What would you serve?

[Foldinthecheese]

Like a fool, I’ve invited several friends and their children to come over on Sunday afternoon for what I’ve billed as ‘casual drinks and nibbles’. I’m presenting it as kind of an open house thing. What food would you serve? I don’t particularly want to do party food in the oven because it’s hot and stressful to keep an eye on the timer with lots of small children running around.

To complicate things, we have an extremely busy weekend planned already, so ideally it all needs to be very simple!

Order a sandwich platter from M&S or somewhere and lots of bowls of crisps? Cheese board & crackers?

If I was told ‘casual drinks and nibbles’ I would expect the nibbles to be more along the lines of crisps, cheese straws, sausage rolls, mince pies, etc. I wouldn’t be expecting much more than that.

That’s helpful, thank you! Nothing that requires cooking.

Costco do nice sandwich platters.

Cheese board with grapes, crackers, nice chutneys, pickles, olives, crisps, nuts, honey and mustard sausages, dips and crudités.,

I'd cheese and crackers
Pate and crusty bread
Bowls of olives, nuts, crisps, pickled onions etc
Platter of meats
Some mince pies
Possibly a slow cooker of hot dogs for the kids.
Dish of quality street and some matchmakers.

TheQueef, I had considered Costco, but not sure if it will be unbearably busy.

Roast ham, cheese board, crackers, bread, grapes, crisps, dip, mince pies and chocolates.

Crisps, mini quiche and a sandwich platter plus soft drinks and tea

Cheeseboard.

I was taken to a swish restaurant at the weekend and they had a cheese board and served it with chutneys etc but there was truffle honey. Omg it's amazing.

I'm doing a cheese board at some point over Christmas so I have an excuse to have The truffle honey.

But aside from that I'd do mini sausages, mince pies, mini pizzas, fruit platter and sandwiches.

Dips, breadsticks. Nothing that requires cooking prefably.

I am shocked and horrified that you'll have DC there and yet nobody has mentioned every UK child's birth right - cheese and pineapple on sticks, and cocktail sausages ditto

If they're not popular these days, I'll come round and eat them - can't have them wasted

Breadstick department - whatever seems sensible on the shelf.
Cocktail sausages.
Maybe sausage rolls or veggie version?
Olives?
I'm a big fan of carrot sticks myself but also as a parent I'd be happy I could direct DC towards them to stop them stuffing themselves completely on sausages....I mean only make me feel better, not change the amount of sausages the hollow-legged DC would eat if my attention is diverted by actual adults to talk to.
Mince pies - horrid, but people seem to like them this time of year.
Popcorn/crisp type things.
Large dried fruit? there's a shop near us that does apple crisps that are huge.

However, 'nibbles' to me would mean to expect a bag of doritos tossed in a bowl for most of my friends so anything more than that is a bonus. I'd expect with only 'nibbles' that most people aren't expecting to 'eat', just have something to nibble every now and again while chatting and drinking.

Would keep a general theme. As you said, platters of stuff that needs to go in the oven..nope. So, then maybe crisp-type things out of packets in fancy bowl theme (popcorn/nuts also in this 'dry and crunchy category), or a fruity theme (carrot, dried fruit, fresh fruit (berries not really in season but...) fresh pepper and maybe some dips, cheese theme (cheese, crackers, grapes, chutneys) and so on. Pick a theme. Stick to it. Then everything will look better as will look well-planned and thought out.

I like the idea of cocktail sausages, pineapple and cheese on sticks....pick up some pink wafers and party rings and have a 'throw back to before Brexit' theme

Casual drinks and nibbles, I'd expect cheese straws, small sausage rolls (if you shop at Ocado look at Picard) cooked beforehand, crisps, olives, nuts, maybe humus and crudities, squares of cold pizza that children love. All finger food, no cutlery needed.

I wouldn't do a cheese board, too expensive for the occasion, and requires plates & cutlery.