Have you ever lied about having cooked a fancy meal?

Why cook when you don't have to? A new U.K. service will even throw in the dirty pots and pans! (iStock)Lying about preparing a gourmet meal just got easier, thanks to a British company that will now deliver dirty pots and pans to your door along with the meal itself.

Housebites already allowed customers to order freshly prepared meals to their homes simply by entering their postal code into the company's website to connect with a list of local chefs.

On Wednesday, it introduced its "pretend you cooked" option after learning that many customers had fibbed to others about cooking the meals themselves.

"When a few of them requested we deliver the dirty pans alongside the meal 'for authenticity' we thought it could be a useful service, especially for those less adept in the kitchen looking to impress," said Housebites CEO Simon Prockter.

"I guess it makes sense that people want to impress their partners or friends by pretending they cooked the meal themselves," Prockter added. "It's harmless fun, so we thought we'd see if we could help them out with some added authenticity."

Want to make it even more authentic and let your guests see you tidy up, too?

Customers who return the dirty pots and pans clean will receive a refund of about $4 - half the cost of the service itself.

Meals can include main courses, side dishes and desserts prepared in a wide variety of cuisines, including Mexican, French, Indian, American and Caribbean.

Prices vary. For example, pan-fried British mackerel served with baby new potatoes, and honey and mustard glazed beetroot costs about $15, while slow cooked spring lamb with carrot turnips and jersey potato costs closer to $20.

Have you ever pretended to cook a meal or dish, when really you ordered it from somebody else? If so, what was the context? Would you also order dirty pots and pans to make your story seem more convincing?


(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)