If you attend a private view of an exhibition, what do you expect to eat?

[IamEarthymama]

I am planning a private view of a photographic exhibition in the next few weeks.
I held a small event last week and sweet offerings were virtually untouched.

What would be good for savoury nibbles at an early afternoon event on a shoestring budget in this post Covid world?
Nothing too complicated please.
Another thought?

Should we just offer drinks?

Very small canapes - things like cheese straws / vol au vents / mini quiches / blinis / fancy roast nuts.

Ideally, things that can be eaten in one go with one hand and don't require a plate - so nothing too crumbly - and circulated by waiting staff, rather than buffet presentation.

Given your budget, I'd also go for vegetarian / vegan by default rather than mixing and matching with omni.

Last one I went to was drinks only. (It's the only one I've been to, so nor an extensive survey...)

Personally I think you can get away with just drinks, but if you want it to look a bit more opulent but don't want to spend a fortune, what about bowls of posh crisps and salted nuts? Or next stage on from that would be add some bowls of nice hummus and some crudités? However remember that if you feed people salt they will then drink more and your drink will run out!

Drinks, honestly, that’s all.

if there is any food please serve it on a cocktail stick. Nothing worse than greasy hands in a gallery.

Yes, canapes.

Just a drink. Maybe some posh crisps/nuts.

Wine. In my experience no one’s bothered about food 😅

Canapes & wine, or just wine less mess, and no allergy concerns.

If early in the day, I’d go with just drinks, crisps or nuts etc.

Very small canapés. These little bouikos are ideal, easy to make and everyone loves them. They do need to be made same day.

rachels-kitchen.com/2014/12/11/feta-and-spring-onion-bouikos/

Truthfully, with all the pestilence and plague around, I won’t be racing to consume crisps and nuts that other peoples’ fingers have scrabbled amongst.🥴

Maybe a tray of well-spaced things on sticks?

It would feel a bit inhospitable to offer drink without some food to soak it up, though.

I’ve been to plenty (FIL works for St Martins, stepMIL is an artist). Wine is fine. You genuinely don’t need anything else. Degree shows at St Martins just have drinks.

Small minii toasts /crackers with cream cheese and smoked salmon on

And a vegan topping , hummus with half a cherry tomato on top ?

Keep it simple

Posh nuts might work out expensive. Little puff pastry things like cheese straws or savoury palmiers might be more impressive and cost effective. Are you DIY?

Thank you all for your speedy responses, I feel the same about bowls of crisps and nuts, especially as numbers are rising here.

I will keep all the suggestions in mind for our next meeting but I think the money might be better spent on drinks as most people will have probably just had lunch.

There is post event party at another venue in the evening. I expect the plan will be lunch, come to the opening here then all off to the pub until the party starts.

We are commemorating a rock icon who was here in the 70s so I am tempted to create a cheese and pineapple hedgehog as a nod to that decade!

Nice sausages on stick, cheese on sticks, everything on sticks. Perfect.

Just stick to the wine.

It's usually canapes if early evening
drinks only if it's an after meal type but then there's crisps
i've been to tons of these

hope it goes well.

Canapes. Crisps, cheese straws, etc., are down-market.

Drinks and crisps. Anything else eats into your profit, if you make one

Nuts, olives, crisps? But I went to one which had tea, coffee and individually wrapped biscuits at 2pm - this works too

@Bellezza that recipe looks lush, thank you!

I've been to countless private views, just wine will be perfect. No one wants shared dips these days.

Drinks only!

I've never been to one of these but I agree. Crisps feel a bit kids' birthday party to me? Gallery do feels like it ought to be a sophisticated affair.