Dear god!

[Bramble_killer]

tbh I was thinking similar; at least the people using prechopped veg are using "from scratch" ingredients. I'm just dismayed at the level of culinary awareness in the UK. I seem to remember a few scary stats, like 8% of British kids don't know how to eat an orange, and about a third of British mums think that fruit flavoured sweets count as one of their child's 5-a-day.

It's got to the point where people have a Chris Moyles attitude towards food. That is, "I love junk food, why bother with that fancy crap when I can have chips and a microwave burger?". They're actually proud of the ignorance. "Sushi? Ugh. Why would I eat raw fish" :facepalm:

Well, that's one thing that I could go on and on about but the main problem is that children follow their parents so unless you can get parents to change the way they eat it's not going to make a blind bit of difference how much you rant.

My main rant about British children nowadays is children't meals. In my family, you ate everything your parents ate and you weren't pandered on. (unless it was obvious you were going to make yourself ill by eating it).

What I hate more is the waste from animals that people eat. Why just buy chicken breasts? Why not eat tripe? If you're going to eat meat, learn to eat the whole animal!!!

[Crundy]

My Dad ,when he lived on his own before going into care used pre-packed fresh veg...as in carrots, sprouts, broccoli and onions.. He popped them in the microwave and had them with cooked meat/chicken portions and gravy granules. Because he couldn't grip properly a sharp knife was out of the question for him. But at least he had fresh veg everyday...so I don't knock anyone for buying ready chopped veg. It kept my Dad independent (he wouldn't let my sister and myself get his meals ready for him) and that to a lot of older people means far more than some ones opinion of how to cook rice. Sorry if that offends you but I think your talking out of your "Boil in the bag".

Again, straying from the point. Fair enough, people who can't chop veg themselves would benefit, but I'm sure the main demographic for these products is not people such as your father.

[Crundy]

Well, that's one thing that I could go on and on about but the main problem is that children follow their parents so unless you can get parents to change the way they eat it's not going to make a blind bit of difference how much you rant.

Indeed. Remember the parents stuffing fish and chips through the school gates for their kids? Ffs, let them eat something healthy, it won't kill them

My main rant about British children nowadays is children't meals. In my family, you ate everything your parents ate and you weren't pandered on. (unless it was obvious you were going to make yourself ill by eating it).

True, but then forcing kids to eat something they don't want to can be counter-productive. If you get kids involved in the food (growing, preparing or cooking) then they're more likely to eat it.

What I hate more is the waste from animals that people eat. Why just buy chicken breasts? Why not eat tripe? If you're going to eat meat, learn to eat the whole animal!!!

Yes, agree. I cannot convince my wife to eat any kind of offal, even just liver. But even going a stage up, my favorite roast joint is pork shoulder, slow cooked. Do you know we as a country export all the "cheap" cuts like belly and shoulder, and yet we import leg and loin, due to demand?

[northepaul]

What I hate more is the waste from animals that people eat. Why just buy chicken breasts? Why not eat tripe? If you're going to eat meat, learn to eat the whole animal!!!

I agree with everything you say...except eating tripe...I draw the line at that, have you ever tried it?? We used to get at school dinners!!

[weekendwellies]

True, but then forcing kids to eat something they don't want to can be counter-productive. If you get kids involved in the food (growing, preparing or cooking) then they're more likely to eat it.

Cant agree with that sorry.
As a kid I hated being forced to eat liver, butter-beans, sprouts, cabbage, sausage gristle, fat on meats (except for boiled ham). I frequently sat at the table sobbing and gagging on these foods (old fashioned Nana who wouldn't let me leave the table until I had eaten it all up, and no pudding unless I did so )
Now I am a big girl I grow, prepare, cook and eat all of these and thoroughly enjoy them.

Both my girls have their own particular likes and dislikes. I cook a mixture and if it happens to be one of their dislikes they have a bit on their plates and do their best to eat at least some of it. I understand that and don't gripe if they leave some of it, and in return they don't gripe about not liking it. They know that at some point in the week they will have something they like but their sister doesn't. That is the way it goes in my family and it seems to work well. We all eat healthily and we all get something that we like over the course of the week.

[Liza]

My mum had to have her arm amputated last year, she still chops all her own veg, mainly as she is determined not to give up but I can understand some people would loose their independance with out them being available .

She lives in Spain and there is no way you would find pre chopped veg in the supermarket where she lives, but that's another thread.

My daughter (11) has her first home economic class today. They have to take in ingredients to make a sandwich ! She is quite capable of making a cottage pie (using all fresh, non pre prepared ingredients)

[FionaH]

I'm much happier with chopped veg as at least it's veg. For example - a single mum of 5 might be a tad tired after a long hard day and popping some chopped onion in the pan to start off a pasta dish is a whole lot better than just flinging 6 ready meals in the microwave.

I see your point but that theory doesn't work. As a single Mum of two I couldn't have afforded pre cut veg, darn expensive

[Headfry]

Maybe it's not so much the product - perhaps it's the reason why it's being used. Pre chopped fresh veg is better than no fresh veg (ie a diet of Big king mac burgers etc) and if its to help someone, or even if you are in a total rush surely that's ok.....but I totally agree it takes little time to prepare fresh veg, even those that have most of my allotment still attached to them including the wildlife - slugs and bugs!!! only take a short time to sort out.
Maybe it does seem crazy but as said - better than no veg at all!

[Florence Fennel]

Surely convenience foods are for those who find them convenient, whether they are able bodied, frantically busy, or just lazy. Each to their own. I prefer to grow and prepare my own whenever I can. Just out of curiousity Crundy, whereabouts in the country are you?

[zazen999]

I see your point but that theory doesn't work. As a single Mum of two I couldn't have afforded pre cut veg, darn expensive

Not all single mums have tight budgets

[lindyloo]

i dont use pre- prepped veg, but i admit i always buy preferably microwavable rice, or at the very least, boil in the bag. my reasons- it is so messy to clean the pan without rice going down the drain, and i prefer it microwavable, because rice in its natural state is one of those things i have no interest in, so i am apt to get bored, go off to do something else, and leave it to cook to long. anyway- i hate rice- never eat it; it's just unfortunate that my son loves it, or i would never buy it at all.

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, if you are disabled and can't hold a knife......

If you can't hold a knife to chop an onion, you probably can't hold a spoon to stir the pot. I get the argument, but these ready-chopped veggies aren't aimed at the disabled, they're aimed at those really busy people who want to be Nigella.

I think a large part of the appeal of ready-prepped veg is the lack of mess too. Some people don't want to deal with veg peelings, esp. now that bins are only collected fortnightly. Plastic bags don't smell, onion peelings do

My daughter (11) has her first home economic class today. They have to take in ingredients to make a sandwich !

omg.
Now I'd be impressed if they had to make the bread

We made pizza with our class (including the dough). Not many of them would stray from tomato sauce, tuna & cheese as toppings though: there were no takers for basil

[zazen999]

If you can't hold a knife to chop an onion, you probably can't hold a spoon to stir the pot.

Actually, when I had my elbow accident I could peel a potato and stir the pot; but chopping an onion was the hardest to do because I didn't have the strength to hold the thing down. I could hold and pull but not push....if that makes sense.

I think they are aimed at anyone who wants to use them.

As I've already said; better to eat some veg than none at all - and if it makes people's lives easier then surely that's a good thing?

Eating veg should be about what fits each person's particular situation.

[OverWyreGrower]

My daughter (11) has her first home economic class today. They have to take in ingredients to make a sandwich ! She is quite capable of making a cottage pie (using all fresh, non pre prepared ingredients)

I remember my home economics class...

We made sandwiches, pizza (using packet bases etc), scones and butterfly buns Nearly all from packet mixes! All nice things to eat, but teaching us how to roast a chicken, or something a bit more practical would have been good.

When we had a 'free choice' lesson, I made choux pastry choclate eclairs, filled with creme patisserie (I was 14).

Funny how I wanted to do Home Ec as a GCSE, but the teacher turned down my application.....

[Two_Sheds]

Eating veg should be about what fits each person's particular situation.

Sure. And chips are veg

Out of interest, what does a chopped onion cost? An unchopped one is what, 5p ? I don't know many rich disabled people, but plenty of poor ones

I have to hate prepped veg on the environmental damage all that extra plastic causes: one chopped onion in a packet = 12 bags for 12 separate onions. Or, one could buy 12 unchopped onions in one bag