70's Party Essentials, eg Watners Party 7's - what else?

[JemimaPyjamas]

I am throwing a 70's 70th for my mother and am fishing for ideas. I like the idea of things that people of her generation will recognise but haven't seen or heard of for a long time.
Google just produces naff 'groovy' signs etc.
Can anyone here inspire me...?
Thank you

Blue Nun
Cheese and pineapple, cheese and silver skin onions on cocktail sticks

I forgot to say babycham too

There were three distinct phases:

70-72 was the Hippy Hangover from the 60s, all heavy rock, cheesecloth and peace and love, man.

73-76 was Glam, Bolan, Bowie and Roxy, do not attempt to dance in platforms.

77-79 was Punk & New Wave. No Pogoing upstairs or you'll come throught the ceiling.

Battenburg

Cheese and pineapple on sticks.

Fondue

Prawn cocktail on lettuce.

Fruit juice served in a tiny glass.

Melon boats sprinkled with powdered ginger.

Salad cream

A streaker! No 70s party was complete without a streaker.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/retro-party

Some of these might be useful, lovely idea hope the celebration goes well!

Mateus rose!

Don't forget the mini sausages on sticks. Along with sherry trifle for dessert.

polaroid cameras
lava lamps
big round sunglasses
Afro hairstyles
platform shoes
bell bottom jeans
boom box with tape cassette
ban the bomb signs
peace and love signs
pictures of Twiggy

You could ask people to dress in the 70's fashions.

Are you on twitter OP? There is a funny account on there called 70s Dinner Party, which tweets photos from 70s recipe books. Sometimes they're disgusting concoctions but sometimes they have stuff you could possibly make - or would at least be good novelty value!

Or you could try and get hold of some 70s recipe books on eBay?

Also, in all my parents' photos of their 70s student days, they always had a photo of all the guests sitting on the stairs - and someone at the bottom taking the photo. Not sure if that was a widespread thing or just them though!!

I think you need to decide what sort of 70s party you want. You could have a tail-end of the 60s groovy hippie party, or a brown and orange homespun-style party, or a suburban chic 70s party.

A 70 year old was an adult in the 1970s, did they have children?

Pineapple and cheese hedgehogs
Wine and cheese, big chunks of baguette, fondue
Cork tiles- crafts
Cheap red french wine (german wine didn't really come into place until the 1980s)
black forest gateau
vienetta
trifle from a mix- the 70s was the start of the microwave junk food era.
chicken in a basket
chicken chasseur
beef bourguignon
hostess trolley
homemade wine
jam sandwiches
cake icing was massive- hard icing

Ohhh- the safari supper. That was the rage. A different course at each house.

Vicars and tarts

You got a keg of beer from the pub

neopolitan ice cream
ice cream sauce and sprinkles were a new thing
pink toilet roll or blue

Black forest gateau! Vol an vonts with chicken and mushroom soup,empty wine bottles with melted candles dripped down the side used as lamp shades , i remember a lot of jellies in the shape of rabbits , flared trousers orange curtains .

Try and find Abigails party on you tube should give you an idea!

Thanks so much for all the replies!
For info, me and DH have bought some rolls of this which we are going to make into three screens and also a bar (the room the party is in doesn't have a bar.) The Party 7's will be on the bar as decoration, as will the more relevant jugs of Pimms as a welcome drink.

Hence, the look is of the brown Abigails Party type. I didn't like the flower power type look as it's done to death (if you Google 70's party it's all a bit contrived and CND signs.)

The cake IS a black forest gateaux!

Food will be sort of mainstream, but luckily a lot of stuff that is mainstream now was a novelty in the '70s (like quiche and olives!)

The person who's party it is was in their 20's in the 70's (my mother) as will a lot of the guests

Athena poster ?
Warniks Advocat ?

You must have a power cut halfway through. Everyone can light a candle.

Do you have a fondue set?

A hostess trolley?

It’s in a pub so I don’t really want to go too mad with big extras like hostess trollies, it’s more smaller more portable details I’m after