Buffet ideas needed.

[OrangeVelvetSofa]

What’s on your ideal Buffett table when you go to a party?

We are hosting a bit of a new year party for friends and family and I don’t know where to start. I’ve plenty of practice at kids parties or dinner / lunch type things but we have just moved and I’ve never had the space for a proper party before now.

Any thing I should avoid too?

Ham cooked in cherry coke. Pasta salad, salads, couscous, breads, dauphinois potatoes or potato salad. Loads of breads. Cheese and biscuits. For veggie a roasted veg and pesto tart.

Crusty rolls, crackers, pate, cheese, home made quiche, coleslaw, salad, sliced ham, Turkey, beef, jacket potatoes, big pan of chilli, selection of cheesecakes, cakes etc

For a NYE party buffet I would do:

Gammon cooked in slow cooker the day before. Put a tin of pineapple in with it

Lots of cheeses
Pickles and Chutneys
French Sticks (approx 1 per 4 people is ok)
Extra nice cherry tomatoes on vine in bowl
mini peppers in a bowl
cucumber sticks
with the above, you can get away with paper plates and just knives. I personally don’t like busy party type buffets and having to use knife and fork balancing plate on lap !

Then maybe crisps if you want to bulk out the buffet table. Or kiddy type ones. Giant wotsists, onion rings etc.

The dessert things- make a load of brownies, things like that stacked up!

Italian meat platter, salami tomato mozzarella etc…

Posh meat platter, ham, pate, etc
Posh cheese platter
Fruit tray (grapes, apples etc)
Chutney's
Dips and things to dip, carrot cucumber etc
Nice warm crusty bread
Sausages or sausages rolls
Coleslaw
Potato salad
Green salad
Dressings
Pasta salad
Pizza/flat bread/garlic bread
Samosa/pakora
Mini quiche

Desserts
Cakes you can eat without mess
Bite sized brownies or tarts
Cheese cake etc

I'm a big believer in keeping it simple so would do one or two main items e.g. ham or a side of smoked salmon or a chilli and two or three substantial sides such as a potato gratin, roasted vegetables then add snacky items. Don't make it hard work. On a buffet people will try a bit of everything they like. You'll need less of things like rice, pasta and hardly anyone touches green salad ime. If you serve cheese, slice it up/cut it into wedges so it's easy for people to help themselves.

Will guests be sitting at a table with cutlery, or is it more a finger food buffet?

If finger food whilst standing/drinking, I don't want anything that squishes out all over me when I'm eating with 1 hand! I also prefer sausage rolls to be hot or at least warm- not stone cold!
A platter of fresh sandwiches are often appreciated, in addition to other snacky things.

I've added recipes to 2, very similar threads recently which I'll post here if I can find.

Do you know if anyone who’s coming is veggie or vegan, or has an allergy?

I'm a big fan of a buffet that doesn't require cutlery as it can sometimes be difficult to stand or sit on someone's emergency stool/chairs and eat with cutlery.
Cooked meats, cheese board, crudités, pate, crusty rolls, pastry bits like sausage rolls/spring rolls/samosas, smoked salmon, prawns etc
My exception to no cutlery is dessert because bowls and spoon fit comfortably in the palm of your hand so for this more or less anything goes along as it's a chilled or room temp desert like trifle, cheesecake, gateau etc

This isn't the actual thread I was looking for, but might provide some ideas.
Inviting neighbours in for drinks ... what do you serve up? | Mumsnet

I'm still unclear if you mean a sit down meal, but self-serve buffet style, or a finger food/canape type buffet?

-Chicken drumsticks
-warm cous cous salad
-new potatoes with butter and mint
-Crusty rolls
-Tagine or a chilli
-Savoury rice
-Pate
-Charcuterie board
-quiche
-Home made sausage rolls

charcuterie board
crudites/dips
Honey cashews
nice crisps
melting cheese with nice bread
sandwich platter (to order)

I prefer to do a 'theme' as it makes it a lot easier to put together.
It can be as fancy or not as you like.

Something simple would be American - so burgers, hotdogs, slaw, corn on the cob, potato skins, french fries with all the dips etc. you can add chicken wings, potato salad and desserts can be churros, donuts etc.

Or Italian can be pizza and pasta with garlic bread , salad, arancini, Italian cold meats etc

Sorry should have said it will be finger food while standing type of thing.

a couple of vegetarians will be there but no allergies.

The only thing I look for on a buffet is cheese and pineapple on sticks.

Me too 😂

Huge rib of beef sliced
salmon and prawn salads
crispy rolls
duck, mango, salad with pomegranate seeds
pasta dishes
mixed salads
coleslaws
feta,watermelon salad..(nigellas one)
half jacket potatoes or crispy roasted ones
stuffed peppers

I think sandwiches are often underrated on a buffet. Little finger ones with different fillings, that's my favourite bit when I go for an afternoon tea 😂.

Thanks for clarifying its a finger food type buffet. Here are my revised suggestions. You could also buy some beigy type frozen food you throw in the oven, if you didn't want to cook/prep everything. These can all be made at least a day ahead. I prefer to have enough food to soak up alcohol and not have people starving. Not suggesting you make ALL these though, just some ideas.

-https://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/recipes/all/prue-leith-mini-yorkshire-puddings/
-These can be made with almost any filling combo you like. Asparagus, various cheeses, leftover brie/cranberry from Christmas, semi-dried or fresh tomato/basil/feta, olives, ham/tomato/cheddar, salami/tomato etc https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/filo-pastry-mini-quiches-great-for-kids-to-make-and-eat/
-These are delicious. I've made them with sausage meat too. https://www.recipetineats.com/special-pork-fennel-sausage-rolls/
-https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/speedy-mackerel-pate/
-Store bought dips (homous, taramasalata, sour cream/chives) with crusty bread, carrot and celery batons.
-Charcuterie board
-A platter of sandwiches and mini wraps (best made in the day though and wrapped in cling film till served) https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lunchbox_roll-ups_89787
-Stuffed eggs. Either deviled with mustard or curried www.nigella.com/recipes/devilled-eggs

Roast beef, Gammon ham, Roast pork. Homemade Scotch eggs, Sausage rolls.
Pork pie, decent sized chicken drum sticks, coleslaw, potato salad, cheese selection.
Salad items, snacks, nibbles, pringles, crackers, chutneys.

Maybe some sweet selections as in cupcakes, mince pies, cheesecake.

Tub of chocolates.

I’m doing a mini buffet for half a dozen of us on NYE but could be scaled up. I’m making -

stuffed half jacket potatoes with cheese, leeks and bacon
homemade sausage rolls
nigellas Christmas marinaded mini sausages
Homemade chicken goujons

a couple of salads (a tomato salad, a carrot and sesame salad)

nice bread
some dips and veg crudités

desert will be something like a ghost melon sliced up, and a pavlova with fresh fruit

Jacket potatoes
Quiche
Salads sliced baguettes
Sliced ham
Curried eggs
Turkey coronation
Big bowls of crisps
Cheese straws
Large Brie and cheddar
Cheese biscuits
Grapes 🍇
250g butter quartered and dotted around the buffet.

Scrap jackets and curried eggs, won't work as finger food!
Tempura prawns
Chicken skewers

I love something like a Middle Eastern themed buffet: hoummous, flatbreads, spinach pastries, little spicy sausage, tabbouleh, borek etc.

Or Spanish tapas: slices of tortilla, grilled chorizo, patatas bravado etc

Make it tasty and a treat.

My soul deflates at the sight of a cold pasta salad. The clammy offerings of many a BBQ / buffet, anyway. There’s a quite nice M&S pasta salad with pine nuts and cheese and good pesto, that could be replicated if pasta salad there must be

Not exhaustive but things that would make me happy to see:

Lots of olives, pickles and crudite

Bread and butter

If plates: Potato salad or potatoes au gratin ( the latter are fine at room temperature, almost like a quiche)

Stuffed mushroom caps (stuffed with browned mince flavored with Worcestershire)

Believe it or not, large olives wrapped in bacon are delicious, if high in sodium

Just saw a recipe somewhere for baked bite size onion+gruyere in pastry

Green olives & cheddar cubes on little skewers

I’d make sure there’s enough veggie food for everyone - meat eaters just about always want some too.