Mumsnet users share who they'd invite for dinner after lockdown with Barilla

[YanaMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed.

Lockdown measures are still firmly in place and getting together with friends and family can feel like a distant memory, and it’s easy to daydream about what we’ll do once our daily lives begin to resemble our old version of normality again, including inviting friends or family over. With that in mind, Barilla would like to hear about how you’ve hosted and socialised during lockdown and who you’re most looking forward to welcoming into your home for a big bowl of pasta once this is over.

Have you missed hosting family and friends? Watch Barilla’s cookalong from last week and create a virtually () perfect Italian night with Gennaro Contaldo.

Here’s what Barilla has to say: “Italians love nothing more than getting friends and family around to share good food and good times. Barilla is the biggest family pasta-maker in Italy, so we’re proud to be right at the heart of those moments. Lots of people have been eating our authentic pasta on lockdown, all around the world. But we know the key ingredient is the other people around the table. So we’ve been looking for ways to help people play host – even if that means, for now, doing so at a distance.”

How are you hosting or taking part in social events during lockdown? Perhaps you’ve been hosting quizzes with friends, taking part in virtual cook alongs or group Zoom calls? Are you eager to host a dinner party with friends once this is over, or to simply have your sister over for drinks once the kids have gone to bed?

All who post below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher towards a weekly food shop (from a supermarket of your choice) provided by Barilla.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Can't wait to have my mom and dad round. My daughter had a her 6th birthday and we had both sets of grand parents on a zoom call while we sang happy birthday and she blew out her candles. It was actually really lovely.

We've had a really terrible time during lockdown and I'm surprised by the friends that have been there for us. My best friends are probably not as reliable as I thought and some absolutely wonderful friends have been so supportive and kind. I will be looking forward to getting together with those people and their families

I don’t have a sociable bone in my body and we live in a small flat with no dinner table, so no dinner parties here

Would usually have relatives over sometimes for tea, but not sure how that’s suddenly going to become safe when various people are vulnerable just because lockdown ends..?

My mum and dad. DH’s mum lives round the corner so we’ve seen her to drop shopping off and even had socially distanced coffee in the garden. But my parents are so far away (and in a hotspot to boot) that we haven’t been able to see them since early March. I miss my Dad cuddling me.

My lifelong best friend. Sadly her Dad passed away far before his time near the start of the lockdown so I haven't been able to physically be there for her. Her lovely dad paid a massive part in my childhood too and I'd never in a million years have thought there could be anything to stand in my way of hugging her or being by her side not only in the weeks after, but at the funeral which so few people were allowed to attend.

We have been side by side throughout our lives and we've supported each other through infertility, failed IVF attempts, a success round of IVF, 5 babies including very premature poorly twins, 3 brain tumours, 2 brain surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. All this and we're only 33.

All of the above make it even more surreal not to be able to have been there in person for her like she always has been for me.

We speak everyday but I'm shielding so haven't even seen each other from a distance so I cannot tell you how excited we are to see each other again.

She's an amazing cook (I'm unfortunately not...but you know, Ying and Yang and all that) so she'll make us one of our favourites and I'll provide the pudding, keep her glass topped up and sort out the playlist of our favourite classic songs 🥂🍷🍽🍛🥧🎶👯‍♀️

I'd like to go round to my sisters house. She is a single mum so she hasn't had any in person adult chat for weeks now, and it was her birthday recently. I'd love to go have an Indian takeaway at her place and watch a movie!

My Mum, Dad, brother and SiL!

Absolutely can't wait to cook dinner for my best mate and her adult children! I have missed them so much during lockdown and they've been getting jealous of the food creations I've shared on Facebook (because I am that kind of person).

I've just perfected an amazing recipe for a vegan version of spinach and 'ricotta' cannelloni using Barilla cannelloni tubes (my top cannelloni tip is to put the filling in a large sandwich bag and snip a corner off so you can pile it into the tubes without any mess or waste) and that is exactly what I'm planning to cook them when I am allowed!

My sister, my friends and my mum and dad

My partner.

We'd get to dinner eventually.

All my family and most of my friends live away so once this is all over we are planning a huge picnic with mum , siblings , nieces and nephew for a catch up. If we still nice weather.

However I would host my friend for dinner who always says she loves my cooking even when it's not the best. She's currently in a long distance relationship with some one who lives in Germany and hasn't been able to see them since January because of work then Coronavirus so hopefully this will cheer her up a bit.

Not doing much at all except keeping in touch via phone text etc

We have done very little online socialising - we have had the occasional FaceTime chat but haven't really got into Zoom parties, quizzes etc.

I can't wait to have family and friends round though. We would regularly have people over for dinner or family to stay and I really miss those weekends with good food, wine and lots of chat.

We've been having general catchups on video chats - whole families, just the kids, just the adults

Have played a few games of bingo, quizzes etc

Have had 2 birthday parties where we organised to all have the same food, party hats and birthday cake for each house and we played music, chatted while we ate, all brought out the birthday cake at the same time and sang happy birthday, then all enjoyed a slice etc

DH, DS (aged 21), DD (aged 15) and I have Ben having a “dinner from around the world” each week during lockdown. We’ve had Greek, Spanish, Italian, French, American. Scottish, Mexican, Indian and Chinese all made from scratch. Everyone gets involved in making the dishes then we sit around the table with music to match the country playing and have a bit of a boozy night. It’s been fun and something to look forward to each week.

I love to cook and entertain so I can’t wait to have friends and family round again. It’s made me value socialising so much more.

I want to see my children’s faces when they see my mum.

I'm looking forward to seeing my sister, whose baby is due any day now. She's in Wales and I'm in England so it will be a long time before we meet up. But when we do it will be lovely.

Family zoom quizzes have been great fun - all taking it in turns to host, and a leaderboard with the promise of a very non socially distanced celebration for the winners when it's all over!!

BBQ’s in the garden - just need blankets for when the sun goes down!

And my favourite is the fire pit - marshmallows and wine!

We haven’t been to social events or had people here, as we have 2 members of our close family who are shielding- we want to be able to see that as soon as we can.

Normally, this time of year we would be getting ready to go on holiday to our favourite spot abroad. We go self catering and a meal we have eaten for years is a massive pot of pasta with pesto alla genovese followed by a fresh melon bought from the camp site shop. So, we have recreated that a couple of times sitting in the garden and it almost feels like we are on holiday!

I live on my own and have been struggling with feeling alienated from the world but zooming has been my sanity check. We have one group that meet up for a pub quiz on Thursdays. We all submit a category, some hard, some random, some just for fun. It works out well. Saturdays are another zoom catch up, more of a wellbeing catch up. It's for us loneliers to see another face and talk about how we are doing. It's very grounding and helps us to feel less alone. Not everyone has a family bubble.

Primary school teachers..please tell me how many kids out of your class of 30 are doing home learning you have set ? and how many are not? Xx

Oops sorry trying to start a new thread. 🤦

A socially distanced bbq, where we can all catchup in a relaxed environment

My sister and her family. I miss my niece and I've not yet met my baby nephew. My DC are desperate to see their cousins too.