Mothers put family dining on the menu

Jan 8 2010 By Francesca Craggs, Taste

SPAGHETTI Bolognaise has topped the polls as the most common dish cooked by British mums. But are traditional family meal times still high on our agenda? FRANCESCA CRAGGS finds out.

According to Ian Brown, senior lecturer in food studies in the School of Applied Sciences at Northumbria University, the popularity of family meal times has waned in recent years due to a number of factors.

He said: “It goes back to the hunter gatherer days where women took pride in creating a meal for her family. This was probably the only time in the day when they were all together and a time of family bonding. From the 1960s there were two major changes in society. Women started to go to work and technology advanced in the kitchen.

“Suddenly people started to get fridges and TV dinners came to the fore. By the end of the 1970s, seven out of 10 homes had microwaves.

“The perception of women as domestic goddesses changed when society realised that they had a great part to play in the workplace. Another reason for the demise of family meal times is that there are more activities for young people to do outside of the home. What we have seen is a rise in families choosing to go out for Sunday lunch instead of eating at home.”

And there’s more than sitting down to a family meal than simply eating, according to Ian. Family meal times are said to benefit children in all aspects of their life.

“From a nutritional point of view it’s not particularly beneficial for children to sit down together for family meals, but definitely from a sociological point of view.

It gives children security, a sense of belonging to a family and the chance to talk and express their views.

“They have equal footing at the table and it provides parents with the opportunity to listen to what their children have to say.

“They also learn social and table skills. The demise of family meal times is sad, but the average 21st Century family lead hectic lifestyles and the chances of them all being together at the same time is often minimal.

“It’s one of the prices we have had to pay for modern living.”

TOP DINNERS

The nine most cooked meals:

1. Spaghetti Bolognaise

2. Roast dinner

3. Shepherd’s pie

4. Pasta dish

5. Meat and two veg

6. Pizza

7. Casserole/stew

8. Sausages and chips/mash

9. Indian/curry