Easiest party food?

[copenhagendreams]

It's DD's party in 2 weeks. I'm trying to plan the food. It's been a good 5 years since I sorted out the food for a party and last time I put in loads of effort and everything fit the theme but it was a massive pain in the arse that I don't want to repeat!

What's the easiest party food for approx 15 children? We'll be outside so needs to be stuff that's ok served cold (I can pre cook stuff)

So far I'm thinking pizza and doughnuts

Sandwiches (jam, ham, cheese, egg mayo), sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, savoury eggs, chocolate fingers and it's not a party without party rings.

Standard kids party food stuff

Pizza
Chicken goujons
Sausage and cheese rolls
Pitta, veg sticks, dips
Falafels
Samosas & onion bhajis
Sandwiches - got to include egg Mayo!
Maybe some vol au vents

I admit it’s easier to stick to one thing as you suggest but I bloody love an excuse to roll out a party buffet

Order in pizza

Sausage rolls, finger sandwiches, carrot and cucumber sticks, houmous, maybe hotdogs, mini burgers - obviously check if anyone has allergies and provide veggie stuff as well.

Individual dominos pizzas- £1.99 each.
Went down really well.

I love the dominos idea but DD hates dominos so would not be impressed (she's a strange child).

Thanks for all suggestions so far. I used to lover planning her parties but I also used to work part time!

Don't do loads of things. Just do about eight plates with lots on.

Pizza
Doughnuts
Crisps
Ham sandwich
Cheese sandwich
Jam sandwich
Sausage rolls
Breadsticks

Get a platter of supermarket sandwiches, put out bowls of crisps, cocktail sausages, buy a fruit platter and a cake.

Or, you make up individual lunch boxes.

Sandwich, pom bears, tube of yoghurt, fruit bag and a carton of juice? You can make up the boxes and put the ambient stuff in days before. Then make the sandwiches the day before and when it comes to the day of the party, an hour before, sling in the yoghurt, fruit bags and sandwiches, either out one on each place setting, or put them on a table ready to grab.

If you are looking for an alternative to party bags, I like a lucky dip. Just out all the things in a box with shredded paper and as each child leaves, you stand with a tray of cupcakes. They take a cake and dig for a favour.

Where do earth do you get individual Dominoes for £1.99? Sounds like a Monday night special offer!

How old is she? Teenagers would probably have different tastes to 7yos.

If you have a slow cooker, hotdogs.

With a bag of crisps and a cupcake.

The individual party food boxes are massively easier than a buffet type spread.

It’s called the Saviour and is a lunchtime special deal, collection only. I sent DH.

She is 10.

I like the idea of keeping it as simple as possible and only having 8-10 trays of food.

We are making a birthday cake ourselves so this is what I want to spend the most time on (especially because my track record for her birthday cakes is fairly shocking - one year we couldn't actually serve it)

We did pizza for DDs 7th birthday a few weeks ago. Stick with cheese and tomato, everyone likes it, may not be everyone's favourite but they'll all eat it which isn't the case with mushrooms/meat/pineapple etc.

Then we had a couple of big bags of crisps, cherry tomatoes and baby cucumbers.

Honestly they all ate enough to keep them moving but none of them wanted to sit still long enough to actually get full so the most any had was 2 slices.

Then for pudding we did make your own sundaes, so we had strawberry and chocolate syrup, squirty cream and pots of marshmallows, sprinkles, blueberries, malteasers and mini meringues.
A tub of neopoliton icecream so they could choose their flavour, 1 scoop each and then they could go mad with toppings. That went down really well!

That sounds like a very good approach! I was an extremely greedy unusual child. I love food and always did, so at parties I'd sit down and apply myself to eating lots and lots of sandwiches, sausages, sausage rolls, twiglets, cheese and pineapple on sticks, crisps etc etc. Then I'd move on to the sweet things to fill up the corners. I noticed, though, at my own children's parties and on school trips that most children aren't that bothered about sandwiches and if given crisps, biscuits etc as well will always go for those first. So I wouldn't go overboard in what you provide.

Order in pizzas cut intio small slices. Add ready cooked cocktail sausages, crisps, party ring biscuits, chocolate tray bake, carrot sticks, cucumber chunks, apple slices.