Still on the subject of not cooking do you ever have a take away ?

We have an Indian meal roughly every three months. As I’ve known the family for at least twenty years there is plenty to talk about and catch up on as I watch them cook it. No matter how hard I try I cannot produce meals to equal theirs

Surely if as restaurant offers an eat in/takeout service, you are eating the same food.

Yes, hence my confusion . I live in a small town, with no chain takeaways, so all of them are restaurants apart from the chippy (and even it has a couple of tables inside) and the pizza one, which is a family concern and very good.

It's exactly the same food, but we have a choice of meat or veggie, we don't have to cook it, we don't have to book, and we can eat it in front of the telly if we choose to. Oh, and it's 20% cheaper, too - what's not to like

Surely if as restaurant offers an eat in/takeout service, you are eating the same food.

I can understand that if somewhere is takeaway only, people may be worried about quality and ingredients, because, as far as I can see, take away only outlets, tend to be bottom of the market and charge the lowest prices and I would certainly be cautious about where the cuts were being made to keep the prices low.

I guess it depends on where you get them from, then.

The restaurant ones we get are very good. We do eat out, although we got out of the habit in lockdown (and I had a very long and very strict lockdown for health reasons), and enjoy eating in where we can order on the spur of the moment, choose our own music and enjoy one another's company without interruption. I don't mind putting a couple of plates in the dishwasher in return.

Each to their own though - as I say, I enjoy eating out, too. In fact, I just enjoy eating .

Family tradition was a Chinese take away on the last day of each school term - I was usually just too tired by then to even think of cooking! The take-away was very good.

Excellent fish and chip shop here so we have that every now and then.

I always collect food. My brother once had a holiday job delivering pizzas. He has many tales to tell. Once he took the pizza to an upstairs flat but the person was locked in - partner had gone out taking the key with them and had double-locked the door by mistake. My brother had to post the pizza in bits through the letter box!

That’s fair enough Monica. I don’t blame you for not wanting to wash up etc!

I think what Doodledog and I are questioning is the idea that takeaways are somehow unhealthy compared to the same meal in a restaurant.

Doodledog there is more to a takeaway than the food. It is waiting for the delivery, having to eat at home on your own plates and doing all the washing up.

Generally speaking, I would rather go and eat out than have a takeaway. Twice this week we have eaten out. The first on the spur of the moment, I have not been well recently and had 'a one step back' day and did not feel up to preparing a meal, so we drove round to a local pub, had one course and a drink, but had our post lunch coffee at home. We could have ordered a takeaway, but I just find eating takeaways at home is not a treat, but one step down from preparing food myself.

The second time was with a friend who was staying and we booked a table. In both cases so much more enjoyable than having the meals delivered to the door, just dumped in containers and looking so dull when put on a plate.

I’m with you, Doodledog, I can’t see the difference in a restaurant meal and a takeaway.

Hardly ever here. Used to occasionally when we had a very good Thai down the road, but it’s no more. ?

We do now and then at dd’s, because they’ve got a very good chippy and a SE Asian/Japanese nearby - Gdcs like sushi and I like anything with lots of veg and noodles. ?

On the odd days when I really CBA to cook, we get a couple of ready meals - usually M&S or Waitrose. After being based in Jakarta for a year, Dh really likes the Waitrose Nasi Goreng.

Oh, and yes, fish and chips. Usually on a Saturday.

We don't have a lot of takeaways - when we do we tend to be at the house of one or other of our DCs. We'd have a Chinese or a curry once a month or so back in the day, but now we're not working we have more time to eat out instead. We did have quite a lot during the lockdowns, when so many of our local pubs and restaurants started offering takeaways and we wanted to support them (that's our excuse and we're sticking to it!). And we've stayed with one of them for an occasional treat - a Greek restaurant that delivers the most delicious spanakopita and moussaka on a Friday afternoon only.

I honestly can't understand how people are generalising so much.

Where I live there are Chinese, Indian, Italian, Greek and Thai restaurants all offering delivery as well as the chippy and pizza takeaways. The restaurant deliveries are from the same menu that they serve inside, and are no more likely to have additives or too much salt or whatever than restaurant meals.

Saying you don't like takeaways is the same as saying you don't like restaurants, which seems to me odd, as there is such a wide range of possibilities.

Tandoori take away beside me makes the best pizza but they are huge...Too much for hubby and I....They also sell kids box with pizza and chips for 5pds...Excellent for us so we treat ourself to these now and again...x

The only takeaway I've ordered is coffee and cake when my kitchen was being worked on and even then I went and picked it up.
We go to our local fish and chip shop a couple of times a year, but I wouldn't class that as takeaway.

I think takeaways can go in the "daily mail" pile.
Ok, as long as you don't enjoy them.

I think it depends on the quality. The Chinese restaurant I use does a couple of authentic basic dishes which I like. Other than that, no. I've tried them but don't like them.

We have fish and chips every Friday evening. We walk there and eat inside. Collected it to take home during lockdown. I don’t understand the opposition to takeaways unless it’s due to the cost which has risen a lot recently. It’s good to have an occasional break from cooking and a night off from the usual routine. Moderation is the key!

We did have a couple of click and collect tkeaways during lockdown, when there was no alternative . But, generally, I cannot be bothered, I would rather sit in the restaurant/cafe and eat it on-site. The one exception is fish and chips.

We used to have fish and chips and Chinese take aways from time to time before lockdown, but we rarely do now, although our small town has a number of various sorts of takeaways. The last few had were too big, too salty or too much batter, generally unhealthy.
On holiday recently, instead of cooking, we bought some ready meal take always from the supermarket and they were actually very good, smaller portions and quite healthy. I am fed up with.cooking so I am going to try some locally.

One of our favourite local pub restaurants started doing take takeaways during the first lockdown. So every few weeks we would drive to the pub (10 minutes) collect a delicious roast dinner and it would still be hot when we got home. I would make the pudding. Apart from Sunday lunches we also had a takeaway Anniversary dinner. Now things are back to normal (are they) they are still doing takeaways!

We used to have a Chinese very occasionally but I then started to find the sauces too sweet , we have a nice Thai takeaway that we enjoy again very occasionally. During lockdown a young couple started a catering company in our area and they do Mediterranean style tapas which we have had quite a few times also do an "At home dining" type of meal you set a budget they send you a menu then they cook your meal and deliver already plated up, it has been fabulous and we have enjoyed every meal we have had. This obviously takes a bit more planning but is great if you want to celebrate a birthday or anniversary especially as my husband is in a wheelchair and some restaurants are not always that accessible so we end up going to the same one all every time . The BIG thing in this area is Sunday lunch delivery but tbh I would rather cook my own and never enjoy it cooked by others even in a restaurant.

I've never had a ready meal but have a takeaway about once a fortnight. Could be Indian, Chinese or Burger, not keen on any of the local chippies soggy batter and under cooked chips. I also cook from scratch most days but I like and enjoy the odd takeaway.

Daddima

I have a takeaway whenever I feel like it, as we have excellent Chinese, Indian, and chippy nearby who deliver. It’s by no means a very regular thing, but I have no guilt whatsover about doing it.
I don’t give a thought to additives, fat and salt content, or anything else, I just enjoy it.

Exactly this.

What additives do people think are in takeaways that wouldn't be in restaurant meals or supermarket versions?

We both like curry, Chinese and Greek food, and home made just don't taste the same as the restaurant ones we get delivered. My husband is vegetarian and I'm not, so takeaway is an opportunity to order separate meals - I usually go for chicken and he gets a vegetable option.

I cook from scratch a lot, and never buy ready meals to heat up at home, but will happily have a takeaway if I fancy one and don't want to eat out.

Being gluten intolerant makes take aways a bit difficult but one a fortnight we have a posh burger van that comes to the village so we usually have one of those and there is gf chippy a couple of villages away. We also have a Turkish restaurant in the village which does gf kebabs.

None of those takeaways contain anything that I wouldn't use at home so they are not doing us any harm and I get to sit down!

I don’t order a takeaway as I live on my own and most seem to have a minimum charge or else add on a large delivery price, doesn’t seem worth it. But if I have someone visiting, then sometimes we order one, especially for my sister who lives in a remote part of the US with no takeaways!

Very occasionally I do go to a fish and chip shop or a Chinese if I don’t feel like cooking as I can then choose just one dish or a small portion.

I enjoy eating out though and am a member of a few dining clubs so tend to go to a restaurant or pub most weeks which I prefer, my food always tastes better with company than on my own!