What inexpensive (ish) pudding would you make for a BBQ?

[Noodge]

I'm making a pudding/dessert for a BBQ with about 50-70 people-so it'll have to be quite large or a lot of it. I am trying to think of something that most people will probably like, that isn't going to cost me the earth.

What would you make?

Lemon drizzle squares? Muffins made with vegetable oil,not butter?

It isn't going to be A Pudding, is it. Not for 70 guests. You won't have an oven large enough for catering size tins for starters!

Eg a wedding I was at recently, a 26 cm and a 22 cm cake each about 6 cm deep was sufficient for 80 people to have a modest finger slice.

I would be inclined to do a selection of traybakes - lemon drizzle, treacle, brownie, cherry and a gluten free one as well (nigella's flourless chocolate cake is a good one). Say each slices into 15, you would need to make 5.

A few pots of double cream if you take the coolbag, job's a good'un.

For that many I’d just go to Costco but I’m a lazy moo

For a pot luck bring a dish gathering I'd make and take a trifle. Just need a Swiss roll, tin of fruit, some jelly, custard and angel delight - cheap, easy and can be made in a very large bowl.

Or cream instead of the angel delight

Eton mess, bread and butter pudding but in real like those tubs if dessert squares from mand s

Eton Mess is my go to!

Apples are freely available on local trees (ask friends and neighbours if you don’t have any or go out foraging). Where I love people leave them outside houses. Or buy cookers from a market. Then make up a load of crumble mix. Cheap and delicious. Serve with icecream, cream or custard.

Seconding trifle!

Apples are freely available on local trees (ask friends and neighbours if you don’t have any or go out foraging). Where I love people leave them outside houses. Or buy cookers from a market. Then make up a load of crumble mix. Cheap and delicious. Serve with icecream, cream or custard

But do you have an oven big enough for crumble for 80 people?!!!

Thank you so much all of you! Some great ideas.

My parents have an apple tree actually and I have a blackberry bush in my garden and loads growing locally if that's not illegal

I'd have never have thought of trifle either. Traybakes are simple

My kitchen is tiny but I love cooking/baking, I'll manage somehow!

Batch cook?

Def not illegal to forage blackberries. Sounds great.

I make a cheat cheese cake. with a couple of layers of whole digestives followed by a mix of condensed milk and soured cream. then top with fruit/sauce of choice. chill for at least few hours and that's it. easy peasy.

Scones, jam and clotted cream
Chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Bread and butter pudding

Elton mess is so easy and can be brought separately then assembled on site.

Eton mess?
A couple of simple tray bakes with accompanying ice cream or custard?

I'd look at school dinner classics and go from there tbh.

Foraging is definitely not illegal, btw! Just don't go selling your ingredients to local restaurants. 😁

Yes, I'd make a big batch of meringues, whip some cream and set out alongside bowls of berries. Self assembly so that meringues don't get soggy.

I’d say tray bakes are the easiest option - simple to cook in volume, and also easy to serve and eat on the hoof. And you can easily avoid expensive ingredients.

I’m sure you can add blackberries to an apple crumble type thing - this recipe looks pretty simple
https://somebodyfeedseb.com/easy-apple-crumble-traybake/

you don’t even need an accompaniment (cream / ice cream) unless it’s simple to do so.

good luck!!

This! Pavlova is my absolute favourite pudding, so a 'self-assembly' job - small meringues, cream, soft fruit served alongside one another - sounds like an absolute winner to me.

I'd go with traybakes and mini cakes like madeleines, can make them in advance so can cook over a number of days!

Just serve with cream, fresh or squirty. Homemade biscuits can also be a big hit, most people will be full after a good bbq but still want something sweet to finish,

Pavlova with blackberries (cheaper than raspberries if foraged)

Echo the traybake idea. Mary Berry does a lemon drizzle one which I’ve done for crowds in the past
You could do a rocky road with supermarket chocolate
and/or apple tart- sheet of puff pastry, pinched slightly at edges, pricked and blind baked for a bit, then add a layer of ready made custard and apple slices and return to the oven. Sprinkle with icing sugar when cool and cut into small slices

If cost is an issue, I'd go with a crumble - apple and blackberry, as sounds like that's free to you - and the crumble cost will be small. It doesn't need to be served warm in this weather, so could bake in shifts. Buy the massive cartons of custard.

Eton mess is easy, but not cheap, unless you're doing only blackberries. Strawberries for 80 people would quite expensive.

One issue to consider is availability of and cost of bowls and cutlery. We did a BBQ recently, though for considerably fewer guests, and I did a choice of chocolate chip cookies and ice cream cones - because both could be eaten with hands, no need for bowls or cutlery as we didn't have enough and I wasn't buying any. If you need a bowl free option, I'd go for traybakes with napkins to serve.