no-one should make people feel bad for buying free range, organic, or making meals from scratch, but now and again I have seen posts where someone is asking to recommend a good curry/pasta sauce e.t.c to buy and they've been shot down with "make your own!", that's just rude, it's not what they're asking, I make most meals from scratch, but every once in a while I'll buy a jar/packet if I know I don't have the time to cook.

So this is who people were referring to...I get it now..

Mantey - are you Nigel Slater incognito? Your so busted!

Is Nigel Slater rude and condescending?

No, he's lovely.

Apart from his Notting Hill lounge lizard cream linen flouncy trousers...
Otherwise I like him!

I'll freely admit I am a food snob but only when it comes to what I eat. I couldn't give two hoots on the dietry make-up of anyone else.

I've had that, too. Sometimes you make pesto, sometimes you buy it etc.

I only eat pesto maybe half a dozen times a year so if I bought a jar it would probably go off so I tend to make it fresh.
For a quick fix there's nothing wrong with buying a jar though, i'm crap at curry's so Lloyd Grossman earns a fair few "royalties" off me!

I always buy curry sauces, because I am useless at making them. Tried and failed on several occasions.

Also, if we have steak, hubby has to cook it. I just CANNOT for the life of me, cook a steak well. Despite some personal advice from Jamie Oliver.

Jeez - now why didn't I think of that???

Being a regular visitor of the food forum I think it's safe to say that I enjoy cooking and love talking about food etc... so not having a cooker has been a complete pain.

However I can assure you that after mixed up orders / deilvery of a broken cooker / problems connecting the gas I have no intention to live forever without a cooker...

Live and let live +1

I normally cook from scratch, mainly for the reason it can be cheaper and we freezer some for my baby boy (i.e. we know what's in it), but I don't begrudge people who prefer ready meals etc.

Live and let live here too. Though perhaps in the case of the fast food junkies, live and let die.

It does get a bit ridiculous at times - dismissing restaurants because they're a chain and judging people/calling them lazy for using ready made things and not making Yorkshire puddings, soups and sauce from scratch. I've had someone judge what kind of person I am based on the fact I said free range chicken doesn't taste that different from the less humane alternative imo.

I think the worst was someone suggesting those working 9-5 should actually get a job with different hours so they could buy meat from the butcher (which would typically close by 5) rather than at a supermarket!

and some people can cook/chop faster than others- which helps!

I've been five weeks without an oven!! So I know how you feel. Have just recently moved into a new house with a massive range cooker and I'm loving it.

Back on topic... my guilty secret is ready-made mashed potato!! A pound in Sainsbury's most times, heat in the microwave, whack in some butter and lots of salt and pepper and voila you've saved yourself heaps of time and it tastes really nice.

We buy that, too, sometimes (and sometimes not, depending!).

i prefer to be called a food nerd rather than a food snob.

there is nothing wrong with enjoying good food

I always keep some Auntie Bessie's frozen mash in stock. I live alone and find it impossible to make less than 4 servings of mash at once (and yes, I do freeze the leftovers), I work erratic hours and sometimes some instant comfort food is just what I need at 3 in the morning when I get in from work (I really can't be bothered with peeling, chopping, boiling by that point. Maybe I should get a new job that gives me time to shop/ cook?!), I find it very useful for thickening soups and sauces (just pop a disk or two into the pan and let it disolve into the mix).

The ingredients are potatoes, butter, salt and pepper, just like if I'd made it myself

Nope, nothing at all. Or really bad for you food.

yep like the lunch i just ate, pizza, garlic bread and crisps

Ooh yum! Domino's here I come!

£1.99 for a 7" VFM

I think the issue with this forum is that you have more posters that talking about pre packaged foods and the fast food market as being good things more than you would typically find on a food forum. There is nothing wrong with liking these foods but you should be prepared for counter arguements from people who have a greater passion for food, whether that be fine dining, a love of cooking, local produce, etc, etc. Any alternative suggestions is not necessarily from a food snob slating the product but someone merely offering an opinion. I've eaten far to many pre packed meals and takeaways in the past and now I have developed a passion for cookery and seeking better quality produce. There really is no comparision and I personally think much of society has become lazy and accept the soft option of what's convenient, ie pre packed, takeaways. These foods are heavily salted, sugared, etc, etc and the taste compared to freshly cooked with good ingredants are world's apart.

On occassions you may/will get someone who is negative but welcome to the world of internet forums.

p.s. When will someone start a thread slating food chav's on DS

HALibutt, please accept my apologies. I was in the middle of editing when I got distracted and then got timed out... I contacted the Admin to ask them to remove that paragraph, which I think has been done now. (I still consider myself to be fairly new and didn't know you could get timed out of editing!)

Anyway, for what it's worth, nothing wrong with taking a few shortcuts or a night off - especially mid-week when working...