Dining

Plymouth Brethren eating rules

While members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church seek to live a life of moderation, we also have a good time when we are with our friends and family.

Food is an integral part of the culture of the Brethren, with most members of our Church learning to cook early, very well and for lots of people. We often host meals for our families and friends in our homes. That’s why many Brethren homes feature large dining tables. Some of our parishioners will even reconfigure rooms and knock down walls to make room for one. This way we can host our extended families, friends and visiting parishioners.

Many Christian denominations mark occasions and milestones by sharing a special meal, so our love of good food and wine is by no means exclusive to the Brethren.

Communal meals and eating with others

Most religions have their own traditions and rules in relation to food. For example, Jewish people don’t eat pork or shellfish, or eat dairy and meat products together. Many Catholics and Anglicans don’t eat red meat on Good Friday. Muslim people don’t eat food that is not Halal, or during daylight hours during Ramadan. Buddhists generally consume dairy but not meat.

Members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church make a commitment to eat meals only with those with whom we would celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We believe having a meal is a religious act of fellowship, so we only do it with people who we take Holy Communion with.

Some of us might have a coffee when meeting with people from outside the Church – but it would not be in line with our beliefs to sit down for a meal with them.

Eating out

Members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church love cooking and catering for others, but we will sometimes eat at cafés and order takeaway, particularly if we are travelling. At a café we will sit apart from others with our families or colleagues.

However, for practical purposes we do eat on planes. Many members of the Church fly frequently for business or to attend Church conferences.

Brethren recipes and food preferences

The types of food that we eat are not governed by any Brethren rules – they are a personal choice.

Many of our church members have gone on to create and share healthy recipes.

There are around 55,000 members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, spread all over the world including in countries such as Argentina, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, America, Australia and New Zealand.

The Brethren diet is as rich and multicultural as the ethnicity of our parishioners. While there are no special Brethren meals per se, we do have some unique sayings. For example, we would refer to a “grazing board” as a “break tray”.