Is this enough food for a barbecue?

[Theresip]

I’m having a barbecue for 24 people on Saturday. I haven’t hosted for this many before so can I check with those if you who are more experienced whether this is the right amount of food?

On the barbecue:

24 burgers
24 hot dogs

Prepared in advance and served cold:

50 buns
A large gammon joint
15 barbecue chicken drumsticks
15 plain drumsticks
A potato salad with lemon and garlic
Homemade coleslaw
A Caesar salad
Another type of vegan salad

Then for people arriving I’ll have a cheeseboard, crisps, dips, and sweets out.

Is it enough? Should I add a pasta salad?

Or indeed most of them had eaten shortly beforehand

So 1-2 burger/sausages each, and cheeseboards, charcuterie, crisps, sweets, scones, a caprese salad, 1kg of potatoes, and bits of salad, chicken drumsticks, and pulled pork is not much be eaten?

I honestly don’t know how you’ve got the stomach capacity for more than 1-2 burgers/sausages with sides, and clearly my friends don’t. I know you’re trying to be a dick, but you might need to look at your portions because they don’t sound normal.

Aye it was so shit people that people were here till 2am.

Um

You came back sounding very pissed if about the tonne of wasted food 🤷‍♀️

and you didn’t list any of this stuff

and I thought 99% salad was left?

you served scones?

And you were itching for them to go in order to post your update at 02.10!

Didn’t cook 18 of the 36 sausages because it was clear they would not get eaten

why was it clear? Lots of half eaten sausages left on plate?

Because there was meat not being eaten?

The first 28 sausages and burgers were eaten straight away. Then the people taking burgers slowed and there were burgers left and not being taken. I wasn’t going to open and cook more meat when there was meat left from the burgers, pulled pork and chicken.

No halloumi skewers
80% of potato salad left
half of coleslaw left
99% salad left

ok so you weren’t pissed off and actually very little wastage after all?

28 total burgers and sausages take. And then people taking burgers and sausages slowed ?

25 people? So everyone aside from a couple had either 1 hot dog or 1 burger.

I'd get more sausages and burgers as some people won't want to eat chicken from a BBQ. I have found that a lot of men eat 2 burgers each or 2 hot dogs. The ladies tend to eat 1. I wouldn't bother with gammon.

And there was never even 25 people. No idea where that has come from.

There was loads of waste, because there was too much food. Don’t know how you’re struggling to cope with this.

Well your OP said you were having a BBQ for 24 guests, and I guessing posters assumed you were there too, thus making 25...

But in any case, people didn't eat your BBQ food, because they filled up on non BBQ food. I would stick to non BBQ parties in future, as that seems to be what you host better.

Generally, at BBQs, the expectation is that the majority of food is cooked on the BBQ, with a few sides. It seems like you hosted a buffet, with plentiful charcuterie, cheeseboards, cold meats, nibbles etc, and then half hearted a bit of BBQ food on the side.

So what? It doesn't matter as long as everyone had fun. But given you don't like burgers/sausages and didn't want to spend your time BBQing, it would make sense to host a different kind of gathering than a BBQ in the future, because you're clearly both more into and better at the cold platters than hosting a decent BBQ. There's nothing wrong with that.

That came from you. The very first sentence of your OP here was:

I’m having a barbecue for 24 people on Saturday.

That usually indicates you plus 24. But if you meant 23 plus you, it is still much of a muchness.

Guests with reasonable appetites and manners would have been catered for perfectly well with the menu that you were initially suggesting.

This is why half of UK adults are obese - we normalise over eating.

So you are cross with yourself for listening to group of strangers and over buying when you were so very sure about the taste and appetites of these guests?

24 guests plus… you = 25

Basically this

Your original list before any changes was

24 burgers
24 hot dogs
Prepared in advance and served cold:
50 buns
A large gammon joint
15 barbecue chicken drumsticks
15 plain drumsticks
A potato salad with lemon and garlic
Homemade coleslaw
A Caesar salad
Another type of vegan salad

so they’d have been loads of waste if you’d gone with what you were originally planning

Right, given the barbecue has now ended, I don’t see any point I replying any further to this thread.

Ok, so live and learn for your next bbq (or non bbq) 👍

I can't believe how horrible people are being to you about a barbie they weren't invited to and food they've not seen let alone eaten

Some people really do want to pick a fight over fuck all