What would you cook?

[lovinglifesometimes]

Now summer has come back :) we are having a little garden party at the weekend for around 12 people all adults, 1 vegetarian.
In the past I have done take out pizza, curries, lasagne and tapas. Any ideas please? I don't mind a bit of cooking.
I will be making some sort of cheesecake for dessert.
Thanks for any ideas

I've done these veggie dishes for a group of veggies and non-veggies before and they went down really well.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roasted-carrot-whipped-feta-tart

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cauliflower-cheese-steak-cannellini-bean-gratin-with-sage-crumbs

Quiche - veg version and ones with ham or salmon etc
salad
new potatoes

Probably not cheesecake after quiche though!
Trifles
Eton mess

Is it sit-down eating ? i do this quite often when numbers are what you said as its easy to prep , make pesto night before and have it ready to go early in day, easy to portion one chicken breast per person , so you can have 12 portions ready to go and it takes very nice , one of those recipes I think tastes nicer than the sum of the ingredients if you understand what I mean, (I'd do something like stuffed peppers for the veggie)
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-pesto-chicken-roasted-tomatoes
bung in oven and easy to plate up with baby pots and salad, this recipe doesn't have enough roasted tomatoes so i'd do an extra portion of them so vegie gets some too,

Nice ideas thank you.
I was wondering about doing chicken breasts in some way.
It can be sit down or a buffet, personally I prefer sit down.

I like the idea of trifles or eaton mess, I have some lovely individual dishes too so that might be a good option.
Does anyone have a good recipe please?

I always make pulled pork or pulled chicken in the slow cooker with buns on the side, can all be made ahead with no fuss. Also side dishes of salads, potatoes etc. Or a filo topped pie can be summery too.
Platter of grilled meats, skewers etc. and mini corn on the cobs.
Platter of cupcakes always go down well.

I love this chicken recipe.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/french-style-chicken-peas-bacon

How about a bean chilli? Or one of each. You could do salad, wedges, rice, wraps, nachos with guacamole, salsa, sour cream.

That chicken dish looks fantastic, I will be making that just for me and DH thanks.
Sorry chilli is out because I forgot to say at least 4 people in this group don't like spice.
Pulled pork is a possibility thank you.
Any more ideas welcome please

PP mentioned filo pie, does anyone have a good easy recipe please because I would like to try that anyway. Thanks

What about a selection of skewers, chicken and haloumi threaded along side peppers, courgette, red onion, cherry tomatoes. Either bbq or in the oven, marinate with lemon, garlic, herbs or honey and mustard if you want to avoid spice, haloumi with honey is lovely.
Then just serve lots of salads, a good homemade coleslaw, something grainy, maybe a taboullah and lots of flat breads.

Since you've got chicken in mind, what about Coronation chicken? Served cold, so it can be prepared in advance, it can be quite simple, with just a sauce, or more complex with apricots, raisins and almond flakes. Serve with a green salad, cucumber & yoghurt salad rice salad etc. It can look very appealing on a summer afternoon!
Or another idea is chicken in a tarragon cream sauce served with asparagus, again all served cold.

I'd do something with summer berries for dessert, perhaps strawberry fool served with little almond biscuits, or pastry cases filled with mascarpone, honey and raspberries or redcurrants.

I'd do cold stuff. Several big salads that are almost a meal in themselves, with sliced meats for those who want it. Quiches are good as can be served cold. Breads, bagels, fruits, cheeses. Cold gazpacho soup. Yum!

Spoilt for choice now thanks so much
I like the ideas of berries, I can make really nice raspberry ganache tart?