Help. Cooking for 20 ppl - What size pot do I need?

[Courgettesandonions]

I'm making a pumpkin and bean stew for 20 people. I'm pretty sure the cooking pots I have are not big enough. Can someone help me work out how many litres cooking pot I would need? Apparently an average portion of soup is about 250ml. I'm terrible at maths. Would there need to be a gap at the top so it doesn't spill over? I should maybe also expect that ppl might want seconds? (Hopefully if it's nice enough!)

250ml x 20 is 5 litres but if this is the full meal rather than just a starter then I’d do more, at least 8 litres - that’s enough for one standard can’s worth each (400g). You’ll probably want to do it in multiple pans because large ones might not fit on your hob very well. You can measure water into your pans (using a measuring jug) to see what their capacity is. Yes you’ll want the pan to be big enough that it’s not full to the brim- at least 2cm above the top of the soup if you need to bring the recipe to the boil.

Measure 250 ml into a mug. It’s a tiny amount, a large glass of wine. It’s probably fine if you are serving with potatoes or rice and veg/accompaniments, but not as a main meal. I would definitely make more rather than less. Yes, measure capacity with measuring jug and water. I’d leave 3 cm at least at top especially with beans as they will increase in volume.