How to stop the kitchen fall outs

Picture the scene – an amazing smell is coming from the pan simmering on the hob, the table is set, the wine poured. Perfect. Except, according to new research, we’ve probably already started bickering with our loved one over everything from timings to meddling in the preparation.

The research from HelloFresh looked at the top reasons couples fall out in the kitchen. The most common bust ups are over what to eat – there’s nothing worse than one person fancying pasta and the other a roast dinner. The second most common row is around what time to eat – again, annoying if you’re an early diner and your partner prefers a late supper.

The third reason – which most of us can probably identify with – is leaving the kitchen looking like a bomb has hit it! Using every pan, spoon, knife and chopping board in the house is never going to go down well. Interfering in the other person’s cooking was fourth on the list – back seat chef-ing should be avoided. Fifth was pretty much giving up on cooking altogether and arguing over whether a takeaway was a better idea!

Other ‘boiling point’ topics included boring meals, ingredients loved by one and loathed by the other, washing up, spiciness, shopping, waste, repetition, failing to replace an item or hoarding too many, unhealthy foods and meal planning. With 25 argument-causing topics on the list there’s certainly lots of reasons to row! Some of the more bizarre included whether a meal was too healthy, and whether or not there’s enough sauce. Who knew!

Because of these rows, more than one in ten couples haven eaten separately, while a similar number have refused to cook for the other person or ordered a takeaway for themselves. 

That said, the research also showed how much we love to talk about food. Apparently, the average couple will talk about what to eat for their evening meal for at least 10 minutes a day (61 hours a year). Obviously here at Hunters you could probably multiply that by 10 – we love a good chat about food, anytime, anywhere!

But the research definitely shows that a lack of variety is at the centre of many of the disagreements – arguing about eating the same foods all the time and feeling bored with what’s on the plate. Apparently, of the seven evening meals most of us make every week, five will be the same – often including a roast, spaghetti bolognese and pizza.

One third of couples said they would like to be more adventurous with their food choices but blamed their partner for being stuck in their ways when it came to mealtimes. Although one in four also admitted they’re usually too tired at the end of a busy day to go too crazy trying out new recipes.

Well, we don’t think that trying out new things has to be complicated or difficult – we try and make it straightforward and delicious! So, if you’re looking for some inspiration, why not come and have a chat with us? We’ll help reinvigorate dinner (lunch and breakfast) time – and stop those rows in their tracks!