Why sitting down for a family meal is close to our hearts

Here at Higgidy, we’re firm believers that food brings people together — it’s also more enjoyable in good company. Our lives can be chaotic, making it hard to find time to relax. A dinner with family or friends can be the perfect antidote to this, allowing you to unwind and catch up with your nearest and dearest.

Unwind & relax
No matter how far or wide you travel for work or leisure, your family will often be your base to come home to. Whether you arrive weary or energised, unloading your stories with loved ones and entertaining friends over a good meal is a perfect way to grow and learn valuable life lessons. After all, these can be learnt at any age! You’ll strengthen your bonds and reinforce a sense of belonging. How comfy is that!

Great food with great company – the ultimate stress-buster!
A family meal is also a fantastic stress-buster. You can rant away your stresses of the day, get any worries off your chest and know that you’re surrounded by those who care about you the most. Similarly, you can be there for your loved ones, who may also have had a rough week. Give back by listening to them and offering advice when needed. Family dinners also provide a great opportunity to have fun, such as spending time reminiscing about funny memories – from Grandma dropping the Christmas turkey to Dad burning the family breakfast. Enjoying your memories is something to be cherished and can fill the soul with joy. Games around the dinner table are also a fabulous idea, whether it be a few rounds of ‘heads up’ or a serious game of Trivial Pursuit, a little healthy competition is a splendid way to unwind. To ensure that you spend more time with the family than you do in the kitchen, why not pick up some pies, pop them in oven, boil some fresh veg and hey presto! A fabulous faff-free supper that leaves you time to chat away to your hearts content’

An opportunity to nurture
For those with young family members, family meals are a great way to teach kids valuable communication skills as they grow up. It also creates a safe and comfortable place for them to open up about their feelings and troubles as they move through various stages of their lives. Then, once they are old enough, they can return that support back to you.

Food for the soul
A tremendous reason for sitting down with your loved ones for dinner is, of course, to simply enjoy great food! Our motto at Higgidy is: life can be frantic; food doesn’t have to be. Food feeds the soul and should make you feel good, not guilty. Dinner can also mean anything can be put on the table, whether it’s British, Italian, French, Thai … or a Higgidy quiche! You can try new flavours and enjoy them with those around you. You might be a keen family of chefs, and could share the load or club together for a baking session and make one of our cookbook recipes, such as our Sweet Potato Cottage Pie recipe. Or you might simply just love Mum’s cooking and fancy her signature dish for a heart-warming meal. Any food is good food when enjoyed together.

Family dinner traditions at Higgidy
We want you to get to know us at Higgidy, so we’ve shared some of our family dinner traditions to inspire you.

Camilla and James’s tradition makes breakfast a tasty event: “Our big family events are Sunday morning breakfasts – we make drop pancakes with bacon, maple syrup, yoghurt, fruit, Nutella etc. Our children really love making pancakes and taking the orders from everyone.”. If you’d like to re-create your own pancakes, our Buttermilk Pancakes are top-notch crowd pleasers!

Amy, our Brand Manager co-ordinates several birthdays perfectly: “October is always a super busy month when it comes to birthdays in my family, so we always arrange a big get-together around mid-month for a joint celebration – either going out for a meal or having ‘picky bits’ at home for everyone to tuck into (our Snacking & Sharing range is perfect for this). Not forgetting plenty of birthday cake too, of course!”

Phillipa our Category Manager has a wonderful annual tradition: “every Tuesday I’m part of a group of friends and family who gather to watch The Great British Bake-off. We take it in turns to host and cook for each other…. plus there ALWAYS has to be dessert – otherwise it’s too torturous to watch!

If you’ve noticed your mobile phones taking over your family’s lives, Sean our Projects Guru has a lovely hack for that: “We eat together around a table almost every night as a family. Any guest visitors and helpers are invited to join us to enjoy both the food and the conversation. No phones are allowed during meals.”

Finally, Julie P our Office Co-ordinator sums weekends up perfectly: “I just love a Sunday Lunch. Roast dinner with all the family, big and small, laughing and joking around the table.”

Quality time
So, whether you grab a quick five minutes for a catch up over a cup of tea or indulge in a full-blown banquet, spending time with your family and friends unites you and is a wonderful antidote to the stresses of life. In fact, we recommend doing it as often as you can!