fried rices are form favourites!
At weekends we always take time to sit down together. As a large family with both of us working, it's the only time we are all together for lunch or dinner. Our ritual is to go around the table and share your highlights and low points of the week. Then we talk everything through to make sure we clear the air, achnowledge the good and work through any difficulties. That way everyone can start the next week as positively as possible.

Being frugal, I always made an enormous frittata the night before we went on holiday, using up any and every bit of food left in the fridge. Years later, I overheard my children discussing their favourite family meals and agreeing that mum's special "holiday omelette" was the best!

My DSs are still quite small, we always eat dinner together, without fail!

None of this you kids have your fish fingers and we adults will have proper food later nonsense!

We have a rule that we always eat together as a family, no screens or devices at the table.

We all eat the same meal, even the kids.

It is a bit tricky to get the 6 year old to stay seated once he's finished eating and is waiting for others to finish so we do a quiz which he loves.