Easiest way to cater for large group in the summer?

[Florencenotflo]

I'm organising a party for my parents in July, it's my Dad's 60th and mu Mum and Dads belated 30th wedding anniversary.

But what is the easiest way to cater for 30 ish people in the summer? No one particularly likes barbecuing in my family so my poor DH gets lumbered, he did the bbq for my brothers birthday last year and was sat there all day sweating!

So what else can I do? I have 1 vegan and 2 fussy family members, who I can sort out separately. But I can't really think of what I can make that isn't too hard (buffet food), and doesn't need attention all day (like a bbq).

Budget?

Not An issue or others will chip in- get a company in to do a hog roast or similar.

Platters from a supermarket?

Pot luck

Chilli or lasagne premade with salad

If you can borrow some slow cookers from friends you could do masses of pulled pork with brioche buns and coleslaw, a few side salads, few summer tarts for the veggies etc?

Employ caterers.

Borrow slow cookers from everyone you know. Make a vegan chilli, a beef chilli, and if you can get a rice cooker on loan, then do a load of rice, load of baked potatoes, and then put out with nachos, grated cheese, guacamole, coleslaw, bread, and then let people put together their own plates. You can cook the chillis and potatoes ahead of time and freeze the chillis, then put on to reheat in the morning, set the rice cooker on a timer.

Make (or buy in) things like quiches, filo tarts, scotch eggs etc -often local bakeries, farm shops or caterers do them to order for parties.

Rustle up bowls of green salad, couscous, pasta salad, potato salad etc the day before, leaving you free on the day.

Find a deli and order in falafel etc, dips, quiche, savoury pastries, cheese, make a whole load of salads, eg Greek salad. Put together easy desserts like Eton Mess.

Deliveroo and a keg

Budget... not entirely sure. My Mum will be paying for it, but she hasn't mentioned a budget. She doesn't ever scrimp on food usually. But she hasn't said.

Hog roast... I don't think my vegan SIL and Veggie Nan would even sit in the garden with that cooking 🤣

Pulled pork isn't a bad idea. I can do pulled jackfruit for my SIL.

I love the idea of quiches, salads etc but like I said buffets are quite a lot of work and I'll be trying to do all of this on my own!

I may see if I can get some quotes for outside caterers. A friend of mine does those grazing tables/boxes. Not sure they will be everyone's cup of tea though.

@Adatwistscientist YES!!! 🤣

pizza delivery

My mum did a big party last summer and ordered Morrison’s platters, and they were LOVELY. All come boxed so just a case of taking the lid off the tray, they cater for all dietary requirements, lots of variety etc. Couldn’t recommend it enough, all the food went and people were asking which caterers we’d used 🤣

or Marks and Spencer's, Morrisons, Sainsburys and Booths do party food to order. Platters of sandwiches etc.

buffet without the hassle.

Check who is offering party food at the moment, as many of the usual supermarkets etc have not been doing it.

My go-to for a summer crowd is a whole sliced ham and beef, big salads like coleslaws and tabbouleh from Waitrose, crusty bread,green salad etc, a huge cheese platter, crackers, chutney, fruit, a few puddings/cheesecake.

And DIY ice cream sundaes for the children.

I'd do afternoon tea. Buy in sandwich platters and fruit. Make some cakes. Maybe add cheese and crackers

Afternoon tea - so sandwiches, nice cakes, scones, strawberries & cream.

Grazing table.

Big cheeseboard.

Hire one of those vans that does pancakes or pizzas.

Came to suggest afternoon tea too.

Waitrose have a party food service too. It's great.

I’ll be doing a summer party for family. About 30 people.

I will make 3 different salads, then nice breads, cheeses, cured meats, a cooked ham, cheeses and a quiche. Hot buttery new potatoes.
I will order some puddings from either my local deli, or Cook. Ice creams in the freezer. Almost no work at all (quiche the day before, salads on the day); whereas doing a BBQ for lots of people is a real pain.

I "barbecue" using the oven. Trays of marinated chicken and slow cooked pork shoulder served with salads, bread, rice etc. Cook the pork on low and smother in bbq sauce near the end, set aside in foil the cook the chicken takes only 40 mins. Asda do party sized chicken trays in many flavours.

For the vegan there's a "pulled pork" one than dd rates

Some ideas:

• Do you have siblings/cousins who could help if you chose to cook yourselves? If so, what about things that could be cooked beforehand and just needed re-heating? Lasagne, pasta with 2 types of sauce, salads, quiche, cooled down roast chicken etc
• M&S platters
• Costco trays of sandwiches/platters
• Order from a local Chinese, Indian or Thai
• A local pub might do catering, or at least be able to provide say pre-cooked roast meat in bulk