Lots of dogs don't like being picked up, my Louis being one, and although I know it's useful to be able to lift him when I need to, such as putting him on my grooming table or if he was at the vet, I always do so very carefully and quietly and reward him afterwards. If he was over excited, tired and grumpy or similar I simply wouldn't attempt to pick him up unless it was an emergency.
Whatever the reason for Alfie barking at this particular time of day I believe that grabbing hold of him isn't the way to go. Each time it happens it will become more of a conflict and Alfie may eventually bite. I imagine that at the moment he's giving warning signals such as barking, growling and air snapping to let you know he's very uncomfortable at being pursued and grabbed. His warnings aren't threats, they're warnings and eventually he may stop the warnings, as they don't work, and go straight to biting.
So for the time being, until you can figure out why this particular time of day is a trigger for him to become overexcited or agitated, try taking some pre-emptive action that will relieve the stress all round. Before you start preparing the food in the kitchen could you calmly call Alfie into another room and give him a chew or something to settle with? Then leave him there until you've finished in the kitchen before calmly letting him back in with you.
Both my 2 Cockers, even William who's almost 10, have a bit of a silly 5 minutes after their evening meal and want to run round and play. If that's the trigger for adolescent Alfie he may be finding it hard to regain self control once he's lost it and become over excited. If you and the family are then in the mix pursuing him and trying to catch him the whole thing gets out of hand and escalates.
Neutering can help with some behaviours, usually sexually motivated ones like humping and marking, but isn't guaranteed to help with all behaviours. Some vets like to neuter as young as 6 months but there's increasing evidence from research that it's better to wait until the dog is physically mature and the growth plates have closed. Personally I don't have mine neutered unless there's a medical reason, and even then I'd wait until at least 15 months old. But that's just my personal feelings about neutering. Best to do some research and make up your own mind.
Hope this helps
