LOL that is so me, a rotating roster of about 6 meals, and spag bol all the way! Though I try to fancy it up with wine and olives, might spring for fresh parmesan cheese when I can afford it.

I do experiment a little, but since I'm the cook I make what I like, and its just a group of about 6-8 meals that are reasonably inexpensive, quick and nutritious (or somewhat nutritious if you count indian & mac cheese). Chicken stir-fry with lots of veges is my fav - only uses one pan and takes 15 minutes all up, including chopping all those veges. Needless to say, it features once a week at least! Hey, its better than takeaways.

Of course, this survey was done by a food company wanting to make a good home cook feel inadequate if they do not resort to the more exotic products they pedal.

My grandmother was an excellent cook - she had seven different dinners, one for every day of the week. Roast on Sunday, cold meat Monday, Cottage Pie Tuesday, stew on Wednesday etc.

People should not be made to feel guilty for using economical and well known choices for their families.

'Fussy eaters' are definitely bred. I have yet to find a food my 11-month-old won't eat. And if I ever do find something he doesn't like, I won't label him a 'fussy eater'!

Ben #20

I would never force anyone to eat anything. No, I am not a fussy eater, but there are things I do not like. Everyone dislikes some foods. I agree that you should try everything at least once and make up your own mind from there. As for eating what's on the table, well if you don't eat it, you go hungry. I wouldn't force it down your throat.

A lot of parents assume that children do not like certain foods and therefore won't even cook them for them. Or they are fussy eaters themselves and on top of that don't know how to cook. Children often don't get the opportunity to try different foods, just because it is believed they are not for kids. That is where fussy eaters are created, along with stressed parents.

it isnt just british housewives who are stuck in a rut when it comes to cooking - greek wives (sorry, but it's a fact - women still do most of the cooking in greece) cook similar foods to the list you give, just with a mediterranean or greek slant to it - most of the food they cook is 'from scratch' and not from a tin or a freezer...

As many other posters have noted, the survey is flawed, far too general (note: 'spagetti bolognese' and 'pasta dish' are in the top 4.. what's the difference? and why not include cabonara etc, etc) and possibly somewhat sexist. I live in the UK, am male and almost exclusively do the cooking for myself and my wife. We might have one or two of the things in that list every fortnight, though I dont purport to be representative of the population in this country.

The question that I have is - I regularly read UK publications on line and in print, and didnt see the results of this survey once in the news here, so why on earth did an NZ media outlet run with it? I doubt it is relevent here in the UK - so why is it relevent in NZ??

Slow news year in NZ 2009? This is lazy reporting at best, but probably more accurately: space-filling tat.

Laziness? No, the laziness lies in the survey. That list describes how I cook but there is no way that I would say I "only" have 9 meals. Roast dinner: it might be lamb with rosemary and anchovies, it might be chicken with moroccan spice rub, it might be slow roasted belly pork with a crust of fennel seeds and coriander and a plum sauce. Casserole/stew: this includes a lamb and apricot tagine, beef and carrot casserole, chicken braised with leeks and barley. Pasta? Weekday pasta dishes include macaroni in cheese sauce with cauliflower, spaghetti with broccoli and anchovy crumbs, spaghetti carbonara. Meat and two veg ... how many meals could THAT describe!

I do have some regular 'types' of meal that don't fit on here: a good-sized roast results in 2 leftover meals for example. That's not laziness, that's common sense. From the last roast chicken I did we got a stir-fried rice with bits of chicken in it, and a home made chicken and leek pie. There is no 'pie'/quiche category here, which means some of my regulars are missed out. I also sometimes do soup and a pudding. But the idea of types of meals, with the individual ingredients rotated, is GOOD not lazy or boring.

I do spend closer to an hour a night cooking, mind, after both OH and myself get home from full-time jobs. And there are two kids to be fed, one of which is vegetarian and requires adaptations.

This article is not sexist. It is realistic. It reflects the situation that most households with children are in, but not all. Yes, there are some stay-at-home dads out there and yes some men do cook, but mostly they don't. So, lets be honest here, mothers mostly in most english households prepare the mid-week evening meals and yes it is shocking that in the 21st century this is still the case.

that's awesome, respect to the full time working Dads out there that also cook and I agree, it's an insult that the article is so one-sided.

I do all the cooking in my house, but my man does all the dishes and we're happy with that. He has tried to cook, bless his heart but doesn't have the passion for it so I'm happy to do it.

Guilty - I have exactly 9 meals that I rotate on a "what meat is cheapest" type basis, but I do experiment and make probably about 2-3 different dishes each month that I've never done before. If they're good, one of the old timers goes off the rotation and is replaced haha.

lol at CP #2. Definitely the words of someone who isn't a fussy eater.

As a fussy eater whose parents forced me to eat what was on the plate when I was growing up, I can tell you just how wrong you are. Sorry. It's not my parents fault I'm fussy, it's mine, and I'm fine with it. There are things that I really hated that I was forced to eat.

Having said that I'd never cook two meals just to cater for a fussy child - just like my parents they have to eat what they are served. They have to try everything at least once. But I might make an effort to make a meal that will be liked by all.

Its an outdated virtue that you have to like everything, it comes from a time where food was harder to come by and more precious, but even in today's recession environment is really no longer applicable.