party food for a special birthday - what would you make?

[caperplips]

My dh has a special birthday coming up soon and we're planning on inviting some friends over for cocktails around that time. We love hosting and usually go to lots of trouble. On this occassion we will have approx 25 - 30 people. Too many for a sit down meal but I'd like to offer something more substantial than canapes / party food.

At a previous party we cooked slow cooked pulled pork, brioche buns and homemade coleslaw. We just put huge bowls of each thing out and people assembled their own sandwich. It was filling, very tasty and could be eaten without cutlery etc.

So - what can I make this time? The criteria:

1. can be made the evening before / over night if slowcooked
2. easily served - not requiring a dinner plate and cutlery per person
3. filling and delicious
4. can be eaten standing up
5. does not require me spending ages faffing in the kitchen on the night

All ideas very gratefully received! Thanks

Crispy duck pancakes - not particularly filling though, maybe you could do other chinese snacks like spring rolls to go with it.

Beef tacos

Pork carnitas and wraps

Can you get a chip shop van to come round and serve like an ice cream van?

I was thinking of afternoon tea style thing when I saw the title, but that wouldn't work for cocktails

Something that can go in wraps? Chilli to turn into Burritos or Tacos?

Lamb and pittas?

Can't get mobile food van for this occasion.

Lots of good suggestions though so I shall look up recipes and see from there

Jacket potatoes?
Massive choice of fillings ? Inc salads etc

Pitta breads (cut in half) with platters of cold chicken pieces, falafels and green salad.

I agree with @Gotthetshirt23 but normal size spuds would be hard impossible to eat without cutlery so go for jacket new spuds and a few bowls of topping or scoop the center out and make potatoe salad with it and fill the skins with the toppings

Chilli and rice on bowl with spoons? Could do nachos and dips etc.

To be honest, i would rethink your no plate and cutlery rule.

Otherwise, you will need lots of bite size things which take time to assemble.

I'd buy disposable (but eco) plates/bowls and cutlery.

Then serve huge fish pies, lasagne, cottage pies in large foil dishes.
Big bowl of salad, some buttered veg.

Then a cheese board and crackers.

"Sandwich bar" idea: different breads and fillings and people make up their own sandwiches; or tacos (same idea). Though they're less easy to eat standing up. Or vol-au-vent type things, again, same idea - make your own.

Garlic bread cut into slices? The baguette version isn't bad cold...And depending on the diets, all the usual things like sausage rolls, mini eclairs, little pizzas, mini toad-in-the-holes, chicken nuggets (can you tell we only just got to the

Or two or three big tureens of spag bol, chili, stew etc with rice or pasta and a bit of salad as a side - again, the idea would be that you stick it all on a table and they help themselves, maybe serving into mugs rather than bowls so they can hold them? (Best serving plates I ever saw were years ago at a conference centre in London; they had little hooks on the side of the plates where you could stick your drinks glass. It made me wonder why I'd never seen it before, really...)

Recently done similar and served lasagna and sausage stew (a la Hairy Bikers) with loads of different kinds of bread rolls (Sainsbury’s bakery section loose) and a stripey salad (salad stuff laid out in stripes so people can be as fussy as they want) and a bowl of leaves. I bought rigid biodegradable plates (easier to hold than ceramic with hot stew on) and supplied forks. Two homemade puds and a stack of bought profiteroles. It all went and was easy to tidy up.

Thank you all so much for the suggestions and ideas.
I am not rigidly against cutlery, but am conscious that there simply will not be enough space to seat 30 people to sit and eat something that requires knives and forks. I will definitely have eco disposable plates and napkins.

The beauty of the pulled pork and brioche buns is that people could assemble at the table and then take away in a napkin or on a paper plate but it did not require cutlery to eat it (was like a burger) so could eat it on foot.

I have been googling around BBC Good Food and saw a recipe called Firecracker slow cooked brisket - beef slow cooked with spicey BBQ sauce. I am tempted to do that and have perhaps pitta bread or rolls and salad - so sort of similar but not exactly the same?

Perhaps platters with stacks of brownies cut into small squares with berries and cream for dessert?

We host quite regularly and I have cooked things like beef bourguignon & mash, meatballs and cous cous, chicken curry, rice and poppadoms, lasagne and salad etc but a lot of these dishes take a more managed serving situation and are harder to eat standing around.

And also, the main emphasis for this event is that it is a drinks party, with food.

I like the idea of baked potatoes but logistically think it might be hard to have enough cooked for 30 people.

Starting to wish I had never planned this

What about bowl food? Brown rice, some sort of slow cooked meat, lots of different salads, and dressings in squirty bottles to drizzle on top.

All finely shredded so it can be shovelled in with a disposable fork.

I wouldnt expect full on food at a drinks party so maybe a large cheeseboard platter - lots of different cheese, crackers, breads, cold meats, chutneys etc?? substantial enough to line peoples stomachs but can be eaten with fingers.