Help me make a delicious meal on a budget.

[Tootyfilou]

Hello,
It is Ds 19th birthday on Monday ( how did that happen?)
He i in Uni as is his sister but both will be home this weekend to celebrate.
We are budgeting to within an inch of our lives so cannot afford to go out. I would like to make a special meal for 11 people, 9 adults, 2 children aged 13 and 10. No special dietary requirements but would like to spend about £70.00. I will make a birthday cake, not including that in budget.
Is this possible? I am a good cook so willing to try anything.
Please help!

[ChickyDuck]

That is more than doable! I thought you were going to say budget £20 or something. What kind of thing do you want to do, a traditional British meat and veg type affair, or something exotic and exciting?

[ChickyDuck]

I would maybe make some chicken liver pate if you want a starter. You can normally find them frozen in big supermarkets for a couple of quid a pack. Fry onions in loads of butter really gently for ages until they are soft and sweet, add livers and fry over till they are only just cooked. Blend with a good slug of cream and a very generous slug of brandy/sherry or whatever you have lying around, pass through a seive and set in the fridge.

For a main I would maybe do a shoulder of lamb. You can normally get a whole one for £15ish and it's just as nice as leg. Roast at about 120 degrees for 6-8 hours and shred with two forks. I would serve with piles roast veg, a lovely herby pilaf (Google the Moro recipe), a minty yogurt sauce and a spicy tomato sauce.

How does that sound?

[CalmYaTits]

That's a huge budget

I would do a Mexican theme with chilli, rice, nachos, salsa guacamole etc.
If you have anything or from the budget, but some stick on moustaches and Mexican hats

[Tootyfilou]

They both sound lovely especially the lamb. Keep them coming!

[foodiemama26]

Tex mex sharing dishes would be good for so many...sticky ribs, pulled pork (pork shoulder for about £5 from Aldi would be big enough as part of a sharing meal), nachos, homemade slaw, spicy chicken wings, green salad, corn on the cob, homemade salsa, etc. Always goes down well with my family!

[abeandhalo]

A few weeks after our wedding we had a party with some guests who we couldn't fit in, and we did a couple of trays of really lovely mac n cheese w/ an ice cream sundae bar afterwards. So cheap and so delicious.

[TheImprobableGirl]

It depends what you're comfy cooking and what you fancy really?! I would love lots of pizzas or fajitas, or a curry buffet! But I would hate anything fishy- if that's your sort of thing you could go breaded prawns, a big paella? Gazpacho etc

[OhTheRoses]

Large gammon joint, roasties, chantenay carrots, broad beans, parsley sauce. Baked apples with suktanas, muesli and honey with vanilla ice cream.

Gammon £25 (and will do a meal or three with leftovers). Carrots £3 (£1.50 for ord ones), broad beans £2.50 frozen, parsley £1.20, milk £1, apples £4 (ish), muesli and honey £5, icecream £4. That's £45 ish, so some money left for wine and chocolate. Or you could do a starter - soup and French bread, or just avocado, mozzarella and tomato.

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

On that budget I really don't think your options are limited at all (well maybe not a seafood feast or fillet steak but other than that). Actually does that need to include wine with the meal? I guess as it's your sons birthday I would be tailoring it to his preferences. Is he a foodie or being away at uni would he appreciate good home cooking like a roast or lasagne more. Does he favour one particular cuisine? Italian? Thai? Indian? Etc. At the moment the brief is pretty vague!

[ShowMeTheElf]

It's your DS's birthday. What kind of thing would he choose?
Almost £7 per head for a home cooked feast is plenty!

[Tootyfilou]

I think all of these sound delicious. Ds is a bit of a carnivore so the gammon and the lamb would both be appreciated. I am drawn to the lamb. yes budget does include wine, I have a nice bottle of fizz for the toast and it will be a trip to Aldi or Lidl for the rest.
Thanks so much, I will post to let you know what I have chosen and how it went.

[bilbodog]

I did a slow cooked shoulder of pork last weekend - it was gorgeous.

[ChickyDuck]

Good luck and happy birthday to your DS!

[Grumbug]

Ditto to the shoulder of lamb. Nigella has a great recipe where you slow roast overnight on gas mark 1 then it's ready for lunch. Shred with forks and add pomegranate seeds &chopped mint. Serving with pitta breads and hummus will keep costs down and more money for booze. Have fun!

[ShowMeTheElf]

For 11 of you it will be easier to make a feast for £70 including wine if you go for Pork or Gammon instead of lamb (although I really love lamb). You say that your DS is a carnivore, so picking a meat which is dearer so you might need to watch the portions seems a shame.
If you went for pork you could go formal:
roast with crispy crackling, choice of veg and spuds, trimmings, lashings of cider and sage gravy
or informal:
Sticky ribs or slow cooked pulled shoulder, served with corn on the bob, hand cut coleslaw, onion rings, small cut seasoned roast potatoes (or hasselbach), wraps and salad.