Eating out - is it a waste of money

Why not go on strike Stansgran- and when he asks 'what'f for lunch or dinner' reply 'I don't have a clue- what are you cokking then?' it might work (or not..)

My DH for some odd reason always wants to eat out when others suggest it but not when I do ! He says that he likes to suggest going for a meal. Ie.inviting me out. That would be great but he doesn't. I've taken to eating out with friends who are single in some way and when he suggests we eat out I always agree but can feel oh it's been a month since we last ate out together. When we do it's always a very good place but I do get tired of cooking

Number could you not join a local GN get together or would your husband object enough to make life uncomfortable for you? Do not answer if it makes you feel uncomfortable though.

I do get out for a usually weekly meal with my group of funny and irreverent knitting group friends which is a lifesaver.

OH's company for a meal is usually very hard work as his conversational style is decidedly lacking in humour. Basically getting lectured at about nothing in particular. He is basically not keen on eating out.

As a vegetarian I at least don't get gristly meat. Some vegetarian meal options are interesting others extremely lacking in imagination. NB Restaurants of any sort do not dare to try offer me Spinach and Riccota Canneloni. Boring Boring Boring and most probably straight out of the freezer.

Number I am sure you have a lot of GN friends. I for one always enjoy your posts as you come across as a friendly caring person and if we lived nearer to one another I would be more than happy to meet up for coffee and a chinwag.

I will tell you what my Father always told me, "You have as much right as anyone on this earth".

Being worthy Number comes from the person within nothing at all to do with background, accent or how much you are worth. I get the impression you do a lot for others, maybe it's time to do a bit more for just you.

Marelli, Tegan , you`re both LOVELY!

I went recently to a gastro pub, paid about £20 for 2 courses and 1/2 pint lager, camr home and got the muesli out. I was still hungry. I won't be going back!

I've wanted to start going to restaurants that cook food that I've never experienced; Tai food/sushi etc..things that I can't cook myself [not that I can cook much]. I've never been much of a foodie but I would like new 'taste experiences'. Being a bit borderline eating disorder'ish in my youth[I blame Twiggy!] I found it hard to not look on food as some sort of enemy for a long time .

We've got some lovely country pubs down here in Devon. Varying prices and value, of course, but many of them are reasonable and do good food.
I avoid anywhere which might be a 'gastropub' as they sound too expensive for the likes of me!
I belong to a GLC (Girls Lunch Club) and we try somewhere different once a month, taking it in turrns to choose. Great fun.
Apart from that, if i'm feeling poor, then it's Wetherspoons, - cheap and cheerful and tasty food. At present I eat out once a week with my ex-husband who has terminal cancer. It seems to cheer him up no end.

The more you pay, the less you get seems to be the rule! - like private education really.

We almost never go out for meals because the places in our price bracket serve such big helpings (even if we ask for small) that we waste so much - I can't bear that!

We usually end up just having a starter.

One nearby pub does excellent Sunday lunches that have a good selection of vegetables; the other is a pile of gristle with a few soggy veg - shame really as it is our local.

Tegan I think maybe you are right with U3A but our WI in Thames Valley is fab. The women are from all walks of life rich, medium and poor, but we have such a laugh together and have quite a few raucous meals out at the local pub.

Thank you Tegan and Marelli for backing me up. I am really keen for women not to put themselves down. It can become a habit.

Well Numberplease you clearly have some Gransnet friends.

Oh by the way I am always grateful for your great book recommendations.

...I know where you're coming form with U3A though; I tried it and it just didn't work for me...same with our village WI.

Totally agree with that! One of my favourite people in the world you are, number.

number - you are one of the MOST WORTHY women I know! I won't hear anything otherwise. I just wish I lived closer, because you and I would definitely be meeting on a regular basis for coffee and lunch. Ooohhh!

Goldengirl I can see that glistening potato salad now !!

Numberplease to be honest our WI has women from all walks of life. I think all women are worthy, but sometimes they are told so often that they are not (often by close relatives) they begin to believe it. Anyway I will keep quiet now as I have said more than enough.

My friends and I tend to go to our local hostelry which does a very nice carvery. Other places we've visited often have nice food but the service is appalling. I'm always a little nervous about self service salads - especially if there are a lot of children around! Runny nose potato salad doesn't really appeal!

NanKate, thank you for your suggestions, but I don`t really think the WI or U3A are for me, from what I`ve heard and read, they seem to be attended by very "worthy" women, and that definitely isn`t me, I`m way too common!

Overthehill- must say that British food and choices have changed dramaticall for the better since I first lived there in 1970! French food can be overrated at times, and also go from sublime to ridiculous. We are lucky around here that we have a huge choice, on the Swiss and French side- with Swiss side not being a lot more expensive (unlike places like Zurich or Geneva- where you need to take a mortgage before yougo out! Mind you, same in parts of London and other tourists spots in the UK).

My husband and I are both a bit fed up with cooking so we do tend to eat out quite regularly. It is quite difficult to find good food at reasonable prices but we have lived in our area for a long time and have a few tried and tested favourites that very rarely disappoint. My husband is a strict vegetarian and I rarely eat meat.

For anyone living in/near - or visiting - London, we have always found the following pretty good:

Diwana (Indian vegetarian, menu and buffet (finishes 2.30 weekdays, 4.30 weekends) in Drummond Street near Euston (around £20 for 2 with non-alcoholic drink)

Tibits ("fusion" buffet) in Heddon Street off Regent Street (around £25 for 2 with alcoholic drink)

Vijay's Chawallah (very fresh, authentic vegetarian) in Green Street, East Ham (around £20 for 2 with non-alcoholic drink)

New World Chinese Restaurant in Gerard Place, Soho (Chinatown) - dim sum served on trolleys until about 3 p.m. as well as normal menu (around £35 for 2 without drinks - Chinese tea free)

Tai Won Mein Noodle House, Greenwich (near Cutty Sark) (around £16 for 2 with Chinese tea)

We also go to our local Toby Carvery at Snaresbrook, near Wanstead. We have everything, minus the meat (good choice of vegetables, yorkshire, veg gravy and sauces) for, I think, £5.95 each.

Both Dh and I are vegetarian so eating out can be a bit boring. Vegetarian Lasagne anyone? I would rather go out less and pay more and eat somewhere sensational than eat out regularly with food that we can cook better at home.

There are some fantastic vegetarian restaurants about, but there's only one within a taxi ride of us and neither of us are good at saying no to wine, so we tend to combine meals out with weekends away and do research for good places to eat first.

I wish we had a Harvester near us as I reckon they are generally good value for money, though not very exciting I used to love the salad bar to fill my plate, maybe with some grilled fish or chicken. The desserts however were not a treat. We have several Witherspoons nearby and they used to be OK but they have really gone down hill and the service is appalling.
There are so many restaurants to choose from here but as we don't have a lot of dosh we have to choose carefully. I'm still looking for that special place - maybe now I'm retired we can look a bit further afield. I always did love country pub food (Berks and Oxon.)

Eating out we have found to be a bit of a risk these days. Sometimes good but uncertain, regardless of price. Eating-in at home is much cheaper, less formal but somebody has to source it, cook it and wash it up. Sometimes we compromise with a nice M & S take-away, bottle of champagne and nicely laid table. This seems to work well with a bit of planning, and we take it in turn to choose the menu. If we want more ambience we go to a nice pub for a bar meal.

Granjura

French food, now you're tslking.

We used to go to France each year and loved their meals.

We have a pretty good Harvester locally, they're particularly good for fish and chips. I really like Bill's in Reading and we have a nice little Italian cafe in one of the garden centres.

Numberplease if I am not interfering have you thought of joining your local WI or other women's group, or the U3A.

It is a lovely way of making friends and has given the courage to women with selfish, dominant husbands, to say once or twice a month they are going to their club and enjoy themselves. Even if they go out to a husband with a moody face, so be it.

I hope I haven't over-stepped the mark with my opinions, but we only have one life and I am sure you deserve a bit of 'me time'.

Many of my friends are widows and they are so pleased they have somewhere safe to go when they are on their own and a network of friends.

Go for it !

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