First time making food for a party

[BathshebaDarkstone]

How much do you make per DC? And how do you cater for the Muslim DC?

[SavoyCabbage]

However much you do, you will have twice as much as you need.

I always do the same-ish food.

Either very small sandwiches or garlic bread
Biscuits in the shape of the number they are turning
Breadsticks artistically shoved in a jam jar
Grapes or watermelon if it's hot
Juice in those pop top bottles
'Vegemite crocodiles' which are sheet puff pastry slathered in Vegemite (or similar) sprinkled with cheese. Cut out with a crocodile cutter. I first did these only so I could hear people say 'pass the crocodiles'.
And the cake

[BathshebaDarkstone]

I'm now googling crocodile cutters! Thanks for the ideas. I'll skip the Vegemite, DD doesn't like it, she can't be my DD!

[PrimalLass]

Pizza usually goes down well.
Strawberries, grapes, bananas
Marshmallow top hats
Jelly and ice cream
Crisps
Mini sausages

[Chillyegg]

You can get halal haribo from asian food stores now. Just look at the packaging for sweets for gelatine lots of stuff has it in secretly. M&S and Aldi have great veggie sweets!

[AlwaysDancing1234]

Having done several parties for DC I now know not to do too a lot of sandwiches or salad as it doesn't get eaten!
We have to think about catering for Muslim (halal) and Jewish (kosher) friends so the following work well for most:-

Cucumber sticks
Carrot sticks with little pits of hummus for dipping
Cherry tomatoes
Sliced peppers
Mini sub rolls with jam or cheese
Pizza slices
Strawberries/grapes
Mini breadsticks

I also do sausage rolls and mini sausages as DS insisted on them but make sure to store them in sealed tubs separate from other food and serve on separate plates

[AlwaysDancing1234]

Oh and Asda, Sainsburys and M&S do halal or veggie sweets HTH

[blink1552]

I just do veggie for everyone. Sausage rolls or mini sausages go down well but I substitute with cheese and onion equivalents or a cheese and tom pizza cut into bite sized pieces.

Plan your quantities, then halve the sandwiches and double the crisps. 2 sandwiches per child is enough if they are 5 or under. If catering at home, pizza and icecream is easy and popular.

In the past we have underestimated the time it takes to bung traditional party food out on platters, so either do it in advance or do those little lunchboxes.

[BlueChampagne]

Shaped sarnies usually go down well. Just use ordinary biscuit cutters.