Caroline Duddridge doesn’t mess around when it comes to the holidays
A gran from Cardiff has explained why she charges her family to attend her Christmas dinner has raised her prices for the second time.
Times are tough out here, and food isn’t cheap.
But is it right to charge your family for their Christmas scran?
One grandmother thinks it’s only right.
For the past seven years, Caroline Duddridge has been getting her guests to cover the costs of the family Christmas dinner, and now they’re going to pay even more.
Speaking to BBC 5 Live in 2022, she said: “If you don’t pay by 1 December, you’re not coming.
“Obviously there were a few moans and grumbles saying ‘I’ve got a few children’, but at the end of the day that’s not my problem really, is it?”
Caroline Duddridge charges her family for their Christmas dinner each year (Facebook/Caroline Duddridge)
That same year, the bill for her two sons was £15 and her three daughters had to fork out £10. The cost for her grandchildren then was around £2.50 to £5 depending on age.
Now, because of the cost of living crisis, the 65-year-old increased her charge.
This year, Caroline said she’s increasing the price from £10 to £15 this year.
This will cover the cost of food and preparation, which isn’t as cheap as it used to be.
But, while the nan-of-six has upped her rates for the family dinner, she still expects to be paying more than their fee covers due to inflated supermarket prices.
She told BBC 5 Live: “I’m not sure it will, because when you buy a few bits and pieces it comes to like £30 or £40 and it’s barely a bag full. This is not Christmas stuff either but just general shopping – it’s just horrifying and you wonder where it’s all going to end.”
Caroline faced a lot of stick when the news of her Christmas dinner tax went viral the other year, but she says it’s great value.
The nan is no nonsense about her dinner (Getty stock images)
Each year, Caroline serves a mini sandwich buffet, turkey roast with all the trimmings, and a plethora of yule-tide desserts. And, each family member takes home a doggy bag of treats that’ll last them through Boxing Day.
“I also do food for my parents and take it round to them,” she said. “They find it a bit too much coming to mine now.”
But, while she acknowledges how some people might consider her a Scrooge, Caroline has received support from others online who say it’s a great idea.
“There were the usual trolls, but some people thought it was really good idea – they even said they were going to adopt it themselves.”
For those online, they’re split.
One person wrote: “I would never charge any of my own family if I offer then I pay.”
Another said: “Straight in a home for you nan then!”
Someone else shared: “If she buys the whole lot and cooks the whole lot it’s fair that people chip in. If you don’t offer then you’re the problem.”
To be honest, the last person has a point.Featured Image Credit: Caroline Duddridge
Topics: Food And Drink, Money, Christmas
Britt Jones
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Published 15:30 13 Dec 2024 GMT
UK bin man explains what they really want for Christmas and it’s not cheap booze or chocolates
This bin man decided to do Brits a favour and let people know what they really want at Christmas
The gift giving season is finally upon us, and presents are flying about left, right, and centre.
But while you’re stewing over what to buy your family and friends, don’t forget to have a long hard think about what your bin man would like too.
It’s easy to feel generous after a few Eggnogs during the festive period, and our list of people to buy for often ends up growing a lot longer than we would have intended.
Whether you’re purchasing a bottle of bubbly for your kid’s teacher or nipping to your neighbours with a tub of Christmas chocolates, giving to others really does feel good.
However, you might want to be a bit more picky when it comes to selecting a gift for your local refuse collectors, as this bloke says they’re sick of being palmed off with certain items each year.
This bin man has revealed what gifts they are really hoping for off residents at Christmas (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
A fella who dubs himself ‘The No1 Bin Man’ on TikTok revealed what his colleagues are really hoping for when kind locals offer them a prezzie in December.
The UK-based social media user, who boasts 6,918 followers, responded to a woman who enquired about what people in the waste industry ‘would prefer’.
She explained she usually just settles on a box of chocolate to give to her bin men, but suspects they might want something a bit more exciting.
So, the ‘No1 Bin Man’ decided to come to the rescue and be brutally honest about what they think of generic gifts.
He kicked off by explaining that they don’t actually expect people to go to any expense, but there is something which would tickle their fancy if the opportunity arose.
The TikToker explained there is something that he really doesn’t like being gifted (TikTok/@theno1.binman)
The TikToker said: “Can I have a bacon sandwich or a cup of coffee? Sorted, Merry Christmas.”
Clearly enamoured by the Christmas spirit, he then decided to reveal what it is bin men ‘don’t want’ from local residents.
He continued: “I’ll tell you what I don’t want – Fosters.
“No one drinks Fosters! You don’t want it, that’s why you give it to us.
“But most of the time people just give us stuff which they don’t want anyway, so we’re not fussed. We’ll take it.
“But a bacon sandwich would be lovely, thanks!”
It seems a lot of people might have been stuck on what to get their bin men, as the bloke’s video ended up going viral and racked up over 316,000 views.
Social media users flooded the comment section with their thoughts on the bloke’s gifting advice, while others shared their own experiences.
One said: “I put out mince pies, cake and Christmas box last year and they ignored it!!”
Another wrote: “We always buy a box of Carlsberg and they seem happy.”
A third laughed: “I gave my bin man a box of chocolates and got ‘it’s the thought that counts’.”
A fourth joked: “I have an agreement with my bin men…I’ll get them a lovely Christmas gift when they start putting my bin back where they found it.”
Sounds like we better get those frying pans on, eh?Featured Image Credit: TikTok/theno1.binman/Getty Stock Images
Topics: Christmas, Food And Drink, TikTok, UK News, Viral
Olivia Burke
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Updated 14:19 27 Dec 2023 GMTPublished 14:20 27 Dec 2023 GMT
Man slammed as ‘lazy’ after serving Christmas dinner to family in tin foil oven trays
He at least saved plenty of time on the washing up
Christmas dinner might just be the most heavily planned meal of the year, and while there’s all that work going into it before you eat, there’s plenty to do afterwards too.
There’s a veritable mountain of washing up to do when you’ve eaten your weight in turkey, stuffing and pigs in blankets.
Bloke stunned by date Aldi turkeys are frozen
TikTok/gleno2023
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Since you’ve probably eaten so much you’re ready to burst and there’s going to be some really good Christmas telly on in a bit, you probably aren’t in the mood to load up the dishwasher or spend the next hour scrubbing plates in the sink.
That’s where one bloke’s idea has come in to cut down on the cleaning as he just served his Christmas dinner in some disposable foil takeaway trays that could be easily chucked away.
It’s certainly a handy Christmas dinner hack and one which would save a decent amount of time, but not everyone is the biggest fan of the idea.
Posting his idea to Facebook, some people called him ‘lazy’ for using foil trays instead of serving up Christmas dinner on actual plates.
One said they ‘like doing the table up nice’ at Christmas, though toyed with the idea of serving dinner in foil trays ‘as a joke one year’ just to see how it went down.
Someone else was less open to the idea, declaring they ‘wouldn’t eat off tin foil’.
A few others pointed out a problem if everyone started doing this for Christmas, as the tin trays are meant to be chucked away and landfill sites would be packed with mountains of metal each December if it became a regular thing.
They said that in the long run ‘it doesn’t take long to wash a few plates’ and suggested that if the pile was high you should get the family to chip in and help out with the process.
A second added that it would be ‘so bad for the environment’ if everyone did this when doing the washing up wasn’t really that much of a chore.
The man’s wife did comment to say that she and her husband ‘recycle often’, while they did get some support from families with young children that occasionally broke the plates at Christmas.
Someone else pointed out that on the bright side it meant people could easily box up their leftovers and take some home if they wanted.
That’s pretty handy as there’s only so long the food will keep in the fridge before it gets to be a bit dangerous.
All in all, it seems like it’d be a bad idea if everyone did it, but there are some advantages for the few households that give it a try.Featured Image Credit: Facebook
Topics: Food And Drink, Christmas
Joe Harker
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Published 10:56 24 Dec 2024 GMT
Exact time you need to stop drinking on Christmas Eve to avoid a hangover
One doctor has revealed the perfect time to stop drinking if you want to avoid feeling rough on Christmas Day
Many of us like a drink on Christmas Eve, but rocking up to the family Christmas dinner so hungover you can barely keep your pigs in blankets down is far from ideal.
Of course, unless you’re the kind of person who gets a hangover from one drink, having one or two to ring in Christmas Day shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
But while most of us know to follow the basic rules – for example, don’t mix your drinks and *never* drink on an empty stomach – there’s also another trick to avoiding a hangover.
And it’s all to do with timing.
There’s a perfect time to stop drinking on Christmas Eve (Getty Stock Photo)
According to one doctor, there’s actually a perfect time to stop drinking on Christmas Eve and it should help reduce the chances of you feeling rough the next day.
Dr Donald Grant, GP and Senior Clinical Advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, told LADbible that if you stop drinking at 10pm on Christmas Eve, then you might be feeling relatively normal by the following afternoon.
Dr Grant looked at stats from DrinkAware, which found that men consume an average of six drinks on Christmas Day and women drink an average of four and a half.
“On average, our bodies typically take one hour to process a singular unit of alcohol. With men drinking around 14 units of alcohol on Christmas Day, according to DrinkAware, this means to avoid a hangover on Christmas morning, they’d have to stop drinking at around 5pm with alcohol then cleared from the system by 7am the following day,” said Dr Grant.
Being so hungover you can’t eat your dinner is not ideal (Getty Stock Photo)
“For those looking to feel normal by Christmas afternoon, I’d advise not drinking past 10pm the night before, allowing the body to clear alcohol by midday on Christmas.
“Limiting alcohol consumption on Christmas Eve can help people avoid ruining their festive fun by feeling unwell, allowing them to spend important downtime with close friends and family.”
Dr Grant explained that ‘timing is everything’ when it comes to avoiding a hangover, advising: “Aside from stopping drinking at sensible times, people should prioritise eating correctly before beginning to drink alcohol. Our bodies require food to slow alcohol absorption, so I recommend consuming foods rich in proteins, fibres and healthy fats – these foods are harder to digest, meaning they’ll stay in our system for longer.
“Additionally, it’s essential to hydrate before AND after drinking as alcohol can quickly dehydrate. The morning after, I recommend eating a substantial breakfast and avoiding drinking again until the body has fully recovered.”Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Health, Food And Drink, Christmas
Lucy Devine
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Published 10:44 24 Dec 2024 GMT
Vet warns Brits not to feed pigs in blankets to their dog at Christmas
There are other things you can give them which would be better
It’s Christmas time and your pets are probably having the time of their lives.
Their humans have all inexplicably gathered in one place, which means lots of people to give them attention, and there’s loads of food going about which means more chances you’ll toss them some scraps.
Even if they don’t know what Christmas is, your pets will have some notion that this is going to be a very good day for them provided their ability to beg for food.
If you’ve got a dog, then you’ll likely have thought about how to keep them away from the big food dishes being prepared all day, so they don’t dive headfirst into a turkey that was supposed to be for everyone.
However, you might want to be careful before you toss them something more bite-sized like pigs in blankets as apparently it’s bad for them.
They look so f**king good, but it’s best not to feed them to your dogs. (Getty Stock Photo)
You might think that a sausage wrapped in bacon would be a dog’s second best friend after man, but according to a vet, Brits shouldn’t give their beloved canine companion one as a festive treat today.
Dr. Sam, a vet from Animal Friends Pet Insurance, told the Mirror that they were far from the ideal food to be handing over because they were really unhealthy for your dog.
He explained: “Pigs in blankets and other fatty meats could lead to pet obesity and pancreatitis.
“As much as your pup might beg for a meaty treat, it’s best to avoid giving them these.
“Instead, stick to unseasoned lean meat such as chicken or turkey.”
Sorry pooch, just a bare bit of turkey breast for you it sounds like.
Your dog will no doubt want part of your Christmas dinner, make sure they stick to turkey. (Getty Stock Photo)
There are plenty of other foods Brits have been warned not to pass to their pets at Christmas, including mince pies and Christmas pudding since the raisins, sultanas and grapes in them are toxic to dogs, and even small amounts could make Gromit vomit.
If you were thinking of giving your dog other trimmings from the main Christmas dinner then you ought to think again, since gravy, stuffing and Yorkshire puddings are all foods you’d best not feed your dogs.
Some of them are just unhealthy, others contain ingredients which are toxic to them or are foods which your dog will struggle to digest properly.
It’s likely that you’ve heard this one before, but you should also resist the urge to give your dog any of the bones from the meat you’ve cooked since they can be chomped into shards and then pierce organs if swallowed.
If your dog is making those pleading eyes at you then your best bet is, as the vet suggested, to hand them unseasoned turkey.