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!

I'd happily eat 10 sausage rolls and a handful of crisps but would leave most of the rest. Many under 10s have huge appetites for party food.

I'd get more of the stuff thst would keep e.g. crisps. If you dont open them all, it doesn't matter and you can eat them over time. Frozen pizzas on standby etc

Scrap the egg mayo and tuna sandwiches. No one will want those

Times everything by two at least. Better to half leftovers than not enough and I don’t think you’ve catered for enough.

My three young children easily eat a half cucumber at a time.

Personally I think the buffet looks very plain and at risk of feeling like a kids packed lunch. Dry and boring.

Rather than add more sandwiches, I would add a big serving bowl or two of pasta salad and a lasagne or two.

Couple of quiches or tarts.

Plenty of crackers and cheese.

If you do have lots of sandwiches, make sure you mix the bread up and add salad etc.

As a vegetarian, I’d want egg mayo. My kids love it too. Admittedly I’m sure they wouldn’t be as popular as meat sandwiches.

I know you said you don’t have 700 but catering like you are will add up fast and cost alot. Could
you do the hot buffet for 50. There will probably still be enough and people are flakey you will have drop outs on the day

🤣🤣🤣 also wanted to say this is the most boring buffet ever! Sorry!

I’m vegetarian too and can’t stand egg mayo, or anyone eating it near me, and tuna makes me heave.

It sounds like a lot but it’s nothing for 70 people. 4 pizzas between 70 people? 4 loaves of bread, just for one round of sandwiches, ie 2 bits of bread each you need 8 loaves.not 4-5. Aim for 10 - 12 loaves.

for pizza you need an average of 25 pizzas. That’s a third of a pizza each.

and giving everyone one sandwich and a third of a pizza is not much. What 9f someone. Takes more.

you need a lot more food. A lot.

Given some of the OPs replies I think it will be the basic, ham, cheese egg with marg type sandwich.

This does not seem enough at all, why only 2 pizzas for 70 people? How many sandwiches on each platter?

I recently catered for 80. Sandwiches and wraps plus birthday cake and a few extras, kabanos were very popular.. Boring or not, it all went. I got Copilot to work out the quantities - it reckoned people eat an average of 5 bits each as their "main". I thought more than that and got crisps and sweets as well. Don't put it all out at once because the hogs always go in first and pile their plates high before others get a look in

So that's about 1 strawberry each.....

Not enough vegetarian options, most non veggie people will be taking egg mayo sandwiches as they are generally the most popular. Meat eaters don't stick to 'their' section of the buffet.

Also, men especially tend to take more than one sausage roll.

You probably need to double the main parts and picky salad bits. Oh, and i would buy 1kg of pre-choped carrots or you'll be prepping all day!

I wouldn’t bother with chippy chips - they’re expensive and will just go cold.

Spend the money on frozen pizzas (these always go down well), more sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, mini scotch eggs etc.

You can never have enough sandwiches - to make it a bit different you could have some ham and cheese rolls or do wraps and cut them into smaller pieces.

I always found biscuits go down well too and are cheap.

Big Swiss rolls cut up go down well too.

You could even get some of those hotdog sausages in a jar and warm them up for hot dogs.

IME most people eat a couple of everything.

I would also take extra crisps, bread and fillings - so you can do more sandwiches there without it needing to go to waste.

What time is the do? Mid afternoon or evening eg people aren't really expecting a 3 course meal.

I think you're under estimating the amount of effort, shopping, organising, presenting nicely etc you're letting yourself in for. ( Not to mention the clearing up, washing up etc. ) You risk being a nervous wreck instead of a happy hostess.

I second buying in from a caterer if you don't like the offers from the venue. (Though the advantage is that the venue would also clear up!) If there will be many children eg you won't need to cater for a full 70. Cost it and just buy what you can afford. People will be happy with whatever you get. They'll just be whooping it up!

I love them as do many other people. Absolute buffet staples!

Egg mayo sandwiches are my favourite at a buffet!

Ok I would definitely up the sandwiches, if your using 1.5 loads of bread per platter that's 30 triangle sandwich's, people will probs have 3 or 4 each so I think you need around 6 or 7 platters.

I would add about 6-pizzas and increase the number of dessert options. If your serving tea/coffee then I would get some biscuits. How are you going to serve the chips.

If allow for 2 mini things each (chicken bites, spring rolls etc).

Absolutely agree neither your original or updated menu is anywhere near enough food. I would probably cut out several things and quadruple or more the amounts for what’s left. Personally I can’t stand the smell of tuna or egg salad so would cut that yesterday but I can be a bit fussy about buffets.

time of day and length of party is super important here. Is this lunchtime? If so I’d so a sort of grazing thing - go to Costco or similar and get massive packs of ham and turkey and sliced cheese and some toppings and make up a meat platter and a veggie platter. Rolls and crackers and such. About 10x the veggies and fruit. And lots and lots of crisps (don’t have to open them all at once and can always bring home so aim for way more, particularly if there’s alcohol).

If this is dinner it’s more of a problem. Either get loads of pizza or none, 5 pizzas is nothing for 70 people.

£10pp is super reasonable and you aren’t likely to spend much less by self catering.

Why not just ditch the buffet idea completely. Put some bowls of crisps / Pretzels out on the tables and make it clear that it is not a meal. Presumably the party is in the evening so people will have dinner before they come and you can put the bowls of crisps and stuff out after an hour or so for people to pick at.

With little ones you have to think about waste too. They tend to put
things on their plate and leave them, then go for more.

personally at a thing like this I’d eat 3 triangle sandwiches, 3 or 4 sausages, 3 or 4
sausage rolls, quite a few crisps …

I appreciate all of the kind advice, and those who have shared helpful tips! To be perfectly honest I’m just trying to do a nice surprise for my partner after a really shit year for his big birthday, I’m not trying to make it the most classy or interesting buffet people will ever have!

I am feeling a bit dejected by some of the comments saying I’m thick for not realising it’s not enough, or that I don’t care about what I’m doing. I’ve put so much time and thought into this party (including keeping it a surprise) so that’s truly not the case, but I guess that’s Mumsnet for you!

I don’t mind if it’s boring if there is enough. For a bit more context, there was a party for his family last year with a buffet much like the food I listed, and it was what people happily ate, so I am going off their tastes and opinions. There’s no point me serving pates and olives if no one will eat them! Similar with the sandwiches, I know they’ll want plain ham, maybe roast beef etc, nothing interesting but it’s what I know everyone eats

The party starts at 7pm so not exactly over dinner time (people can eat before they come) so it doesn’t need to be a full on wedding breakfast menu.

I will have a rethink on quantities but I genuinely don’t have £500-£700 for food! We’ve just bought our first home and money is tight. I can manage about £200 for food and that’s a big push.

If anyone has any helpful ideas on how to make that go far please do share! I know it’s all ultra processed etc but none of them will care about that at all. I don’t want people hungry but I don’t want to waste money I don’t have either.

Im sending out invites soon so perhaps I’m better saying “snacks provided” rather than saying it’s a proper buffet

I would sack that off and definitely up the pizza as well as the other mini things

Not everyone will eat every option. But many people will eat multiple of certain items… with less than 1 per person you’re basically going to see the table empty of certain things before everyone has got a plate. People also get greedy with buffets and take more than they can eat.

Bump it up to one item of each thing per person PLUS two sandwiches per person plus a slice of pizza each.

At my wedding we served a 3 course meal and then 45 whole pizzas sliced up for 70 guests. Some people complained they didn’t get pizza because others had taken a whole pizza and not half like we’d budgeted. Pizza was served just 3 hours after the 6pm evening 3 course meal.

People are greedy. Over cater.