Large portions of food

Overloaded plates put me off. I love my food but prefer to see some plate. At home Mum always gave us reasonable portions and told us we could always have more. She put the extra veg or meal in serving dishes.

When I first visited my husband’s family everything his Mum cooked was put straight on to your plates. Mountains of it. All the pans were emptied. I found it very off putting.

We don’t often have carveries as I would rather eat somewhere where they have tureens of veg on the table where you can take as little or as much as you like.

About 30 years ago I was working in an Asda cafe. As a special offer we we serving half a chicken with chips for £1.99. We sold hundreds of portions and many of the plates came back with only a small portion of the breast eaten. It used to make me so cross. Those chickens had been reared in less than perfect conditions so that greedy humans could have a few mouthfuls of a "Bargain" and throw the rest away!

Huge amounts of food is a complete waste to me as I can’t eat it. When served with a huge meal I inwardly groan as I know it won’t get finished unless my husband is hungry and helps me out. When I’ve been somewhere before and know it’s large portions I opt for a child’s menu or small portion meal if it’s on the menu.

I am daunted by a plate that’s piled high. I always serve food at home in what I think is called ‘family style’ (ie in dishes on the table rather than plated up). My MIL was a very good plain cook, but she plated up, and I was horrified when she gave me a massive Sunday lunch the first time I stayed there. I was brought up to clear my plate, but as an adult that meant eating what I had put on it, and I hated having a huge plate of food put in front of me.

I used to go to SE Asia a lot with my work, and the culture there was built around restaurants, rather than home cooking - many of which were of the ‘eat all you like’ variety. In the more touristy areas several of them charged for food left on the plate as well as the cover charge. Locals took only what they wanted, but Westerners often piled their plates and left more than they ate. I think the ‘greed charge’ is a good idea.

Having said that, at home in the UK I am happy to ask to take home my leftovers if they comprise portions I have been served, as opposed to those I have taken myself, and when we have a takeaway I split mine into three balanced portions so I’m not left with just rice or whatever. I find that a third of what they give you is usually enough for one sitting.

mumofmadboys

Restaurants should definitely sell smaller meals- less waste and hopefully less obesity!

They do smaller portions in America and Canada for seniors.

Perhaps Gundy can confirm that the American chain " Wendy's " offers smaller portion meals for seniors.
I recall this being the case when I was there a few years ago. I thought that it was a brilliant idea .

In Germany you can always ask for senior portions. And I always take ha!f of it home with me even then.

On our recent holiday in the UK I often asked if I could just have a starter, which was a!ways accepted, and was plenty for my tummy.

As for breakfast buffets, I can't even manage toast and cereal - just one or the other is enough.

Lisaangel10 the carvery we occasionally visit you help yourself to the vegetables, only the meat is plated for you, when you pay, up front, you can opt for a literally smaller plate.

sodapop

mumofmadboys

Restaurants should definitely sell smaller meals- less waste and hopefully less obesity!

Absolutely momb I am put off my meal immediately if the plate is piled high.
Restaurants in France are now obliged to give you a box to take home any leftovers, that's a better option than waste at least.

Restaurants here will do the same if you ask. At least, I’ve never known one to refuse.

JackyB

In Germany you can always ask for senior portions. And I always take ha!f of it home with me even then.

On our recent holiday in the UK I often asked if I could just have a starter, which was a!ways accepted, and was plenty for my tummy.

As for breakfast buffets, I can't even manage toast and cereal - just one or the other is enough.

I often have just 2 starters - very often I fancy them more than the mains.

It's such a waste, isn't it. I went out for a family meal last week and the food was lovely but just too much. I simply couldn't eat it all. I wish now that I had asked for doggy bag, but didn't think of it at the time. Maybe I'll just have a starter and a pudding from now on.

Most cafes serve enormous slices, gigantic muffins and cheese scones the size of a plate so you need to either share one or wrap half in a serviette n take it home!

Honestly, just ask - most places will happily give you a smaller portion if you just ask them (nicely)!

I think piled up plates of food are a sign of a not very good restaurant. Puts me off completely and would not visit again.

We had a very nice 'full English' at a garden centre last Friday. What spoiled it slightly was that the toast and two pats of butter were all piled onto the plate as well. It is a very well organised place and the only other quirk is that it is run to a formula, so there are no substitutions and if you order a full english for example you have to have everything that is mentioned for that item on the menu. The food is all locally sourced, it is served piping hot. There is nothing to complain about but a side plate for the toast would be so much nicer.
The previous time we went we ordered a bacon, brie and walnut salad. Again top quality ingredients but I can't see how they made a profit. Each big dish contained enough to generously feed three people. We each had that panicky feeling that no matter how much you eat the amount never seems to go down. Sometimes less is more.

Until a couple of years ago I used to manage a starter and main course without problem. However, nowadays I can only have a starter course or maybe two and then I'm full to the gunnels. Can't understand this but have to assume my stomach must have shrunk? Certainly not obvious on the outside!! So comforting to know I'm not alone in this.....

I ask for a doggy bag if I can’t finish what’s on my plate.

My 87 year old dad likes to take me out for lunch when I visit - every 3-4 weeks. He has discovered a local pub that has a good menu. This includes a smaller plate menu - everything from chicken curry to roast loin of pork. It really is a perfect - average price of £9.50 - amount. They even offer a small pud option too.
We go mid week. The place is packed with older clientele. The owners have got it right in my opinion.

One of the selling points for my new abode was the proximity of a good chippy! I only go once a month, if that. The first time I asked for a small fish, small chips and mushy peas. The fish was what I would have called large and there were too many chips to fit on the plate. I saw they did a “lite bite “. Mini fish and chips and choice of curry sauce, mushy peas or gravy. Ordered that. The fish was definitely not mini , the chips were about the same amount and the peas were a full size portion. I can eat all the fish and peas, but I end up wasting the chips. They are delicious though.

I remember my first visit to Florida in the eighties where most restaurants served a main course on a huge oval platterabsolutely piled with food. It was totally off putting no matter how hungry I was. The waste at a buffet breakfast was just disgusting. Perhaps things have changed.

I usually ask for a smaller portion if it is available, but the other week we were in a fish and chips restaurant and l forgot to do this. The portions were enormous. DH and DS finished theirs, but I was defeated about halfway through. I made sure I ate all the fish, but ate around half the chips. I saw an older gentleman at a neighbouring table who had a small portion and wished l had had the same. Apart from anything else, l find certain foods, chips being the worst offenders, can give me terrible reflux, which means that I have a sensation of a piece of food being stuck in my throat and it makes me physically sick. It comes on without warning, which can be terribly embarrassing if we are out, so I don't want to precipitate that.

A large meal really puts me off so much so I often go for a Starter and a desert. It's disgusting the amount of food that you see on plates these days, no wonder there are so many fat people about.

I don’t blame him, my partner and I at a local carvery were amazed one lunch time watching those folk balancing mountains of food back to their tables, I very much doubt they could have eaten it all and suspect some may have had doggy bags on their person

Portions are huge should give you less and stop price increases. Even coffee shops serve scones and tray bakes that are far to big.

Wetherspoons have a Small Plates and a Small Pub Classics section on their menus.
The portions at our local fish and chip shop are enormous, they do an OAP portion, but even that is massive!