I’m sick to death of it.

Nankate, homecooked food can be a joy. We have struck a sort of half way house....lazy I know, but there are loads of prepared things available.

Packet of rice and some fish=kedgeree
Cook range from Sainsbury small roast+packet of veg+ potatoes= Sunday roast
Fresh pasta+jar of sauce+ veg=pasta bake

and so on? maybe?

I've never enjoyed cooking but manage to make half decent meals when I have visitors. Now on my own I cook the same things over and over again and am getting bored but can't be bothered to break out and make something different.
I'm really tempted to order those ready meals at least some days of the week.
www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-best-ready-meal-delivery-service

If I'm in the right mood I love to cook something fancy, or a batch of bread, or biscuits.

When it gets to the end of the afternoon I really only want to curl up with a cuppa, some toast and a good book. I'm really not interested in spending ages in the kitchen. But we won't have had a meal and I'd probably pick at unhealthy things all evening.

So I tend to try to choose meals that don't take too much work. However, my biggest asset in the kitchen is DH. Since he retired he does most of the prep and the washing up. And I know I'm very lucky!

Frozen food is your friend. I do a roast with all frozen veg, roast potatoes, honey roast parsnips, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings all put on a tray in the oven with a chicken or turkey breast, sometimes lamb grills, boil some frozen Brussels and peas. Easy. I don’t like cooking either

Yep!! Hubby is cooking faffer - every pan/gadget used over hours of cooking to produce lovely meals.
Me? Throw it all in slow cook pot and get on with life..

I like Framilode's term 'cooked out'. Yep - that's me, after 50+ years of cooking for the family (I once estimated I'd cooked approximately 17000 Sunday roasts - and still counting), I'm fed up 'of' it! I'm amazed when I look at all my well-used cookery books - gathering dust now. Nowadays I'd be happy to exist on Smith's unsalted crisps, Cox apples and an occasional Mars Bar....

Yes, I'm bored to tears now it's just me and DH. He is notionally semi-retired, but is out at work more than he used to be (go figure) doing consultancy, and at least 2 nights a week doesn't need a meal in the evening. He's developed a snack habit, and whatever I cook, he's in and out of the kitchen making sandwiches and getting cereal and cheese and biscuits all evening, so I feel as if I might as well not bother. Both my sons were fussy about food in different ways, so when they were at home, meal-planning was more like a catering exercise in how many suitable meals I could get out of the same ingredients.

All of which is not helped by my recent diagnosis of prediabetes, which means I have to eat according to guidelines for that, as well. If I could eat what I liked, when I wanted to eat it, life would be a lot simpler!

With you on that one. I used to enjoy cooking but now it’s become a chore, day in day out. There’s very little respite from it. My husband can cook but won’t cook. I feel I have to feed him a “proper” meal every evening and it really gets me down. It’s the trying to think of what to have every evening, the shopping, preparation and cooking. All those cumulative hours for something that is hoovered up by him in 10 minutes. I refuse to deal with the washing up (loading dishwasher) which he will do. I’d be happy with a bowl of soup!

grannyqueenie - love that!!

When my ex-husband left me 20 years ago, I was broken- hearted. One of the first things to bring a smile to my lips during that hard time was the thought that I no longer had to come up with an interesting meal every night. My sons were easy to prep for and now, as a retiree, I most often will grab some pistachios and a banana or throw an Amy's frozen dinner into the microwave. Now and then I will just throw all caution to the wind and eat half a bag of Kettle chips and a handful of cinnamon jelly bellies. The relief never gets old!

My problem is very similar NanKate except that I’m only cooking for myself now and it’s such a waste of saucepans to make a “proper” meal for myself.

So encouraging to read the messages. The main reason (if not declared out loud) that I put DH and self on the 16:8 regime was to cut at least breakfast from the tedium of 'three nutritious meals a day since 1971'. Just lunch and dinner...oh dear.

Loathe, loathe cooking. It spoils my day. Waste of my life but I like to eat healthy food and not processed so there’s no answer to it.

I live alone and am not in good health, I was living on sandwiches and snacks & occasionally something like egg and chips. I tried the frozen meal deliveries and used them for several months but really didn't like them. Went back to sandwiches, egg on toast etc. Then looking out of my window I saw a meal delivery service going to the building opposite me, I took down the details from the delivery van and checked it out online. I am so glad I did. It is a local (ish) (Sussex) company and they deliver meals daily, 365 days a year. None is frozen, you can choose between hot or chilled, I opt for the latter as I tend to eat early evening, the meal is delivered on a china plate and they are really nice. I don't have to do a large grocery shop any more, just things like bread, butter, cheese, eggs etc for lunch/snacks.. All I have to do is microwave for 3 mins and then eat and wash a plate ready to be collected next day. Before you order anything from this company they send someone to 'interview' you to find out your likes and dislikes. Can't tell you what a difference it has made. I am now eating substantial balanced meals, containing veg etc, I don't often order deserts , they even deliver on Christmas Day. So glad I found this company.

I was taught to cook by my Gran, my Mum was ill for several years after my younger brother was born so Gran ran the house until she was well enough to take over. We (my older sister and me) were expected to help with the meal preparation and basic cooking from being quite young. I continued to cook for myself and my parents/siblings through being a teenager until I got married aged nineteen. Then it was for me and DH, then DS and DD. I was widowed before DD left home then, through no fault of DD's she became a single parent with three children so I started cooking for five. I do the packed lunches too - sometimes I just open the fridge and stare at the contents trying to think of something different to cook or pack in their lunches!! I am a good cook (fortunately) but that does work against me when we eat out - my DD and GC all say 'that was okay but not as good as you do' so we tend to eat out only rarely!

My take on life is prepare prepare prepare....as I like to be a guest at my own party lol. So over the years I've pre prepared Christmas meat months ahead by carving up and keeping the best bits for the big day. I also refuse to 'make' everything traditional. Before we retired I also did not adhere to traditional roast on Sunday by having a mini one during the week. I too am fed up with cooking so at least two items on a plate are store bought. My husband cannot complain as he can only do sandwiches!! I think some traditions hem you in so in my retired life I do like to spin the changes.

My feeling is, as with any other endevour, you get out of cooking what you put in. If you just cook the same old stuff day in and day out it is boring but if you extend yourself and try new recipes so you learn and develop you will find it more rewarding.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I really don’t enjoy cooking, I did it for the first 20 odd years of our marriage, then we went on an overseas holiday, on the plane home we were watching the in flight entertainment which happened to be a show about a chef called Antonio Carluccio. My husband turned to me and said......you know all the best cooks are men.....so I said ok it’s your turn then and he’s been doing the cooking ever since. I do the chopping but he is in charge of the kitchen... I love it

I've found it really handy to use the slow cooker. I don't mind preparing veg at lunch time and I can then forget all about it until the evening.

I get a bit tired by late afternoon, now that I'm officially 'geriatric' so I can't be bothered to start cooking at that time.

I make my own 'ready meals' like a big batch of vegetable chilli or curry for dinner, then freeze some and put some in the fridge. That way, I only really cook every three or four days.

Like a lot of you, I used to love cooking Sunday dinner for my family then sitting round the table catching up with their news, now I’m widowed and my children are no longer at home I miss my roast dinner, doesn’t feel worthwhile cooking it just for one so now I buy a roast occasionally, cook it, slice it and put individual portions in freezer, when the notion takes me I take it from freezer along with frozen veg, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings and with very little effort I’m sorted, still miss having the chat round the dinner table but nothing I can do about that

I really love cooking. I cook everything from scratch & I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.
Each to their own though. I can understand why some people may not like cooking but for those of us who do it is a real pleasure to put delicious food in front of our loved ones- who really do appreciate it. My DGC love cooking with me & enjoy planning the mealsd they want when they come & stay here.
I love cooking with them. My eldest DGS is very keen on cooking as he has figured out that when he goes to Uni.he will be a wow with the girls if he can cook a decent meal.
Crafty!!

I can't use recipes or cook books. I do look at them occasionally but I don't follow them. Some days I just open the fridge and look what's there. You can stir-fry most stuff. I also have a freezer full of stuff I might use. It's just occurred to me that I now have two basic cooking methods stir-fry one pot things and bung-it-in-the-oven and leave it there things. When the family visit I will do a Sunday roast but the rest of the time it's whaever takes my fancy. I'm so glad I don't have an OH who might expect me to cook regularly.

Like many above l would survive on sandwiches, jacket potatoes salad etc however l am married to a man who lives to eat. My kitchen sometimes looks like a war zone with every pot pan etc out. I eat what he puts in front of me but honestly find it all a chore. Plus in my head l blame him for me being a stone heavier than l need to be.
Many l know would love this situation why can we never be satisfied!

I can understand that if you don’t like cooking it must be a chore...but...nothing beats the taste of home-made.
There is just no comparison.
What really worries me is that the trend for take-outs, ready meals (which I think taste horrible), and eating out, is slowly and insidiously taking over...to the extent that people won’t be able to remember what home made food tastes like.
Cooking is also an act of love, it keeps you fit as it involves a lot of standing, chopping etc.
I get that some people dislike it, and there is nothing wrong with going out to eat....but the odd home made meal here and there is not only a lot healthier and cheaper, it is also life enhancing.

After more than 30 years of cooking for the family I did get absolutely sick of it and felt that I never wanted to see an oven again.
Now I am alone I sometimes cook and sometimes don't.
I still do a roast or a stew now and again, the rest of the time it's pasta or salad, and occasionally a ready meal. I often make large batches of stew or cottage pie and freeze them.
It's so nice to not have to cook if I don't feel like it.