Help! His parents are coming!

Barneysmom

Thanks everyone, they're not really bad people, she just has to be nosy.
Hubby's told her if they are coming up they are to mind their own business as it's our house :rotfl:
I'm just in such a panic over it, so much to do and so little money.
I love your food ideas and I'll make sure there's frozen battered cod/haddock etc in the freezer.
I'll be breaking all my rules of not having boxes of food in there but in this case I think I've not much choice.

gingin_2

Barneysmom wrote: »

Thanks everyone, they're not really bad people, she just has to be nosy.
Hubby's told her if they are coming up they are to mind their own business as it's our house :rotfl:
I'm just in such a panic over it, so much to do and so little money.
I love your food ideas and I'll make sure there's frozen battered cod/haddock etc in the freezer.
I'll be breaking all my rules of not having boxes of food in there but in this case I think I've not much choice.

How are they travelling to you? If they are travelling by car, I don't think it is unreasonable for DH to ask your parents to bring a meal. If she makes one dish really well, maybe you can flatter her into believing that her Shepherds pie/ beef casserole/ fish pie really is the best and that you are all craving it and could she possibly bring one along? He could maybe drop things into that conversation then that money is tight and she might get the hint and contribute more. I know my In Laws sometimes need a nudge in the right direction.

Don't panic. You have 2 weeks, just do little bits at a time and it will soon add up.

Trinny

Hi There

Not had chance to read the thread, so if my post duplicates anything already said then sorry!.

My inlaws live in Spain and when they travel over they stay with us for a week. I usually do the following meals as InLaws like traditional food and arent keen on spicy meals

1. The meal after they arrive is ALWAYS HM soup - the variety depends on what has been Whoopsed that week or which Big 6 are on offer in Aldi. I serve it with whoops bread from the freezer.

2. I tend to do classics like streeched shepherds pie, or a roast chicken with the meat saved for a pie on the third day.

3. I tend to do sandwich type meals, omlettes, stuff on toast for the lunches.

4. Breakie is usually just cereal and toast, occasionally muffins, bagels etc but only if whoopsed.

Because i know they are coming a few months in advance ( when flights are booked) i just hoard the whoops items, and menu plan/ batch cook as far as possible.

Hope you have a great family time

Trin

babyshoes

Definitely plan some pasta meals in there - a tomatoey pasta sauce can be streeeeetched out with very little meat (mince for bolognese, bacon, leftover roast chicken etc) - add things like extra tins of value tomatoes, oats go well in bolognese, cheap veg whizzed up, stock, soya mince, (haven't tried that one myself yet, but planning to when I can sneak it past the OH!) or even baked beans. A friend of mine always uses value baked beans in tomatoey meals, but my OH refuses to have them in the house as she hates them. I am guessing you could blitz them up with the sauce to make them less obvious, while adding bulk and protein to the meal.

Do just be a *little* cautious with your meal planning so that they are not left hungry - my parents went away on holiday with my aunt & uncle once, my aunt did the catering, and my parents ended up hitching a ride to the nearest town to stock up on snacks, as there was absolutely NOTHING spare. You couldn't even make yourself a jam sandwich if you were hungry, as the bread was calculated as to the number of slices each person could have for breakfast, and the cheese & biscuits were planned for a meal, etc. I am not suggesting YOU would go that far, but it is something to be aware of, especially if they are used to eating more than you do.

If you stock up on a couple of loaves of whoopsied sliced bread now, you can bung it in the freezer so there is always bread to toast, and build up a stock of a few things you find on special to put on it like jam, marmalade, peanut butter etc.

You could also home bake a few snacky treats such as savoury scones (my Mom makes a basic scone recipe with bovril & melted butter/marg poured over the top like a 'glaze' when they come out the oven - very tasty the same day, but doesn't keep too well), biscuits, cakes (the Tesco value sponge mix is really nice, and I think it works out cheaper than making from scratch) etc. Also make sure there is a bowl of basic fruit around for general snacking - I always find bananas a filling yet healthy snack, and apples are usually quite cheap.

As others have said, using HM soup as a starter works well to partially fill people up, so they will need less of the main course. (Unless, of course, you use the soup for lunches!)
Personally I wouldn't bother too much about lunch times - put bread and a variety of toppings out like cheese, hummus, tomatoes, lettuce, value cold meats etc and let people make their own sandwiches. That said, while it may be easier, I am not sure how moneysaving that would be if they eat loads of the meat!

Reverbe

What a pair of wonderful posts Caterina. You offer some excellent advice here.

Barneys I really do hope it goes well for you and hope my shock didnt offend.I realise you were concerned about food and money but I was just so stunned someone would behave that way.

piglet6

At the risk of repeating what everybody has already said, I would definitely start stalking the Yellow Stickers in your local supermarkets. Bread products particularly are almost always easy to find around here - bread for toasting, but I'm also thinking crumpets (to make breakfast one morning a bit different, or as a snack during the day...), or English muffins (make a cheap-ish but luxurious breakfast if served with sliced ham or bacon and topped with a poached egg...and they don't have to know whether your eggs are free range or your bacon is from the basics range - just keep them out of the kitchen long enough to dump the packaging! Take orange juice out of the carton and put in a large glass jug on the table - always looks nicer!

Until they retired (and joined the real world!:rotfl:), Mr P's parents only ever shopped for food in M&S or Waitrose, so coming to visit us (who shopped 95% in Asda and Lidl) was always an experience for them. However, with some clever bargain hunting, they always loved the food we served them - of course, it was to our advantage that they had never set foot in Lidl, as I could tell them that all the Continental meats were from a "wonderful little deli" near my office...OK, OK so I actually meant a wonderful little deli-type fridge in a Lidl near my office...:p And of course they raved about them! And just to give them a little taste of "home", I regularly used to pick up a dessert from Waitrose or M&S at the end of the day or a fancy loaf of ciabatta/focaccia bread (good for dressing up a "normal" pasta or pizza style meal!) when they were knocked down to pennies, and stash it in my freezer in the couple of weeks before they came, so they had no idea I was serving them a bargain (they would never entertain a reduced item - I have been shopping with them for a meal for the same day and they will ignore a yellow sticker and pick up the same item at full price?!?!). OK, I guess they aren't quite with us in the real world yet...;)

Starters for an evening meal are a good idea. Bread and soup, toast (more of that reduced bread!) and pate (again, serve it on their plates with a bit of lettuce/tomato to dress it on the side and they'll never see the packaging), small tarts made with (shop bought!) puff pastry and topped with whatever - roasted vegetables/tomatoes and cheese - all of these help to fill people up before the main event!

For desserts, can you do stodgier puddings (pies/crumbles/steamed sponge puddings which can be served with custard)?

For lunches, I would offer sandwiches (the part-baked baguettes tend to fill people more than normal bread, I find) and another good, cheap-ish one is jacket potatoes (I put out grated cheese, baked beans and tuna, and some salad in bowls on the dining table, and let people help themselves to whatever they fancy).

Good luck, and try not to get too stressed - I'm sure they don't judge you nearly as harshly as you think they do!

Piglet
x

Tealady_2

Hi

When we had my relatives staying I got into the habit of doing brunch a couple of days. So only served one meal instead of breakfast and lunch. If they got hungry later in the day I had a homemade cake made (to make life easier I used the value cake mixes). Pancakes are also a great cheap filling breakfast.

As others have said soups are good for lunches and pasta dishes for dinner.

Good luck

Barneysmom

Thanks everyone, there are some fantastic ideas here!
I went to Morrisons yesterday and got 4 boxes of whoopsie frozen boxed fishes (boxes of 4 haddock/cod in batter). I have thrown the bashed boxes away and packed them in 2's in freezer bags :cool: so no one will ever know.....I got £12 worth of fish for £5.50, thanks Mr M!

Talking to my mom last night she mentioned she gets the shortcrust pastry mix for about 45p andyou just add water so I'll get some and do a nice chicken and cream sauce pie...I'll have to practice that one first as I've never made one before..

sunflower76

Hi Barneys mum,

How much do you normally spend for food per week and how much do you want to increase it by while they visit (if that's not too nosey)?

Do you have kids that will be at school in the weekdays etc? Are they planning on doing trips anywhere? Do you want to take them for the best fish n chips (or other local delights to suit)?

Maybe we can help you plan a little better if you can give us a little more information on how many meals we need to cover etc.

Otherwise I'd suggest one pot, easy but yummy classiccs like chilli con carne or coq au vin, paella etc for mains and toast with some nice spreads for breakfast and bread rolls or sandwhiches for lunches.

I also like the brunch idea for weekends.

Barneysmom

No kids, just the 2 dogs, the kids are grown and flown now