Small lunch buffet - what would you like?

[Frogbull]

I have to do a small lunch buffet for some friends on Saturday. There'll be about 12 of us, six being kids. I want to keep it simple, minimal prep as I'll be at work on Friday and at kids gymnastics most of Saturday morning. I thought some frozen party food - sausage rolls, chicken goujons - maybe a quiche, a couple of salads, some cheese and biscuits, with a couple of cakes.

Does that sound OK? Any other ideas? What sort of salads would you like?

Could you do a slow cooker gammon? Instead of the frozen stuff? With jacket potatoes and salad

Veggie cous cous? Slices of pizza?

Some bread rolls and butter separately. I also find cold pizza goes down well...better to be slightly undercooked than crispy. If you want more a soup can easily bulk a buffet. But it sounds nice. Maybe a few crisps and chopped up fruit.

I’d do the frozen party food and get things which cook at the same temperature

Sounds a bit beige buffet

When I host lunch type events like this I go middle eastern as it suits the dig in/sharing style.

-Loads of warm pittas or flatbreads

• Giant bowl of hummus
• Giant bowl of yoghurt/tzatziki
• Cous cous salad
• Lamb koftas
• Chicken skewers
• Halloumi and red pepper skewers
• Salad with rocket, cherry tomato, shaved cucumber, black olives, thinly sliced red onion

Most of this you can buy pre-prepared if you really are short on time, otherwise it's just shove on a stick and throw in the oven, or chop and chuck into a bowl. Cous cous is the easiest and quickest thing - just cover with water from the kettle and throw in a stock cube!

Then I would do a couple of desserts one fruity or lemony, one chocolatey.

Bean salad bowl, tomato salad, vegetable kebabs, fruit kebabs

Tinned summer beans and add green fresh beans
Slice tomato and add Italian cheese sliced, add basil and a little seasoning. Courgette aubergine mushrooms peppers, chop big roast and pop on kebab sticks. Fruit shopped and popped on kebab sticks

I’m going to Spanishwife buffet 😋

New potato salad with mustard vinaigrette added when the potatoes are still warm. Chopped chives or pardon top.

Fruit salad made with chopped pineapple, blueberries and strawberries in a dressing of fresh orange juice with a squeeze of lemon juice. Served with full fat plain yoghurt or cream or skyr (high protein very low fat - a bit like whipped double cream) with a little maple syrup separately for those wanting more sweetness.

Bowl of olives
Couple of those tear-and-share fancy bread things
Poncy crisps

Just get frozen canapés from the supermarket plus cheese, meats, bread, salad and quiche. Morrison's was still selling Christmas stock at really cheap prices last week.

Not "pardon top" but parsley on top. Obviously! 😀

Thanks, so me good ideas. I'll definitely add a fruit salad, and do some dips and bread/veggies instead of one of the other things. I was thinking it looked a bit beige. I'm reasonably good at cooking, but not for more than four people.

Quiche is always a winner here. I get a big one from Makro.

I tend to do:
Quiche
Greek salad
Couscous (Ainsley Harriott packets are great)
Sausage rolls
Honey glazed cocktail sausages
Crisps and crudities with dips
Flatbreads
Sundried tomatoes, olives
Italian meat platter
Chicken, grape & wild rice salad
Canapes - frozen from Makro, again these always go down very well.

Dessert, I'd get a box of frozen chocolate brownies from Makro (can you tell I like Makro? ) and serve that with ice cream. Cheeseboard for those without a sweet tooth.

I do have a secret love of beige buffet food though so I'd be pleased with anything really especially if it meant I didn't have to cook. If I see spring rolls & prawn toast on a buffet, I'm very happy.

@spanishwife can I come round?