What do you call this type of meal?

[tectonicplates]

I had never heard the term "picky tea" before joining MN.

I'm talking about the kind of meal where you have some slices of bread, a selection of vegetables and dips, cheese, and often some leftovers and things so it turns out a bit random. You put all the food in the middle of the table and everyone helps themselves.

What do you call this meal in your family?

Bits and pieces.

A firm favourite here

Buffet

I'd never heard 'picky tea' before MN either and I've still never heard it in RL

It normally involves some frozen potato waffles or wedges here so is known as a freezer meze

If it.

Bits n bobs

And odds and sods...

‘I’ve just made a few bits for dinner’ or similar

A picky tea!

My mum, when we had guests, called it a Cold Collation. We kids called it a Cold Collision, and that's the name I've passed on to my family

It’s an awful phrase only said by awful people

Sodamncold , no, I say 'stuff from the fridge/freezer' and let them use their imagination/eyeballs.

They've lived here long enough to know what it means.

Bread and catch it here.

It’s an awful phrase only said by awful people

Your matching judgey pants and hoiky bosom bra are over there --->

A smorgasbord

To contrast with the buffet of beige we have every other night

If it's at Christmas it's a buffet. Any other time of year it's a 'bits and bobs' tea/dinner.

I’d never heard of it either until MN! I’d say buffet. Ex-Londoner...

It's bubbly bits in our house

Nibbly bits even 🙄

Picky tea or picnic

Granny Tea. We always had it at my Granny & Grandad's. We recently realised that it's quite similar to the German evening meal Abenbrot, my Grandad was German.

It's a snack box. I don't know where the term came from as we have a snack box on a plate.

We call it choosies because you choose what you want (except DS, who gets much more salad/veg than he would ever choose) 😄

We call it 'Choosin' if we have pizza and stuff it has to he laid out 'choosin' style ie on the coffee table with dips and salad separately 😊

Picky tea or bits - “let’s just have bits for dinner tonight”. Sometimes a mezze, if we are feeling posh!