Later this year my parents will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They had their reception in a local village hall, so i have hired the same venue to host a surprise party for them.
It’s going to be a mingle and chat kind of event rather than a full blown party disco and will be held at 1pm. There will be tables and chairs to sit at, so it doesn’t need to be purely finger food.
I was originally going to do a mixture of hot and cold food - the hot being pulled pork and beef brisket with rolls, but I couldn’t think of a vegetarian alternative. We also have some quite greedy family members who would pile their rolls up with 4 people’s worth of portions, so I would need to stand there and serve which I thought would be just a bit too much hassle for 40 people.
So I think I’m going down the cold buffet route. I plan to make sandwiches, cocktail sausages and cheese and pineapple skewers as my parents had these at their evening reception. I will also do a tray of vegetable sticks with dips and get some crisps, but I would really like some ideas of other things I can serve that are a bit more exciting and not giving off children’s birthday party vibes. Particularly interested in vegetarian ideas as I always feel the veggies get left out a bit.
What are your go to buffet dishes? Maybe pasta salads or other skewer ideas?
The only thing I need to avoid completely is fish/shellfish as my dad is allergic and my mum isn’t a fan.
Looking forward to hearing your suggestions.