What would you like for dinner, dear?

Spose I am lucky as OH cooks regularly and bakes all our bread too. Natural yeast sourdough using spelt or rye flours. We grow all our own fruit and veg and have our own hens, and cook everything from scratch between us. Never have anything ready made. Someone brought me some M&S ready meals afte an op once, never tasted anything so disgusting in my life and SO expensive. Realise we may not be able to grow stuff for ourselves forever, however if the future holds only ready meals I dread to think........

We have both always loved cooking and now we are retired, growing, preparing and cooking food takes up a lot of our time. OH does breakfast, I do lunch and we take turns with the evening meal. He makes stock, ratatouille and does a lot of the freezing of vegetables from the garden. We share marmalade and chutney making. He has always made the bread (used to come home from work and beat up the dough), but we only eat a tiny amount of bread now and I no longer make cakes, puddings or biscuits (used to be a treat but now off the menu entirely because of low-carbing).
I honestly can't imagine not cooking. My mother wasn't a good cook, but my MiL was. Our daughter and son both love cooking and are very good at it. DD comes home from work after a heavy day and a punishing commute and cooks as a way of de-stressing.
Must be in the genes!

I quite enjoy cooking for friends or when the DCs come home but I agree the day to say stuff is tedious .However I have always planned what we will eat in the upcoming week and shop accordingly .It's the only way I survived when working ft and raising children .When DC s at home I àlways made an effort to cook proper meals from scratch
I have recently had a big sort out and chuck out of all those recipes I cut out and mean to try and am currently cooking a new dish every week as well as all those 10,or so, old favourites .I always cook large quantities and freeze things like curries casseroles ,chilli etc for days when I am busy or tired
Dh never cooks and his default meal if asked is 'egg and chips ' A childhood favourite .But at least the bar for culinary standards isnt high
I refuse to cook on Saturday nights so its usually a M and A £10 deal or suchlike We dont have many co venience foods or takeaways .I sometimes think we should go out more for lunch .

I love cooking, no one to eat it?

My OH usually says 'whatever you like' and I always point out that I like poultry and fish-neither of which he will eat. I then get a sensible answer.

Same meal two days running I mean!

It's such a relief to know I'm not alone. I've never been keen on cooking (except making cakes but din't do that any more - too many calories!) and its the relentlessness that gets to me. Every blooming day i have to think of something and waste time in the kitchen when i could be doing something more interesting. I too tend to cook for four so that we end up havingvthe same day two days running - DH doesnt seem to mind. He never cooks properly but will do easy things for lunch eg beans on toast! We also go out for a pub meal most fridays as he knows i get fed up with cooking!

Ha some of these have made me laugh out loud! I hate cooking - it's well known fact that it will get to 5pm and I'll be rooting round in the freezer trying to find something for tea only to find everything should have been defrosted overnight. My SIL is the same and over the years we've had several hilarious phone calls about what we've produced - our husbands are well versed in trying to decipher what the latest disaster is on their plates. I dread to think what life will be like when we finally retire and are both at home all the time!

I've never cooked lunch. I worked until last year - anyone at home would get their own sandwiches or soup!

It's not the actual cooking I mind ( present situation excepted) it's what to cook that is the problem .

I am also a member of this fed up with deciding and cooking deals club! Same in our house - anything - is always the reply. When we have been out doing a big shop - about every ten to fourteen days - we often have a lunch between shops and I am set up for the day with only thoughts of a light evening meal but DH always seems to need a full dinner. Lunches are the bugbear for me too. When I just CBA I now announce that we are going out and that is rarely questioned or over ruled! It is a great relief to know I am not odd in all these feelings as most of the time I quite enjoy cooking - do you think this is all age related?

katek - I know you were trying to be polite! I expect, like me, the politeness sometimes wears a bit thin, doesn't it?

DH started saying 'anything' about 4 years into our marriage especially in terms of his packed lunch.

After many.....MANY...... Lunches I was fed up choosing.

That day when he opened his lunch he found three bonios sandwiched between 2 slices of buttered bread.

From that day to this , some 36 years later if I ask what he wants he always tells me :-))

Don't forget breakfast, pensionpat

I have always enjoyed cooking and have no issues about dinner. But lunch is a different matter. When I was working I took a packed lunch or bought a sandwich and husband looked after himself. Now I have double the number of meal decisions!

I put on my calendar what I have made for dinner so I can look back for ideas. Sometimes have a ready meal. I am sick to death of cooking at the moment.

I'm counting my blessings.
Eating the evening meal (with a glass or two of nice wine) is the best time of day for me. It was when I was working and it still is, now I'm retired.
I like good food and enjoy cooking.
I have loads of recipe books & if stuck for inspiration I just have a look through till I see something I fancy.
Fortunately MrA appreciates my efforts.

That was meant to be minute

I'm also fed up with cooking. When asking DH what he'd like, it's normally "it's up to you" or "anything". DD and DS are also hard to please. One in ute it's "We never have sausages" and when I cook them it's "Oh,don't fancy them today"

may we take turns to come round to yours Kitty, all those double portions.

I really enjoy cooking in the evening but I often cook double portions so there is always something in the freezer if I CBA and we have a range of takeaways and hostelries in the village if required.

I don't do lunch! Unless it's with girlfriends in the pub !

Greyduster....takeaway for son and book nice hotel for Easter lunch!

hah-ha merlot that made me laugh [stewed underpants] perhaps you should really have said it?
Nice to know that we are not on our own with the 'cooking thing' isn't it?
I have already started on the slippery slope to ready meals by making cottage pie [ cooking the meat and doing fresh carrots and gravy etc] but using Sainsbury mash on top. much easier!

My friend used to say I married you for better or for worse but not for lunch and it worked.
She was at liberty to go out all day every day if she wanted.This was of course when the offspring had left and there were only the two of them.

I love cooking our supper for around 6pm and don't mind how much I have to do. DH helps with veg prep so it's often a joint effort.

When I retired it took me a while to get used to having to get something ready for lunch every day. What is it with men and lunch? On my days off I used to get stuck in to a job and grab something I could eat on the go.
DH knows I hate the L word so he sticks to euphemisms like 'bite to eat' or 'a little snack'

Last week a friend of his called round unexpectedly just before the dreaded 1pm when DH downs tools. I had my hands full hanging washing on the line but he still sidled up to me and muttered, 'Is there anything around here that you could rustle up for a bite to eat?'

I was pissed off feeling aggrieved at having a lot to do so felt like replying, 'What? Like the cat's left over breakfast or maybe I could stew up your underpants?'

But mindful of my mother's mantra, 'Always put yourself in a good light,' I smiled sweetly and rustled up a plate of sandwiches and mugs of coffee.

And when his friend left I gave him hell