Does this sound like an okay party spread?

[bdaypartyfood]

Currently planning a surprise 30th birthday for my partner and catering it ourselves. It’s a family party so a mix of ages and some children there! Probably about 60-70 people coming.

I’ve never really done a buffet before but my current plan is this:

Ham sandwiches (1x platter)
Cheese sandwiches (1x platter)
Egg mayo sandwiches (1/2 platter)
Tuna sandwiches (1/2 platter)

Cherry Tomatoes (500g bag)
Celery
Carrots (1kg bag cut into sticks)
Cucumber (2 whole cucumbers)
Pepper (1 pack of 3 peppers)
All served with various dips

Mini sausage rolls (50)
Cocktail sausages (50)
Vegetable spring rolls (24)
quorn cocktail sausages (1 pack, only one vegetarian that I know of!)

Cheese & onion crisps
Sweet chilli crisps
Salted crisps
Tortilla chips
Onion ring crisps
(All one big share bag per flavour)

Chicken bites (72 pack)
Cheese pizza (x2)

Breadsticks (2 packs)
Coleslaw (1 pack)

Strawberries (2 packs)
Grapes (2 packs)
Watermelon (1)

Fairy cakes (24)
Mini flapjack (20)
Mini brownies (20)
Mini rolls (20)

Also doing some gluten free sandwiches and some gluten free cakes (only one person is wheat intolerant not coeliac so no cross contamination concerns)

Obviously a proper birthday cake as well!

Does this sound like a good spread of food? Too much or not enough?

Trying to stick to a budget where possible as the room hire was expensive!

Thanks in advance for advice!

There are no mini pork pies! 😱

It's not a party if there are no mini pork pies.
No mini pork pies means no party, in my book.
If you only have mini pork pies, then any gathering is a party.
In fact you can have a party by yourself if you have some mini pork pies.

Can't you just do a hot buffet of sausage Butty's, bacon buttys and chip buttys?

Would come under budget, soak up the alcohol and be loads easier to manage too ( can pre cook most of it and just warm when ready.

Obviously dependant on facilites

This sounds like a really good idea. Op only needs to provide rolls then, cook trays of bacon and sausages and order 35 large portions of chips (approx). Could add some desert items too and still probably come in at less than the budget with far less prep and mess.

The op said she hasn't cooking facilities she can't make rolls. As an aside i hate breakfast rolls at a buffet it ticks me off if I go to.a party/wedding and the food is a roll on bacon.

OP can you push the start time back - even to 7:30 pm?

then drinks and nibbles is totally acceptable. 7pm is too early not to do food. Drinks and nibbles at 8pm is perfectly acceptable, it lowers the food expectations

Your style of food is fine, but try not to scrimp on money by serving less food, serve more but cheap things to make, it can be brill, these are my go to -

A slow cooker full of chilli and one full of rice, with big bags of nachos (cheap at aldi).

Sandwiches, enough for one each, keep the bread/cobs & fillings separate if unsure what people will eat.. plus it will say you a ton of time.

Massive potato salad with bacon bits and spring onion, super cheap to make.

Large pasta salad, with finely diced onion and pepper, tomato, cucumber, again really cheap but filling, saves you having to do salad too.. apart from the odd person, no one really eats the salad.

Homemade coleslaw.. really easy and cheap.

Chicken nuggets, costco do some really nice ones that are proper chicken but battered about £10 a bag for maybe 30? Can be served cold.

She is doing food.

I honestly wouldn't bother with sandwiches, far too much faff making them plus you have to buy all the fillings etc. Cut up baguettes.

6 pm evening meal in our family, both parents work full time. We've never done the thing of feeding kids first and having a totally different meal ourselves later. We would absolutely have our tea before going to a party starting at 7pm.

She can just put bread rolls out on the table and trays of precooked sausages and bacon which she can cook earlier in the day. Then get portions of chips from the chip shop for butties.

Yes, just provide nibbles, make this clear on the invite. People will have ample time to eat beforehand, no need to spend money you don't have.

Keeping it simple takes the pressure off, you can relax and have a lovely evening.

Who wants to turn out AFTER dinner to go to a party for nibbles? Not me - I wind down after dinner, not up!

I would double up the sausage rolls as I reckon most people will take two each, double up the sandwiches, crisps and peppers

And who would allow children to take 10 sausage rolls or sausages on sticks? Adults first, then children get what's left.

Sounds great. Almost every party is over catered. Call it a light buffet.

Keep some packets sealed as you might have excess.

i done a birthday party for bit less people and done big batches of hot food in slow cookers, like cauliflower cheese (with bake at home rolls, curry (one mild one spicier) rice and naan bread, daulphinoise potatoes (random i know but birthday person requested them 😂) spag bol etc, as well as sandwiches and nibbly bits, it helped the nibbly bit last longer because everyone had something proper aswell, all pretty cheap to make in big batches too.

Definitely not enough. You’ve got more than 10 people per one sharing bag of crisps. Definitely need more of those. Probably same with sandwiches, fruit and vegetables.

Have you never been to a drinks party? Drinks and canapés?

I think a huge problem on this thread is people’s different social experiences and expectations.

What sort of parties do you go to😂😂😂😂

I always think French stick/biscuits and cheese is good classic party food , relatively cheap and easy.

None with children, thank God!

Well then I imagine OP is relieved she hasn’t invited you.

7pm is a perfectly run of the mill and normal party starting time, and OP is putting food on.

If I’m in the house I eat my dinner at around 9pm. But because I am a functioning adult I can change it if I am going to a party.

I'd add a couple of bags of veggie samosas, pakoras and spring rolls to the list. Easy to cook in the oven/air fryer beforehand and keep warm in disposable foil trays.

I buy them from the world food section in Tesco,Asda or Sainsbury's:

https://www.tesco.com/shop/en-GB/browse/food-cupboard/world-foods/south-asian/south-asian-frozen-meals/all?gl=11xa9rr4upMQ..gaMTczMjcwNTIzOS4xNzg5MjM0NjIwgaH653QXESTPczE3ODkyMzQ2MTkkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODkyMzQ2MTkkajYwJGwwJGgxMDc0MTgxNDQyga33B19D36CYczE3ODkyMzQ2MTkkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODkyMzQ2MTkkajYwJGwwJGgxNzc2MTcwOTI2

Same!

Even on a weekend?

when you are going out to a party in the evening and presumably kids being left with a sitter?