You're arranging a easy buffet for 20 people. What are you serving?

[LordOfTheThings]

You don't have time to put loads of things in and out the oven and would like to make as much as possible early in the day.

Did I mention that you are a shit cook so it needs to be simple?

justaweeone what a talented daughter you have. That looks amazing.

Breadsticks and tortillas always go down well with the meat and salad. Just love your side board too

Nugget She had less than half an hour to put it together, I was only allowed to 'help' by opening the packets!*
Jersey* Your are more than welcome !

Ok so I've just been told that one of my guests is a recently diagnosed coeliac so I want to make as much as possible, of not everything gluten free.

I can't throw money at it unfortunately, I have a reasonable budget but that's to include alcohol too (which is sorted).

I wouldn't do dippy things - Covid and all that 🤔

Baked potatoes. A slow cooker of chilli con carne, a slow cooker of veggie Tagine,
Serve with butter, green salad, grated cheese, tomato salad.

Big bowl of strawberries and another of whipped cream with a chocolate sauce to drizzle for dessert.

Dips, baguette, bagged salad, breadsticks, grapes/fruit salad should definitely feature. Watermelon slices?
Whatever you do, for the love of god put it on dishes instead of mixing it all up ‘grazing’ style

It may be easier to do a one pot type of thing if you want to go gf.

A big chilli, pot of rice, some gf nachos?

Jacket potatoes are also a good shout.

Curry, rice and dips and chutneys?

Gluten free quiche, homemade slaw, green salad?

Lasagne? Time it so it's ready as guests arrive for the smell and leave it in the oven in very low until ready to serve? See be with green salad and coleslaw?

I just think doing a entire buffet gf if you're not used to it is actually very tricky.

Yeah I'd borrow a huge pot/two big pots and make a big veggie chilli, easier than doing loads of other bits. Nearly all rice is gluten free. Tacos and GF tacos. Big salad on a platter, something like this:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/epic-summer-salad

Then I'd make some simple cupcakes and strawberries with cream for dessert. Maybe get some cheese too.

Cross contamination is a massive issue for celiacs at a buffet.
So I would either make the whole thing gf or prepare a selection of gf food that remains covered and separate for the celiac to choose from.

Whatever you do, for the love of god put it on dishes instead of mixing it all up ‘grazing’ style

Yes, good idea to keep things separate - I mean arrange them nicely e.g. put things out in several small bowls all attractively grouped (nit just a line of one big bowl/plate of each thing.

But don't have everything together - vegetarians/vegans/those with allergies/intolerances won't appreaciate the potential mixing.

Or brownies and ice cream. My daughters make these, they are lush:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gluten-free-brownies

If you want something less ' grazing' style Op
I've done something similar to this

https://www.recipetineats.com/mexican-fiesta-menu/

Lots of nice bread of various kinds, butter, pate, cheese.

Since kids of various ages and various stages of ahem, highly selective eating, I often do fish based ones for family which ranges from smoked salmon and crab to fish goujons, scampi and the exact brands of fish fingers that go down well, with dips and sauces and a couple of bowls of chips if possible. But they'll happily eat the fish and bread.

Tomatoes, fruit. A cake, sliced and ready to go. Scones and strawberries with (knowing my lot) several pots to a small bucket of cream.

@justaweeone

I'd do a grazing table, Aldi or Lidl is good for value. We also did a couple of homemade focaccia but you could always buy some breads. Was very well received. Photo of one my Dd did for a recent gathering.

This might be useful
https://www.you.co.uk/grazing-platter-tutorial/

Defo this, it's so easy/cheap to do and looks really good.

You could do one with fruits and veg on too and add some fancy breads

If you have a coeliac guest you need to avoid cross contamination at all cost: even crumbs are too much.
If you do spuds or rice with pots of stuff, do check the stock and you use: most packet mixes or stock cubes contain wheat.

I would roast a few chickens/buy rotisserie. Get wraps (corn ones are gluten free?) guacamole sour cream salad cheese beans and rice if you want and have a DIY burrito station

10 big bags of crisps and 20 bottles of wine.

Huge pots of chilli Including a veggie version, garlic bread, jackets, wraps and rice plus a big bowl of salad.

Add grated cheese, sour cream, guacamole etc.

Easy and quick to prepare.

Coeliac is going to be a different requirement altogether.
I would plate up something and wrap carefully for them prior to the event.

Big tray of basic sandwiches.

Ham and mustard.
Cheese (buy pre sliced) and pickle.
Coronation Chicken (buy the sandwich filler)

If there are kids also some jam.

A few bowls of kettle chips.

Cut up veggies and hummus/dip

A couple of quiches (bought not made)

Big bowl of salad. Coleslaw.

If you've meat eaters then you could do some sausages/chicken drumsticks?

Then some cakes/desserts.

And bottles of drink out.

I'd do a big thing of pasta or rice salad, cook chicken drumsticks in the morning and serve them cold, and other picky bits I can throw on a tray out of the packet like sausage rolls, quiche and crisps and dip.

I'd probably do cheese and pineapple sticks because it's fun and makes me feel like I'm in the 80's, it's a bit of a faff but it's not a buffet without it.

If I had the budget I'd get a Sainsbury's sandwich platter or two.

I'd probably get a big thing of profiteroles and a few trays of cupcakes for pud.

For the coeliac I would plate up and triple wrap some gf crackers, cheese selection and possibly a gf frittata sliced (check carefully) and gf little sausages plus some grapes.

For everyone else cheese board, crackers, sliced fresh bread, charcuterie board, olives, quiche, salads and any leftover gf stuff from above plus fruit platter

Meringues with fruit and cream look good and would work well for coeliacs.

Either go gluten free or give them something separate… as someone with allergies as beautiful as the table provided looks I would probably not eat anything off it as it can all touch and once little hands get all over it. However, unless it’s a sit down dinner I arrive at every event fully fed and with an emergency cereal bar if it’s going to be 4 plus hours, just in case, and would tell you that it was all lovely 🥰 if you asked.

Keep the packets of everything and point them out to the coeliac person (just in a pile in the corner of the kitchen is fine) so they can do their own due diligence.

Chili (watch any spice mixes) is a naturally gluten free option for sinking the alcohol.

I’d do a Sainsbury’s cold buffet to order, little wraps, chicken legs, sandwich’s, quiche, crisps, savoury pastries, crudités and a big fruit platter.