A third of parents expected to make different dinners for different family members

Fussy kids, (fussy grown-ups) and a rising awareness of food allergies - are all combining to make family dinner times a struggle

A poll of parents showed almost a third are now expected to make different meals for different family members!

In fact, according to the parents asked, the cost of accommodating every family member’s needs comes to £27 each week on top of the standard shop – that’s £1,404 extra per family, per year.

The data showed children make dinner times the most complicated by refusing to eat certain things, with over half (55 percent) claiming their children are far fussier than they were when they were young. In fact, as many as 45 percent of the nation’s kids refuse to eat mushrooms, while 29 percent will not eat onions, 25 percent refuse to eat tomatoes and as many as 23 percent refuse to eat any green vegetables.

The research commissioned by Bosch revealed that overall, one QUARTER of all households have someone suffering from either an allergy or food intolerance, the largest of these being dairy (making up 40 percent of those with allergies) followed by gluten (24 percent) and nut (23 percent).

As well as a recent increase in allergy awareness, there’s been a corresponding rise in the number of people turning away from meat, which means that one in five households now have a vegetarian or a vegan in the house.

Unsurprisingly, all these competing opinions and choices leads to conflict within the household, with an incredible one in six family meals ending in arguments.

In fact, the parents polled reckon they spend 2.5 hours in the kitchen every week making food which meets everyone’s needs, even when families go out, 26 percent have brought along some of their own food to help deal with any issues that can arise from.

It’s not all doom and gloom and difficulties, with 30 percent of families claiming that eating together was ‘wonderful’ and great way to enjoy each other’s company. And it would seem there are certain meals that unite everyone in the household.

Ninety percent of the 1,000 polled said that they had a least one dish in their repertoire which was a hit with the whole family. The most popular choice was an old-fashioned Sunday roast which was a hit with 54 percent of families, followed by Spaghetti Bolognese (52 percent) and then burgers and chips (44 percent).