Aww that’s tough for you as everyone deserves to go out and enjoy a meal if they want to. In this day and age it is hard to believe that the owners and chefs of these places don’t have to consider things like that. I get fed up being bombarded with requests for reviews of purchases made, but I do tend to review restaurants and cafes, perhaps because the thought of bad food hygiene and poor meals fills me with dread. I hope the reviews push up standards because I give constructive criticism and praise as merited. The home delivered frozen meal selection you describe sounds exactly like the choice available here when I last looked into it. Like you, frozen omelette and chips turns me off and it makes me think of hospital food. The vegetarian range here has improved in recent years but isn’t good enough in many places. I’m not a vegetarian, although I would like to be as I care about animal welfare, but obviously not enough because I don’t have the willpower to resist things like lamb chops and beef ragu. I don’t eat pork or bacon, pork because of the texture and both because of the taste. I have a couple of friends (through mutual love of dogs) and I would meet each, one at a time to go for lunch on an irregular basis. I tend to favour seafood when out and being in N. Ireland, we have a lot of restaurants with freshly caught fish. Badly cooked, not so fresh fish is not unknown here too. Sometimes I would go for a vegetarian option if it is something like falafels. I would love to go out for lunch regularly but it is ridiculously expensive. I think the rapid increase in food prices over the last few years has been exacerbated by the extra cost and time associated with imports and exports since Brexit, plus the Russia/ukraine situation has worsened things. The cost of living to enable people to enjoy dining out makes it prohibitive for increasing numbers of people.
Going out to eat would be so nice, but it's not an option for me, I'd end up in three diferent restaurants for three different courses. I have loads of allergies which is the main reason for not going out, but lack of choice in the menu is another, the veggie or vegan options are often ones that I don't like or are things that could make at home for a couple of quid.
We had a leaflet for one of those home delivery meal services come through the door today, I had a look at it and found there was nothing that I could eat on it, not that I'd want too, I mean who wants frozen omelet and chips as a main meal option? The other choice was mac and cheese and nothing that was dairy free least of al the puddings, even for my mum who eats fish there was only one fish option and that was frozen fish and chips. I think these companies need to seriously up their game if they want more customers
Sounds like a good esperience, but I agree that a vegetarian service would make it more inclusive. We don’t have anything like that where I live, but perhaps I’m not aware as I don’t go out for breakfast or brunch. I do go out for lunch now and again as a treat, but just to places that I presume are privately owned.
I struggle through a couple of pieces of toast for breakfast, but not the pot and a half of coffee it takes to crank my eyelids open and for minimal brain function.
I can't eat that much food so early in the day, I prefer to eat a large meal for dinner, I often don't eat lunch either and manage to run on my 2 pieces of toast made from home made bread until dinner around 7:30pm
I find the smell of a fried breakfast extremely off putting and as a veggie, I don't want things like veggie bacon, I never was a fan of bacon at the best of times, least of all when it's crispy. I've also never seen the attraction of hash browns.
Every few months, I meet an elderly relative at the restaurant inside an independent, multi-generational family-run, garden centre on the edge of a village in a neighbouring County. The same extended family has run the garden centre since the 1970's.
Although their menu is not extensive, what they cook is very tasty and good value (considering their competition within an otherwise pricey County).
If we are they early; we opt for their light cooked breakfast (£8). (You pay extra for a coffee etc.).
If we arrive after 11:30 am we often choose their warm chicken Caesar salad lunch dish (£14). (The serving has a very generous chicken breast portion).
As soon as the weather warms a little more ...that is where we shall be, all in the interests of "market research" (as we justify treating ourselves!).
We don't have a dessert, as we prefer to look around the garden centre instead.
