to ask you to help me with my menu? I need to learn to keep my gob shut.

[Diddydollydo]

So I have opened my big gob and offered to host my PILS Golden Wedding do on Saturday. It was due to be at BILS in Devon but due to illness and various things it can't go ahead and they were do disappointed so I said 'oh have it here' and now I have no idea what I am going to give everyone to eat. To be fair it's NOT a massive event , there will be 10 adults and 6 children but I am a bit of a rubbish cook and to be honest, though I want everyone to have a good time, I don't want to spend ALL day in the kitchen.

So....what food do I prepare?
Drinks? (have a couple of bottles of champers though they are not big drinkers)
Any other ideas to make it a bit special for them? I have ordered some gold plates and sparkly balloons and stuff from Amazon but any other ideas?

Oh and we don't have loads of cash to spare either.

As you've said it's quite informal I'd go with a buffet especially as there so many of you.
It's the fact all their family are going to be together that they will be looking forward to, not the food as such.
How old are the kids?

Bowls of salad
Homemade potato salad
Homemade coleslaw
individual pies - buy the pastry and make them in muffin/yorkshire pud tins. You can have a variety of fillings and serve them warm
pate
bread rolls/french stick
chilli
jkt spuds
cheesboard
prawn cocktail
quiche warm or cold
plates of cold meat
bowls of pickles
crisps
sausages
sandwiches - egg, ham, tuna
jelly, ice cream,
scones, jam, cream, individual merengues, strawberrys - people can then make their own up

can you ask for contributions from other family members as it's such notice for you? either with actual food or monetary??

I think a lasagne type dish is far easier that loads of fiddly (and far more expensive) smaller things like sausage rolls and the like.

I would second the soup starter, lasagne (and salad and garlic bread) and bought cake (which i see you've ordered!) option. Maybe add ice cream and a topping for the kids.

Job done.

Something big and decorative in the centre like a whole poached salmon or a glazed gammon joint

Good idea! Poached salmon would look lovely and its not that hard to do. I knew somebody who always cooked it in the dishwasher

Oh yes yes yes, I forgot the garlic bread All

Oh blimey you're all giving me brilliant ideas. It'll end up being a traditional, modern, italian, party food extravaganza!

I meant old man's beard. Maybe just the Christmas lights then.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder and massive pan of potato dauphinoise. Mmmm.

So - menu sorted.

Any ideas if I should do anything in particular to make it a bit special? I really do get on well with my ILs (it's taken a few years but we got there) and my parents are no longer around so I'd like to make it really nice for them. DS is currently upstairs practicing his magic act!

I would say two or three plates of sandwiches (egg and onion, cheese and pickle, chicken and ham are usually good). Make the egg mix the night before and keep it in thefridge. You can make the sandwiches up the morning of the party and cover them in cling film. You could also have those mini sausage rolls.

For meat, I recommend pork ribs. Marinade them in the fridge overnight and then bake them in the oven. Preheated oven at 200C for 45 minutes should result in crispy, tender and juicy ribs. (Marinade wise, we use a tin of plum tomatoes, three tablespoons of honey, one tablespoon of paprika and two tablespoons of chinese five spice. Just mash it all up together in a large plastic food bag and then add the ribs.)

On the side, buy some prepared fancy salads and coleslaws, really nice cherry tomatoes, and ready to cook potatoe dishes (garlic potatoes, potato gratin, etc).

Buy a couple of small cakes and desserts from the supermarket, and one really nice larger cake as the special anniversary cake. Maybe see if you can get a photo of the PIL put on their cake? Some supermarket bakeries do this...

Crisps and buns of course, and plenty of non alcholic stuff for kids/teetotalers. Try to make sure you have something special there to drink that your PIL really like. Also a few bottles of nice wine between the group, enough for a few glasses each if wanted, and likewise a few beers each if wanted for everyone else.

I did nigella lamb with pomegranate and mint- looks amazing tastes great with houmous and pitta. I have to say it looked like I made an effort,I got loads of credit and it was bloody easy! Good luck! X

Lol, 34 replies before I finished typing mine...

I know you said menu sorted but can I make a suggestion? If I have lots of people coming I slow roast a shoulder of lamb and a chicken, shred it, pile it into big bowls and serve with flatbreads, dips, salads and sides. Imo lots easier than normal buffet stuff as you can do the sides as the meats in the oven.

Drinks, we do mules - vodka, ginger beer and lime, in big jugs. For kids just leave out the vodka.

Rubbish at making it special though - I just get loads of wine out so nobody cares

Go Nigella, she's got lots of make ahead recipes that are fab and wonderful.

Agree with no starter just pick at stuff.

HopeItGoesWellTiggaxx

Can you have the music from when they married to play in the background?

Or find some old films to play - don't have to have the sound on.

Did they go dancing? can you find out what their first dance was and let them have the floor??

Was thinking of getting a 60s CD to play in the background? MIL can't remember what song they had their first dance to (she's such a romantic!).

Don't forget a cake! Buy or make one and -- if it's un-iced by a packet of ready-to roll fondant icing to put over the cake and some golden stuff on it for decorations. Can probably be done two days ahead and kept cool. I made this lemon one and its easy and delicious, and kept well. See the comments at the end of the recipe/

Get people to bring old photos of them and have those on display somewhere?

Anything gold would be good. Maybe gold chocolate coins around for extra decorations (and for the kids to eat)?

YY to all the suggestions of a roast joint or similar as buffet centrepiece.

Play whatever was number 1 when they got married? Look at www.everyhit.com

We helped arrange PIL Golden Wedding Anniversary party recently. One thing we did was get hold of their wedding photographs - scan them (as they were obviously not digital) and used a projector to play a slideshow in the background. We also made a photo book for them -using old photos and progressively more recent - a story of their marriage I guess.

I made a playlist of 50s and 60s music - just bought some compilations frm Amazon and chose which tunes I though they would have perhaps enjoyed back then.

The venue decorated- they used gold balloons and white balloons. Table sprinkles in gold.

Enjoy!

But I need a kind of 'main' thing that everyone would like don't I?

Fish and chips - from the chip shop, you could make a 'newspaper wrapper' with events from their wedding.

We made grandparents a photo book (through boots) for their golden wedding... a 'this is your life' almost. I also got a lovely wooden crate and painted 'MR and Mrs Confusion Est 1959' and filled it with pretty plants. They loved it and it only took a short time to make :)

We went to a super christening buffet this weekend. Quite posh but...

Coronation chicken
Naice ham
Smoked salmon and peeled prawns
Beetroot salad
Green salad
Pasta salad
Tomato and mozzarella salad
Naice bread
Hot new potatoes

Then cake. Enough cake excuses a lot...

I'm a dick - only read half the thread.

How about a photo/memory book? Requires work, but get everyone to bring or email photos of themselves with the couple and a story or special moment they shared. Put in reasonably nice photo album, with space at the end for shots from the party itself.

Look up the 5 day weather forecast for Saturday. If it's going to be good weather, everyone can sit outside with the dining table groaning with the buffet. That way, you won't have to pick at food trodden into the carpet. The birds will do that for you.

I had a do last Sunday like that. Sainsbo's canapes, nuts & raisins, crisps and dip; quiche, ham, tinned red salmon (skinned and boned and mashed with vinegar or mayonnaise), green salad, tomatos, coleslaw, potato salad (or boiled new potatoes with butter and chopped chives in a bowl), pickled baby beetroot, pickled onions; pudding was Sainsbo's frozen pecan and toffee roulade (yummy), apple pie and cream, strawberries; cheese and french bread. I had only 7 people altogether though but it was easy so just double the amounts I had. There was masses left over.

*tomatoes