Contrasting approaches to ‘doing’ family meals: a qualitative study of how parents frame children’s food preferences

Figures & data

Table 1. Key participant characteristics.

Pseudonym	Social characteristics	Reported household composition and food practices
Melissa	Female, African-Caribbean, 47 years, Employed	Lived with her secondary school-age daughter. Her adult son visited several times a week and cooked most of the meals. Erratic eating patterns due to her shift work. Very accommodating of individualised practices
Sue^a	Female, White British, 49 years, Not in paid employment	Lived with her twin secondary school age daughters^c. Her partner stayed with them regularly and his son (12 years old) visited at weekends. Often cooked multiple meals per sitting with the exception of a ‘proper Sunday dinner’
Collette^a	Female, White British, 44 years, Not in paid employed	Lived with her five children^c, three of whom were at secondary school, one in college and one at work. Reported a great deal of flexibility and reactivity. Food shopping was particularly complex and sometimes fraught
Jayanti^a	Female, British Indian, 45 years, Employed	Lived with her husband^b, who worked full-time, and two of their children (both at secondary school). Her eldest daughter was at university and sometimes came home at weekends. Observed some Hindu dietary practices depending on context. Husband reported ‘breaking’ with them, especially when at work
Hasan^a	Male, Bangladeshi, 34 years, Employed	Lived with his wife (Mahida), who stayed at home with their five children, all under the age of seven. His mother, a vegetarian, also lived with them. Regulated approach with provisioning tasks divided clearly. Observed Halal at home
Lisa^a	Female, White British, 38 years, Employed	Lived with her husband (Derek^a^,^b), who worked full-time, and their three children. One child was nursery-aged^c and two were at primary school. Highly organised. Lisa often worked from home
Catherine	Female, White British, 37 years, Employed	Lived with her husband, who worked full-time, and their nursery age daughter^c. Mostly flexible but with some regulated elements. Self-identified as a ‘healthy eater’ and vegetarian
Poppy	Female, White British, 43 years, Not in paid employment	Lived with her husband^b, who worked full-time, and their nursery-age daughter^c. She cooked all meals and described her husband as ‘easy going’. Regulated with some elements of individual catering. Self-identified as an ‘ethical consumer’ and vegetarian
Caroline^a	Female, White British, 52 years, Employed	Lived with her husband, who worked full-time, and their two sons, one of whom had just started work; the other was at secondary school. Very individualised. Mother and both sons self-identified as ‘picky eaters’

^a Quoted in the paper.

^b Partner who was also present at interview (three in total).

^c Child who was also present at interview (seven in total).

Figure 1. Collette’s photograph of ‘meatballs night’ ‘meatballs’.

Figure 2. Collette’s photograph of ‘meatballs night’ ‘garlic bread’.

Figure 3. Collette’s photograph of ‘meatballs night’ ‘sauce and garlic bread’.

Figure 4. Collette’s photograph of ‘meatballs night’ ‘meatballs and garlic bread’.

Figure 5. Jayanti’s photograph of a vegetarian family meal: ‘lentil curry and bits’.

Figure 6. Jayanti’s photograph of a meat-based family meal: ‘chicken and chips’.