A woman facing the prospect of eating her mother-in-law's "terrible" cooking for the next few months says she's been left wondering whether to now try and broach the topic in a "tactful" manner. She and her husband are currently living with his parents while awaiting the sale of their property completes, and she isn't sure how to proceed.
Although she's very grateful to her in-laws for letting them stay under their roof, she feels the current cooking situation just isn't working out. Following the rise in energy prices, they've recently been told the oven can only be used once a day going forward, meaning the mother-in-law will be preparing all family meals going forward.
Prior to the price hike, she and her husband would just sort out their own food, due to them having "differing" tastes from his parents. This new change is all the more stressful given she has a "somewhat strained relationship with food" and is "very particular" about the quality and appearance of her meals.
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Taking to Mumsnet, where she goes by the username Peewee94, the exasperated daughter-in-law explained: "I went to bed hungry last night as I couldn’t manage the sauceless spag bol that had bacon in it (oh the horror)!
"Tonight’s plain boiled potatoes and veg are sure to be equally as bland and I dread to think what fare will be offered for the rest of the week. My husband thinks I’m being dramatic whereas I don’t think I should have to force feed myself food I don’t like and didn’t ask for or go to bed hungry when I am in fact an adult capable of feeding myself (if only I were allowed to use the oven)."
Turning to fellow Mumsnet users for advice, she continued: "Should I tell the in-laws this arrangement isn’t working for me? How can I do so tactfully? This is their house and their rules after all. Or should I just shut up and eat what I can as we will only be with them for a few more months?"
One person suggested: "Arrange that you and your husband cook three nights a week for everyone and cook nice food. Then if they are amenable, take over more nights. Keep yourself a stash of easy prep cold foods for nights when it's really bad. How do you get a sauceless bolognese?"
Another commented: "Take it in turns to cook and make a bit extra, for you to eat (discretely) on the other nights. Can you sometimes be busy at dinner time, working late/ at the gym/ meeting a friend after work, so it's normal you'd come home and heat up leftovers?"
Do you have a food-related horror story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
