What food would you like at a lunchtime/ afternoon family party?

[BoogleOogle]

Having a family party from about 13:30/14:00 in a few weeks. About 30 people, mostly adults but several toddlers and primary children.

I was going to get catering but the prices are shocking so going to do it myself. It'll be a cold buffet for easy. I want to make it minimal work as I have very young DCs and work full-time, but obviously I want people to enjoy the food!

I was thinking that no one really eats sandwiches at these sorts of things, so should I bother with them at all? Maybe just bread and butter and then lots of nibbles like sausage rolls, onion bhajis, samosas, pork pies, cocktail sausages etc. Maybe some cold pizza? What else?

Pudding was thinking just a selection of those boxes of cake bites and nice prepared fruit or berries? Maybe jam tarts or something as well? Mini rolls?

Is this all naff or would you like it? Ideally I just want finger food so no cutlery and nothing hot.

For this sort of party I often do a finger food buffet.

The salad bowl never gets eaten, I'd just do a bowl of halved cherry tomatoes and a bowl of olives and a bowl of cut up peppers if you want to add some colour / nutrition!

The thing that always goes down best are chicken goujons / chicken tenders (if I get the big ones I cut them into strips once cooked). I know you said no cooking but I usually do one oven load of stuff you literally stick in the oven and it doesn't matter if it cools, such as chicken strips, mini sausages or some finger party food.

Ham, jam and cheese sandwiches for the kids.

I served pizza hot at the last one I did and it mostly got left annoyingly.

The sandwich platters from m&s and Morrisons are ace.

Bowls of crisps.

For dessert, I normally just serve the birthday cake with cream if it's a birthday party. Otherwise a fruit platter and something like brownies or cookies are all you need. I sometimes do a cheese board which can be a bit hit and miss as to how much gets eaten (I love cheese and eat all the leftovers which is a bit of a calorific disaster).

I love doing sandwiches- made the day before and covered in a damp kitchen roll layer and cling film they are beautiful the next day or even the day after! Reall butter and I do cheese, salmon, ham and egg and make beautiful sandwiches!

A bought quiche is easy, minibus pork eggs and mini pork pies. Coleslaw.

Bowl of plain crisps

Or instead of sandwiches A large cooked gammon and hunks of french bread and nice butter or cheese instead of ham.

Bought Scones are fairly filling to and make these up with butter an jam and cut in half.

Buy a tray bake cake and slice into square

Victoria sponge always a hit! Cut in squares not slices.

Can you make some staples but also ask everyone to bring a dish / plate of something?

I always do a massive gammon with baguettes / chutneys for something like this. Slow cooker in coke for 8 hours.

Jacket potatoes, one slow cooker of meat chilli,
one of veggie chilli, cheese, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños. Baked beans on standby if you have known fussy eaters. Salads, cheese board, cold meat, crisps, satay skewers etc. Some sort of east cold desserts- roulade, cake, brownies, fruit.

Please don’t do a pork based buffet (sausage rolls, gammon, ham sandwiches, cocktail sausages) as there are lots of people who don’t eat pork!

That only happens when people forget that you don't have to be vegetarian to go for a vegetable pizza.

Probably because you'd rather eat something other than 'processed pork six ways'.

I despair of buffet threads. People always suggest 'sausages, sausage rolls, pork pies, scotch eggs, pepperoni pizza and ham sandwiches' which is basically all the same food. Then someone comes along and moans that the 'meat eaters steal all the vegetarian food'.

Make most of it vegetarian or vegan. You know, normal food that everyone eats like onion bhajis, cheese or egg sandwiches, crisps, bread, salad. Then stick on one of sausages etc and some marinated chicken.

To manage what gets eaten/avoid food waste etc, I'd cook/serve it in batches and expect to eat, freeze or give away leftovers. So you have plenty of food available, or ways to use it if it doesn't get eaten during the event.

Cross posted with @CatsGinAndTwiglets

I'm not vegetarian or an avoider of pork for religious reasons, it's just that so many buffets seem to be very pork heavy.

But if these are her family, I'm sure OP will know if they eat pork or not and avoid if it's an issue. My lot all love processed beige shit 😁

I was going to say scones.
Cake
Maybe add crisps and dip and crudités.

Surely they'll have eaten lunch?

"Jacket potatoes, one slow cooker of meat chilli,
one of veggie chilli, cheese, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños. Baked beans on standby if you have known fussy eaters. Salads, cheese board, cold meat, crisps, satay skewers etc. Some sort of east cold desserts- roulade, cake, brownies, fruit."

They're popping in for 2 hours and OP doesn't have time to cook 🤣

Personally I would get down M&S - cheese straws, pork pie, quiches, those little peppers stuffed with goats cheese. Crackers, cheese, coleslaw , a few bowls of salad, little cakes , cheescakes, a fruit salad and some hot sausage rolls and jacket potatoes.

The review I screen shot was actually the steak and gravy pie you had recommended, the cheese pie in the picture was just one of their suggestions for similar products.
If you would be happy serving that to guests then great. I was just pointing out that they may not appeal to everyone and would certainly not be my choice especially for guests.

Why do people suggest egg sandwiches? They’re disgusting. I’ve never met anyone irl except my PiL who will eat egg sandwiches. People just pick them up at a buffet because they think they’re something else. They don’t actually eat them.

Doesn't really work for a host who wants to serve finger food, no cutlery and nothing hot 🤣.

Finger foods, crudités, beige party food.

Pasta salad
Quiche
Pulled pork

It’s easy to make food that most people eat and doesn’t matter to a few hours when it’s eaten if you have guests over an extended period of time. Cutlery extends to a fork so hardly lobster picks! Better than a load of shit from Iceland.

I would do a fajita board as well to break up the beige food and be the main event - it doesn’t have to be hot. Have a stack of mini tortillas, bowls of sour cream and salsa, a big pan of spicy chicken and beans (you can buy pre-made or make a couple of days ahead) chopped lettuce, sliced peppers and grated cheese. You could do a veggie version with roasted vegetables, beans and spices. Have big bowls of nachos on the side. It will require plates but not cutlery.

Admittedly this was only for 12, but did this the other day for a little easter get together cheese board, cold meats, crudités and hummus, crackers, crisps, snack eggs, sausage rolls, olives, stuffed peppers, sundries tomatoes. Then just put some part baked baguettes in the oven just before. Was literally only 10 mins of preparation and everyone really enjoyed it.

Egg sandwiches are delicious.

FFS

I would hate to come to your buffets.

I had 15 people for an Easter lunch.

Vegan
Pro-lacto vegetarian
Pro-ovo vegetarian
Regular vegetarian
Pescitarian
Omnivores

So, it's easy to make most of it vegan, and then throw some meaty, fishy, and cheesy winners in.

Tomato, thyme and roast garlic tart
Rare roast sirloin
Coronation chicken
Poached whole salmon
Devilled eggs
Cheese board

And then

Guacamole, hummus and blue cheese dips with crudités (cucumber, carrot, pepper, radish, celery, cherry tomato). Quality crisps.

Olive mix.

Potato salad with vegan mayo, capers, red onion & cornichon.

Coleslaw with vegan mayo.

Tabbouleh

Roast cauliflower & chickpea salad with tahini dressing

Garlic mushrooms

Roast purple sprouting brocoli with roasted Tomatoes, capers and a mustard dressing

Pasta salad with vegan pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, toasted pine nuts and basil

Green salad.

Sour dough and baguettes

Vegan pecan pie

Poached pears

Baked cheesecake

Rhubarb sorbet

Blood orange sorbet

Vanilla icecream

And a bought vegan Vanilla icecream.

That's a decent buffet!

When I throw a buffet I usually do this:

• Sandwiches
• Pasta salads
• Normal salad
• Carrots/cucumbers/breadsticks around hummus
• pizza
• sausage rolls
• crisps
• Indian snack selection

• tray of sliced fruit
• cupcakes
• flapjacks/mini rolls/crispy cakes

• selection of soft drinks
• selection of alcohol
• tea and coffee (buy extra milk)

@RhadamanthNemes 🤢 sounds rank. So many dishes that don't go together. Not to mention the people lingering over the huge spread 🤮

Don't worry @RideACockHorseToSunburyCross

You're not invited.

I would like some fancy cheese, some breads, some cold meat (prosciutto/salami type), some olives and salads and things like this. Sandwiches also good and pastry-based snacks also good!