Picky bits?

[HelenInHeels]

I hate this! I saw it on a M&S advert and it gave me the willies. I don't know why it sounds gross but it puts me off food as does 'dirty' fries. Yeuch!

'Bits' signify a bit of something. Not a whole item. Like half a cheese football, empty sausage roll, broken bits of cheese straws and twiglets, leftovers on someone's plate. That's what makes me squirm I think.

What are they. I need a list.

I can't think of
Cheese and crackers/bread
Left over ham
Medley of left over vegetables either roasted or made into a pie.
Satsumas
Christmas cake
Cocktail sausages
Cherry tomatoes stuffed with feta cheese
Nuts
Bread sticks, carrot batons and hummus/pesto dip.

I can't get on board with picky tea although we do it quite regulary and with really healthy food. For some reason, we call it "a browse" which makes us sound like farm animals!

It's a buffet!

Has this word disappeared?

Thats for a party or wedding. Picky tea can' be anything

We did a 'picky bits' dinner on Boxing Day. There was much argument about the phrase itself but everyone agreed we would do it due to the simplicity.

It was the most stressful bloody thing ever. Would the quiche, sausage rolls, bread be ready at the same time? Was there enough wet to dry ratio? Why was everything brown/beige?

Should we stand or sit or be free and easy about eating location? Was cutlery required?

I fucking hated it as did everyone else. Never again.

No idea what's wrong with a 'picky tea'. I shall continue to have them.

A buffet calls to mind a whole poached salmon and a wheel of cheese, potato salad, pork pies, baguette, etc, for lots of people. Stuff bought and made specially.

We might ironically call picky bits (a term I don’t use) “a fridge buffet” but it’s much more about little amounts of random leftovers supplemented with crackers, cheese, crisps, etc.

I think there’s;

Buffet
Party tea
Picky bits or your preferred term
Grazing table

And they’re all different! Truly a gourmet nation.

All of those terms are completely unacceptable apart from buffet. And buffet can only be used if you have guests.

I agree picky bits and grazing table are horrible, but what’s wrong with party tea? What do you call what you serve to five year olds at a party?

Yes OK you can use party tea if you are having a party for 5 year olds and serving cake and crisps. But in no other circumstances I'm afraid.

That is the circumstance I mean! Someone used it upthread for picky bits, which I find unacceptable. Party tea sits within the bits and bobs milieu, as do all the terms I listed, but they’re all different. Maybe we need a Venn diagram! I feel like baguette rounds might be the only common denominator, other than “it’s lots of different things in different bowls”.

Isn’t it just making a meal out of snacks? I have always wondered what constitutes a “picky bit” rather than naming something like cheese and crackers or leftovers.

My son (who is now 18 so there’s no changing his mind) has always called it a pick and mix. He maintains that it’s not exclusive to sweets. He’s picking and he’s mixing.
Although it probably caused some raised eyebrows from other adults/teachers “we’re having pick and mix for dinner tonight!”

Picky bits is awful but picky tea and party tea are making me cringe. Tea is a drink.

I don’t use it but does it mean a buffet?

Grazing table sounds like an animal trough

This

No it’s not. A buffet is where different dishes are set out in one place for everyone to help themselves .

I call it fridge roulette

I'd never heard the phrase before coming to Mumsnet a couple of years ago. Has it been current for long, and is it regional?

I'd just call that sort of meal 'tea', if it was being eaten at table, or a buffet if it was a buffet. Picking sounds like noses or scabs. Not something I want to see.

Or maybe 'just cold meats and salads' if it's a post-Christmas day thing.

Pot luck supper?

Tea is our last meal of the day. I drink brews.

At a wedding or party. I don't call it a buffet when it's just me dp and the dc it's a picky tea. I am not wrong. It's what we call it. At your house knock your socks off and call it what you like!