There is nothing more disconcerting than being sat across from your prospective future in-laws and being scrutinised and judged for every action, from how you sit to how you eat to the colour of your socks. And yes, guys have it worse.

Whilst this generation has embraced the digital era which is reflected in the significant proportion of people who have turned to the internet to search for love, we spoke to some men who chose the more traditional route.

Adnan said, “Despite the fact that many of my Asian friends have chosen their own partners and have gone out with them for years, these traditional set-ups are still prolific.

“After the usual cringe worthy questions of where I work and how much I earn, I was then asked by the mum if I was right or left-handed. I couldn’t believe it! I actually am left-handed.

“They had probably been warned by the aunty that set up the meeting and wanted to verify it for themselves.

“You could see the disgust on their faces after I answered the question. It was as if they were sat across devil’s spawn.

“My mum tried to diffuse the situation by quickly saying that I eat with my right hand though. We didn’t even get to the food stage. After their horrified expressions, I made an excuse and we walked out.”

Salim said he was asked about his past relationships by one auntie,“I know I am a little later getting on the marriage thing, but to be honest I have enjoyed my freedom and it was liberating being able to focus on the long hours of work and being able to travel without worrying that I was compromising my family.

“But as my parents keep reminding me, I am 36-years-old and need to ‘settle down.’ “I agreed to go along on a few meetings even though I don’t agree with the concept. But the kind of questions these people ask!.

“They are so unbelievably intrusive. It’s like some sort of sinister conspiracy. It’s even worse than the most harrowing job interview.

“One aunty actually had the temerity to ask me how many girlfriends I have had because I am ‘not so young.’ “As if that wasn’t bad enough, she proceeded to ask me how many I had stayed overnight with! Honestly, I was shocked.

“I’d rather go online on these shaadi.com type websites than sit through one of those ordeals again.”

Nadeem said that his experiences with the traditional introduction methods have put him off marrying an Asian woman entirely.

“It’s bad enough that my parents would not consider my long term girlfriend as their daughter-in-law because her family are from a different baradari. It caused major problems for both her and me.

“But when I eventually agreed to go and meet ‘appropriate girls from appropriate families’ I was just left dumbfounded.

“The strained environment is bad enough with the long silent stares and the stilted conversation. But one uncle asked me to do wudu in front of him. I told him it wasn’t prayer time. He said, ‘I know beta, but I want to see how clean your feet are.’ “Seriously, they were going to judge me as a human being on account of how clean my feet are?

“I was so irritated by that experience that my family agreed to just leave me alone.”