What sandwiches would you expect on a buffet?

[Janniss543]

I'm hosting a get together next weekend and doing all of the food. I have many things on the menu but I need to do a couple of platters of sandwiches.
What would you do?
No veggies or dietary requirements just half the people are very fussy.
I want to do beef, rocket, horseradish and mozzarella tomato and pesto, new york deli etc as I am a good cook, put a lovely spread on and the thought of plain ham makes me puke tbh.
So what do the fussy guys expect?
Is it fair to do a platter as above and also a plain one, one slice of ham, beef or cheese only, no sauce, no salad?
Thanks
Ps im not English but all the fussy folk are so I'm not sure

Of all the things on a buffet, sandwiches are what I would generally leave. I don't think they're necessary at all - there are much better buffet foods! I also don't like that you don't really know what you're taking until you bite into it.

OP you're very scathing of the fussy eaters. Time and again there are MN threads where fussy eaters say they just want to be left to sort themselves out, they don't want special treatment and they wish they were less fussy. I think that's fair enough. It's a shame they might not enjoy your food but it's not a personal slight. Surely they will find something to fill up on if it's a buffet?

I like your sandwiches and I do have a cold mozzarella, tomato pesto and rocket for lunch sometimes. If you drizzle on a little balsamic glaze to the mozzarella it adds a sharpness which cuts through all that richness.

I think you need some bland ones for the fussy folk though.

I'd like most of the above (especially smoked salmon and cream cheese) but I’d add,
Cheese and Branston Pickle
But good mature Cheddar only, no nasty orange slices.

I used to make loads of nothing-fancy* little sandwiches for Gdcs’ birthday parties when they were very small and a lot of the parents would also be there. And the parents would scoff 90% of them!

*cheese and tomato, ham and tomato, plain ham, etc.

I would be overjoyed with your options.

However my fussy family would not eat any of that.

They'd want plain cheese, or at a push cheese savoury, plain meat (ham or beef) and egg mayo

I always do self assembly, so much easier

White rolls, brown rolls, wraps, couple of sliced loaves, baguette

Plates of:
sliced ham, beef, chicken
Smoked salmon, cream cheese
Dish each of egg mayo & tuna mayo

Cheeseboard - cheddar, Red Leicester, Brie/camembert, mozzarella

Salad bits - put in separate bowls - lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato

Butter & low fat spread

Mayo, chutney, ketchup, pesto

If I do it in winter then do a hot gammon, beef & chicken

You can't beat a nice ham roll made with good quality ham and nice fresh bread. I believe the Irish have the term "notionsy" for all these fancy, modern sandwiches which are no better than they should be.

I totally agree, it's easier and people can choose what they like.

I tend to bake both brown and white rolls, then put out butter, sliced deli meat, a cheeseboard, chutney, salad etc and people can just choose what they like and make their own.

For all the doubters, mozzarella, pesto and sun dried tomato in ciabatta is amazing.

I'd much rather have my sandwiches made from 'good' bread, so ciabatta, baguette etc rather than pappy sliced loaf any day, but I learned on here yesterday that doesn't count as a sandwich and the fussy only have their sandwiches on standard sliced white and nothing else.

New York deli on rye bread would also be great and I wouldn't object to beef and horseradish either, but for your guests, it sounds very much like plain ham on white is what they want, and should be good for all of them except the one who won't eat any meat except chicken, so might they eat a plain cheese sandwich?

But when you see plain ham and cheese sandwiches on white they just look so unappetising compared with sandwiches with salad, sauce and nicer breads.

For all the doubters, mozzarella, pesto and sun dried tomato in ciabatta is amazing.

I really don't like the texture clash of mozzarella and sun dried tomato - both things separately are OK but together the texture clash makes me gag.

I’m fussy, not far off these requirements. I would be very grateful for a self assembly station!

If not, then plain cheese (would expect cheddar), plain ham, cheese and ham, plain chicken, plain beef. Absolutely no mayonnaise, would be okay with butter on all, would be okay with cream cheese on the cheese or ham options.

With self assembly, I would be more likely to be “adventurous” than trying something I don’t quite know what the ingredients are. And I’d feel a lot less self-conscious about my choices if everyone is assembling their own. Just put out a lot more knives/forks/spoons than needed!

They look unappetising to those of us who don't have hangups about food and positively welcome the chance to try new things. To people who for whatever reason are anxious about new foods I imagine they look reassuringly familiar and safe.

Sandwiches at a buffet always look a bit sad and uninviting. I’d prefer nice bread and a selection of salamis, ham, cheese, salad.

I am doing myself an all day sandwich station today! I can eat it as and when, and leftovers tomorrow.

I love the sound of your sandwiches. The best buffet I ever went to had a couple of whole roasted chickens and a large pork joint fresh out of the oven and sliced up, a bowl of stuffing, bowl of pork crackling, bowls of cranberry and apple sauce, and a selection of crusty rolls and butter. It was delicious!

Ham, cream cheese and smoked salmon, egg and cress are three of my faves. Some me people don't like things like mustard and horse radish so definitely some plain sandwiches.

I love egg and chives, put through a potato ricer with lots of mayonnaise, makes it spreadable

I wouldn't like your suggested sandwiches, sorry. My favourites would be cheese and pickle, cheese and celery, ham and tomato, plain chicken and coronation chicken with iceberg lettuce. No mayo on any of them. Plain cheese, plain ham or corned beef and pickle would be acceptable, as would cheese and tomato or marmite and cucumber. I could probably manage cream cheese and celery or tomato, chicken and bacon with minimal mayo, chicken and sweetcorn.

I can't stand mustard or horseradish, I don't like 'leaves ' unless it is proper lettuce (preferably iceberg but also sweet gem, little gem, cos or romaine) I don't like mayo. I can't stand chilli in any form. I don't like mushy veg (roasted peppers etc.) in a sandwich. I know - I am fussy. I dread going to a catered event and all the sandwiches have been over-fancified so are inedible for me.

I also like my own version of a tuna filling. Tinned tuna, finely chopped red pepper, finely chopped spring onion, blob of tomato sauce, dash of oregano, mixed well. Best not prepared too far in advance, or if it is, then sandwiched between lettuce leaves, as it can make the sandwich a bit soggy.

My favourite sandwich is really good brown bread, butter, sliced roast turkey, (proper roast turkey, not out of a packet) iceberg lettuce, pickle and cranberry sauce. Can also be made with chicken, and can include sausage and/or chestnut stuffing if those happen to be left over.

I def go with French bread or rolls and lots different meats/cheese. I went to an event and onion bajhees were on a sandwich with a mango chutney. Was delicious.

Notionsy! love it as a term for those toff sarnies 😂

I would point out that 'fussiness' can indeed be learned behavior, but it is not necessarily so. Some people may have allergies or intolerance or, in my own case, some people may be supertasters and just find some flavours or spices intolerable. I don't like anything bitter (leaves) or hot spicy (mustard, horseradish, wasabi, pepper, chilli).

@DilemmaDelilah, coronation chicken contains mayonnaise as one element in the sauce, doesn't it? Is it the fact that there are other things there masking it that makes it OK in CC? (Genuinely interested! I love food talk.)

Egg mayo on wholemeal bread 😋

I’d second the idea of “make your own” sandwiches. I have an allergy to alliums and it’s very frustrating how difficult it can be to get a sandwich that is safe to eat.

The more fillings you mix in one sandwich the more likely it is that someone won’t be able to eat it, so letting people choose from a selection and add what they like is a really thoughtful way to do it.

I wouldn't do sandwiches at all, I find most of them go soggy or the bread dries out or are combinations I really hate (sorry, I am part of the fussy brigade).

Lots get soggy, if you buy normal slice bread the filling will spill out as the bread is too soft. Artisan bread, which I love, often has a crust which makes eating a too-full sandwich also difficult, they are great of open sandwiches though but you need cutlery.

How about setting up a cheese board with proper bread instead of crackers and a charcuterie platter and people can do their own?

You risk making a lot of work for yourself for a proportion of your guests to turn their noses up at it.

We have some seriously fussy family members. What I always do is a help yourself style. So I put bread buns out, butter, all sandwich fillings (ham, cheese, salad, egg ect.), sauces and condiments (mayo, salad cream, mustard ect) and let them get on with making their own.