Emergency buffet ideas please

[DancingDucks]

I have just realised that the family buffet next weekend is actually this afternoon. We had discussed dates and I had in my head it was next week but my sister has just messaged to ask what she can bring and DH (who is away with work and not due back til mid morning so won't have noticed the lack of buffet-able food in the house) has confirmed it.

I have few options shop wise - small Asda close by and I don't really have time to drive to the big Tesco miles away.

So I would love some easy, quick buffet ideas please?! Also need some gluten free options. Normally I would probably do pulled pork etc but I don't have time for that now and my mind has gone a blank this morning in my panic!

Difficult to advise you OP, because we don't know what the small Asda will stock.

I would just go there and get whatever they have.

Get a few big bags of crisps, bread sticks, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, cherry tomatoes and some dips like sour cream and chive. That way you've got some vegetable stuff on your table.

If they have any ready made salad things like Greek salad, tabouleh, coleslaw, get a few packets of those and you can empty them out into bowls.

Packets of ham and salami which you can arrange on a plate.

Things which can be served warm, like a pizza or two, a vegetarian quiche, a small rotisserie chicken if they have any, cocktail sausages, sausage rolls, samosas and onion bhajis if they have any Indian fakeaway stuff.

And for dessert, I'd get one or two ready made cold desserts like a trifle or something, and some fruit to cut up. You could cut up strawberries and bananas and serve them with some marshmallows and pretzels and a bowl of melted chocolate to use as dipping sauce.

You could do Eton mess for dessert if you can get some fruit, meringue nests and cream. Just whip the cream, break up the meringue nests and mix it all up. Gluten free as well (just check the nests first)

If you have mince in your freezer make some burger Patties. Put that with the fresh bread, cooked chicken and salad. Throw together a couscous salad by making the couscous and roasting some veges.

Get your sister to bring nibbles.

Lots of bread and cheese and cold meats. It’s cold here today so I’d buy some posh soup and tart it up with chopped herbs, cream, sherry, brandy, chilli flakes depending on taste and audience. Bought meringues, strawberries and cream. A big bowl of salad-lettuce, cooked chilled frozen peas and Parmesan in a balsamic dressing. A bowl of cherry tomatoes. Gluten free might be a problem-will the shop have gluten free bread? Could you apologetically text the gluten free people, explain and as them to bring something? Oh! Some new potatoes with butter and whatever herb you have. And text another football parent and beg a favour. Plenty of wine. Easy Like Saturday Morning!

Roast a couple of chickens - that will feed all of you at least twice over if you’re a true MNer

Nice bread and butter, pate and cheese

some salad stuff. Could make a pasta salad (GF pasta) or do some cous cous

crisps and dips

airfry some new potatos,

do a big Spanish omelette

Can you do a big pot of soup? You can use ready prepared/frozen vegetables. Something like www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roasted-vegetable-soup-with-halloumi-croutons . Your sister asked what she can bring-ask her to source a gluten free option? Can you buy pre-prepared sandwiches if you are really short on time-although it doesn’t take long to make some and you can buy sandwich fillings from the fridge-egg mayo/ tuna mayo etc. Really nice sausage rolls from a baker? Can any of the guests bring some?

Soup and a cheeseboard with some dips/ meats/bread. Saves making up sandwiches. You can use gluten free stock cubes and ready chopped veg to speed up the soup making x

This is what I would do in uour situation:

Variety of breads

Dips and tortilla chips

bowls of crisps & vegetable crisps

Chicken drumsticks or thighs - marinade in salt, pepper, oil, garlic, lemon juice - so you have one home made item

Meatballs - oven cook; buy a tub of salsa to dip in

Coupke of quiches (looks like Asda do a GF one too)

A couple of pizzas

A couple of frozen party food items that add a bit of variety to whatever else you are doing

Coleslaw

Salad

Cheese& crackers/bread - a great filler

Big bowl of mixed berries (strawberries/raspberies/blueberries ) & ice cream
Buy a couple of lemon tarts or.a lemon cake to serve alongside

Pp have already suggested cheese meat and bread etc. I think warm bread is an essential. Either a nice artisan or garlic flat or both bunged in the oven for 5 minutes.

As the oven on, I'd do some pakora/samosa if you can get decent ones.

Dips, hummus,tzatziki, babaganush

Bag on salad in a big bowl, grated carrot, quartered cherry tomato, drizzle of olive oil and balsamic.

My super easy coronation chicken, never fails always impressed guests

roast chicken pieces, either pre-bought or roast 4 chicken breasts cut into small pieces
jar of mayonnaise
tin of home-pride cook in curry sauce (must be a tin)
allow chicken to cook and cook mix full jar of mayonnaise and tin of sauce together chuck over chicken and mix - never fails

Get ur children to help.out too. I would also say something like, 'thank heaven for Asda, I totally mixed up the dates'. Hope it goes well. Don't forget your drink of choice OP.

The places that do rotisserie chickens often do roasted pieces of chicken with various marinades: thighs, wings, breasts may all be easier than carving a whole chicken and it's a bit easier to make sure you've got a couple of bits per person.
My late MiL was an excellent caterer. One of her tips was to make potato salad for a crowd using tinned new potatoes. Surprisingly nice.
I don't know if Asda do them, but Sainsbury's, for example, do baklava which is good for a pudding because they're so sweet that most people can only eat two or three.
Good luck!

So hungry now! Love a good buffet!

I agree with others. Go super simple here and have lots of a few items rather than a few bits of lots of different things.

Get some olives and crisps to have out in bowls for nibbles.

Buy two rotisserie chickens, fresh baguette and bagged salad.

Do a cheeseboard with three proper sized cheeses, grapes, a jar of chutney and some boxes of crackers (one gluten free).

Get some pate and sliced salami, chorizo etc for meaty stuff.

Buy some falafel and dips if you have vegetarians too.

If you have time and want to bulk things out cheaply pasta salad is really easy. Just boil some pasta, mix with pesto and olive oil and chuck in chopped cherry tomatoes, torn up mozzarella and fresh basil.

Ask people to bring dessert and/or a bottle of drink. Make a big bowl of fruit salad and buy some pouring cream.

We do this frequently - 3 types of nice bread, cheeseboard, charcuterie board, little pots of olives/sundried tomatoes/stuffed peppers, grapes, pork pie, bagged salad with a nice dressing.

Ask someone to bring pudding or buy strawberries, cream and meringue and let people make their own Eton mess.

Our small, local Asda a won't have a lot of the fancier ideas on here, and probably no GF stuff.

I would take up your sister's offer and ask her to shop in the way over and you can transfer some money across to pay for it.

Lots of crisps. Gluten free ones are more common now - Kettle Chips I think are gluten free, Google to check.

Maybe try to concentrate on presentation rather by doing a grazing table style. Then no one will notice it’s just different types of meat, cheese and bread.

Honestly this isn’t a biggy. 4 decent sized pizzas, 2 -3 quiches, mixed salad, spring rolls, some chicken dippers/goujons, Doritos and dip, and some nice cakes. Job done.

Nothing to add but this is totally the sort of situation I would find myself in

I'd just buy a load of french sticks, cheeses, cold meats, pickles and chutneys. Crisps, breadsticks and dips. Grapes and celery. Maybe some supermarket mini chocolate brownies/millionaires shortbread bites. Cut up a melon & pineapple and do a fruit platter.

Pizzas, cook in succession and serve sliced up.
A few dips to serve with the pizza, and some bags of ready made salad.

Cake and ice cream for pudding.

You must all have better Asdas than my local small, petrol station one.

We always do beigels and leave people to put their own filling on - hummus, cream cheese, tuna mayo, pate. Egg mayo. Buy ready made salad. Crisps and veggie sticks with dips and some pizzas. Buy some cup cakes.

Kids I’ve effed up, no football /drama today we are off to Tesco. Job done

Chicken drumsticks? Just plain or with sauce roasted in oven