Can you please critique my Christmas day buffet

[ProssecoSparkle]

Can you lovely lot please cast an eye over my Christmas day buffet. This is for 4 adults, 1 tween, 1 three year old and a 11 month old.

Is there anything you would take out? Different combinations?

Chocolate cake
Sticky toffee pudding
Cream
Ice cream
Dips and breadsticks
A few different crisps
Crudets
Cheese and pickle on sticks
Hummus
Cheeseboard
Mini chedders
Tangerines
Hero's
Cranberry sauce
Pate
Colslaw
Vol e vans
Lentil soup
Brusheta
Steak slices
Salad
Mozzarella and tomatoes
Mustard and honey dip
Italian meats
Turkey
Pigs in blankets
Carrots
Parsnips
Brussels sprouts
Stuffing
Sausage rolls
Dauphin potatoes
Yorkshire puddings

This will all be homemade

This sounds great and you sound lovely OP. Have a great Christmas (and can I come next year?! 🎄🎄)

All my guests like different things so people wouldn't be having sprouts with brusseta etc.

So no one that likes hot food will be eating the crisps then? You see I'd like the sprouts, but also the mozzarella and crisps etc, so if the sprouts and parsnips were already out I wouldn't be able to have the cold stuff because by the time I'd eaten it, the hot stuff would have gone cold. And the three year old won't eat any of it if there's cake and chocolate on the table - unless you want to risk a tantrum.

Just have two or three separate buffets and put everything out at an appropriate time.

Sorry op but I'm with those who think it's a really odd combination and an insane amount of food. It feels like you're trying to do too much and are risking being the catering equivalent of a 'jack of all trades, master of none'.

That’s a phenomenal amount of food. Won’t it be exhausting to get it all ready and tidy up afterwards?

If you are not putting it all out and only putting out small amounts surely that’s going to be more back and forth to the kitchen than just doing a conventional Christmas dinner .

Loose the homemade ice cream

What are you eating the pate on?

Way too much food and within the first hour the hot food will be cold and congealed.

This is the kind of thing my SIL would do and I’d be making an excuse to leave at 5 before one of the kids got stuck into the dip or smoked salmon and gave themselves food poisoning.

You have excess but someone may say ''Roast Potatoes?''

I think you need more pigs in blankets as they are nice cold. I don't see the point doing the Christmas Dinner bit as a buffet as who will want cold sprouts? Could you plate a dinner up for people who want one and then just put the turkey on the buffet? Also will be people really want cold sticky toffee pudding?

Skip the pate, I love it but not something you can leave at room temperature.

Personally I'd skip the soup and just put out the blinis, vol au vents, salad and cold meats as starters for an hour or two. But that back in the fridge and serve the hot food, once everyone has had there fill serve the desserts, then later put out the cheese board, the remaining leftover starters, dips crudités etc. aiming to not have anything out more than 2 hours.

Hello... for the people at the back. I can keep things warm in the warming drawers!

The majority of it can be prept before Christmas and kept in the fridge.

The pate has bread rolls, crackers and oatcakes.

I could go roast potatoes the now

Will look at slimming it down slightly.

Might be hard to keep it warm??? Cold lentil soup won't be very nice?

It’s a bid random. You seem to have the components of a roast in the midst of chocolates and some buffet food.

I've removed the soup. The problem I have is everyone likes different things. Not everyone likes everything. I can pop things back in the fridge as need be.

I have now actually went into a buffet meltdown 😭

What are you eating the pate on?

or dipping in the honey and mustard dip?

the whole buffet is batshit. There’s FOUR adults and some very young kids.

Noooo don't do that! Is there any way of borrowing or using a slow cooker and keeping the soup hot in that (I've done this before)

Okydoky let's all just agree my family is totally random

Here's the story dh and dil don't like turkey so they have steak. Dh doesn't like Italian meats etc he likes food like sausage rolls, turkey, potatoes etc.

At this point I am now hyperventilating and can't even have a wine as working tomorrow 😭

I'm going to go against the grain, and say keep the soup. It's different, and not something I've had at a buffet that I can remember, but it's also warm (you say you can keep things warm) and very tasty. Some people might not fancy any more "picky bits" (sorry, I know that phrase grates on MN!) but a little bit of lentil soup is really nice and gentle. Plus there'll be loads left so you'll have lentil soup for lunch!

I'd remove the steak slices personally, and maybe get some cured meats to go with the cheeseboard (keep them separate if any vegetarians, etc.).

Edit: just saw your latest post about steak. In that case, ignore me and keep it! Serve what your family like, weird or not! Everyone's buffet will look different and this is relevant to your family. 😁

Dh doesn't like Italian meats etc he likes food like sausage rolls, turkey, potatoes etc.
At this point I am now hyperventilating and can't even have a wine as working tomorrow

well get him to prep his bits if he’s the awkward one. Jesus

@CandyLeBonBon omg you are a genius I totally forgotten I have a slow cooker. Saying that if I put soup back on the menu then I could keep it hot on low on the cooker.

@Shouldnellly the honey and mustard dip is for the steak slices and salad. I would agree we are slightly batshit people 🤪

I would put up a Ticktock of the buffet I have in mind but it would be outing. Last time I done that I got a few mumsneters following me (which was lovely) but it takes you onto my account 😳

It sounds like far too much food for a small group, and totally random. Why don’t you do: 12pm some nibbles 2pm roast dinner choice of turkey or beef, 3pm pudding. The idea of everyone eating all day is a bit grim IMO - won’t the little ones get bored?

I’m not sure I get it really. It sounds like one of those all you can eat buffets they advertise in the US. But, we all have different tastes and what sounds good to me, won’t be to your liking either I imagine! Hope you all have a lovely time and merry Christmas!!

I live a home made soup op! Glad I could help!

@Shouldnellly I said on page 1 that dh, dd and me are doing it all. I am not totally nuts to do it all myself. I want to see 2025 🥳