Children's party food ideas for lazy mother

[KristinaM]

Have a birthday party for 30 five year olds soon.Hiring a room in community centre with no access to the kitchen for heating food. Party is mid afternoon so they SHOULD have already eaten lunch. I am a very lazy mother so need easy things that don't require hours slaving over a hot stove Any suggestions apart from chipolata sausages and crisps???

[jampots]

A trip to Sainsburys or M&S?

[beansontoast]

cheese cheese cheese and a satsuma

[IloveMarmite]

grapes, hula hoops, sandwiches, cartons of juice, jelly, cake (well obviously), twiglets. I can remember my mum used to make jelly with fruit cocktail mixture set into it, but beware if you attempt this do not add the pineapple, it prevents jelly from setting!

[jampots]

packets of crisps emptied into bowls, wotsits emptied into other bowls, mini rolls, fairy cakes (value form Tesco)

[IloveMarmite]

Should have said - make sure the sandwiches are marmite

[KristinaM]

Am a bit worried that the cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks [served stuck into an orange}will end up stuck in someone's eye

[KristinaM]

Sorry ILM but marmite is GGGGGRRRRROOOSSSSSS

[SPARKLER1]

Hi KristinaM. For the last few years I have made food boxes for the kids. You can buy the cardboard boxes from a good party shop and you can get all sorts of designs. They are just like the boxes when you go to McDonalds for a Happy Meal. Really easy to make up - line up on the floor, chuck in packet of crisps, cake bar/chocolate biscuit, cheese string, fromage frais, plastic spoon, and sandwiches (make up two sqaures per child with different fillings you think they may like)which I make up night before and wrap in clingfilm and put in fridge. Nice and easy to transport to venue and nice and easy to dispose of and end of party (chuck it all into a big black binliner!!!!) Jugs of squash and you are sorted. So much easier than doing a "spread" of food and I would never change it. Hope this helps. x

[SPARKLER1]

PS - sorry about mentioning crisps!!! Just realised you didn't want those. Choose whatever you like to "chuck in"

[SPARKLER1]

I even "chucked in" a noisy party blower at dd2 3rd birthday party. They had great fun blowing those while they were eating.

[SPARKLER1]

Glad you like it . Seriously it is sooooooo easy. If you are worried about the grown ups not having anything just take a box of cakes - they'll live!!!!!!!!!!

[redsky]

Definitely not quick or easy - but a real WOW! Jelly Oranges! Big oranges with thick skin work best. Halve the oranges, scoop out the orange pulp ((save it for caramelised oranges)) being very careful not to puncture the skin. Make jelly with a bit less water than usual. Pour it into the orange halves. When jelly has set cut each half into quarters and slurp or bite the jelly out. YUMMO! The jelly takes on a lovely orangey flavour from the skin. Use two or three different flavours - red, yellow, green work well to make a really decorative display served on a big tray. They were served at every kids party I went to in australia - never seen them here.

[SPARKLER1]

redsky sounds nice for an adult party - but I don't think that the kids would appreciate it.

[SPARKLER1]

whoah - now you're talking!!!!!

[JanH]

Hi, Kristina! Surprisingly, I used to find that dishes of cherry tomatoes, sticks of carrot and pepper, celery etc went down surprisingly well with this age group, and some dips, and I think they like Doritos too.

Also dishes of grapes and apple slices, and you could do satsuma segments as well.

I have done Sparkler's cake-box suggestion too; if you get plain white ones then your children can decorate them with felt-tips or crayons if they want. And I've done ice-cream cones afterwards.

Good luck - 30 is a lot, especially at that age!

[JanH]

Also, instead of jugs, you could have mini cartons of juice - they are quite cheap from eg Lidl, and have their own straws!

[SPARKLER1]

Good idea JanH - I thought of that one too but from a "cost" point of view I found making jugs of squash and buying cups was much cheaper.

[SPARKLER1]

Sorry - you've got me on this thread . I love organising kids parties!!!!! Nothing to do with the food side of things but just wanted to let you know what I do instead of party bags. I go to Makro. Buy big boxes of penny sweets. Buy plastic drinking cups, cellophane and curling ribbon. Fill up the cups to the brim with sweets, wrap with cellophane and tie with curling ribbon (curl with a pair of sharp scissors). I buy the plastic party bags to put them in along with a piece of birthday cake wrapped in a serviette to take home. Much better than buying seperate party bag goodies which they don't bother with when they get home anyway.