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DS's friend (5) is super fussy; won't eat potatoes but likes chips, eats pasta but won't eat macaroni cheese
I find if I don't tell him what it is and serve it in the guise of "Superhero power food" or other such nonsense he is more likely to try it.

Pesto, pasta, cheese and peas, sausages, pizza and pitta bread / houmous dip type dinners are pretty much what I serve on a rolling programme when I can't be bothered indulging him with the superhero bullshit theme.

As ds started school in September he has had a few friends over for tea. I have done macaroni cheese, pizza, sausage and mash. I do buy fish fingers but they are emergency supplies and usually not enough for 3/4 children.

make your own pizzas, little bowls of toppings and homemade or shop bought bases.

takes up a bit of time as well.

serve with salad/ veg

Thanks so much. Loads of ideas to try here.

I do the 'picky tea' here too or serve things up in serving dishes so they can help themselves as some prefer their pasta or noodles without sauce, so I can do pasta or noodles with a sauce, something like tuna or chicken, vegetables and even chilli for the grown ups but all separate so they can make their own combination.

I do picky teas so they can help themselves. Mini pizzas, crudites, pitta bread, dips, fruit platter, little sausages, cheese sandwiches, that kind of thing. Always seems to go down well.

I think children try to pull the wool over our eyes or they may not feel totally confident eating at other people's houses or familiar food may taste a little different.

My dd is far from fussy but I quite often get she didn't each much so I done her beans on toast. When questioned my dd often says she wasn't keen on the parents cooking or wasn't hungry. Same with friends who come here. I always do spaghetti Bol chicken and rice pasta etc or ask child what they want me to cook when I see them prior to tea visit. Not often much gets eaten and parents say the usually eat that.

I always make sure I have a tin of beans and plenty of bread for toast

I tend to stick to fairly safe choices for playdates, at least until i get to know children's tastes:
- sausages/chicken drumsticks with marinade plus brown rice & brocolli
- fajitas or tacos
- spag bol/chilli
- jacket potatoes (chilli/tuna mayo/cheese + salad)
- meatballs and couscous

I used to do a lot of 'picky bits/help yourself meals when they were younger (4-6) but tend towards proper meals now.

I tend to do fish fingers & wedges, sausage & mash or homemade pizza. All are easy and can be customised with veg

I would avoid anything with sauce having had 2 dds who have gone through/are going through sauce aversion - around age 6...

Jacket potatoes

Fajitas with mix of fillings

Fish fingers or sausages always a winner though IME

Most children seem to like grilled/fried chicken, either with or without breadcrumbs. Similarly roast chicken drumsticks or chicken kebabs where it's easy for them to leave any veg they don't like. Also potato wedges, skin on, in the oven for 25 mins are always popular here.

I often do make your own pizzas and let them put what toppings they like on. Also meatballs and tomato sauce, sausages. Probably nothing you haven't already thought of, but you really only need a couple of different regulars for when you have fussy friends.

Can't go wrong with some macaroni cheese or baked tatties

Very true DD (now 12) had a friend over a couple of years ago, friends mum said 'she's an absolute dustbin, will eat anything'

I was green with envy... until said friend didn't know what pasta was!

sorry, that sounded chippier than i meant it to.
i learned the hard way that when parents of 5yos tell you that their DC eats "anything", they often mean "anything in a limited repertoire of breadcrumbed nursery food", rather than the morrocan spiced lamb or five bean chilli that I'd served up.

I second nowwearefour's suggestions, plus a 'picky bits' kind of tea goes down well, ie bread, breadsticks, crackers, cheese, meat, hummus, carrot batons, fruit etc etc It allows fussy eaters to pick stuff they like.

If I'm organised enough I make a jelly from fruit juice/innocent smoothie and gelatine. That's healthy and really, really lovely.

By compromise I meant actually buying nuggets, burgers, fishfingers etc. so I would have nothing against making my own. Good idea. And the reason I'm on here looking for advice is because I care that my children's friends have a good time.

i agree with charlotte. homemade chicken goujons or nuggets go down well here, as does pizza. and fish fingers are more expensive but yummy too.

would be quite happy to provide fish fingers etc but DD is a veggie & DS hates fish!

DS & DD have had lots of friends for dinner over the years, spanning 2 decades & 3 different addresses..

Have never had a child refuse:

(mild) chilli tacos with sour cream & lettuce

Jacket potatoes, with a selection of fillings to choose from & a side salad

Homemade pizza/flat breads

Fajitas, roll your own, with chicken/quorn & peppers

dd & her friends all love 'help yourself' dinners & are much more adventurous if given the option to choose what they want from dishes on the table

why do you not want to compromise? surely you want your guests, however small, to have a nice time? can you not do homemade nuggets/burgers/fishfingers?

Cheese and onion pie with baked beans, chicken pie and peas or risotto always go down well.

Sausage and mash or meatballs and spaghetti? Homemade pizza?

I don't buy fish fingers, chicken nuggets, etc in a regular week's shop but that's all my children seem to eat at their friends' houses when they go for tea. I want to cook homemade food on these occasions because that's what I do anyway and I don't want to compromise, but the only success I've had so far is with bolognese and macaroni cheese. What successes have you had with your children's friends?