To think feeding 40 people for £50 is more than possible

[user1486841477]

I was planning to make a chilli con carne, curry, pulled pork, meatball pasta, carbonara in large pots.

Add sides of rice, garlic bread, potatoes, chips, pizza.

Snacks of crisps, nuts, quiche, cocktail cheese and pineapple, cruidetes with dip,

Large homemade cake

Different desserts.

My mum thinks this doesn't sound that interesting and I should be doing fancy canapés etc.

Caterers all wants £6 a head which I can't afford and don't need to ask I'm a good cook.

Am I being too ambitious?

What would you do to feed 40 people on £50?

Good luck with whatever you make OP, but from a selfish point of view, what is the address of the M&S factory food outlet? Is it open to everyone or one of those company shops with membership criteria?

Oldham is an easy drive for me, I fancy filling the freezer with cheap bashed quiche and cakes!

I would be tempted to just go the baked potatoe route mentioned above.

• bake loads of potatoes, cover in foil in huge bowls to keep warm
• do several toppings ie veggie chilli, pulled pork, sour cream and chive, paprika beans, few cheeses
• add some bread, salads and deserts

Slightly off topic user but where is the factory shop in Oldham?
I've googled but can't find anything

Forget the miscellaneous snacks and choice of desserts. Doubt you can cater for 40 for £50 but by sticking to one main and one dessert you'll cut your costs.

Some posters seem to be under the impression that the poster is catering for the last meal her guests will ever eat.

The OP is catering for a party. If the guests are there to celebrate an event then hopefully they will have the good manners to not notice any shortcomings in the catering.

Go for it OP and I hope you have a great time.

Where's the m&s food outlet in Oldham?!!

misses the point

If I had only £50 to feed 40 people then - I wouldn't.

Could you ask guests to bring food and have a pot luck meal?

Your menu sounds lovely

But I think £50 is too ambitious (I would imagine you could do it for £3 per head)

If I look at what we are spending every week for our meals, I would say that feeding 40 people with £50 is totally feasible as long as you cook most things from scratch.

What I would query is what you are planning to prepare.
Pasta carbonara will need to be prepared on the spot, will you have the time and the space to do that?
On the top, you are planning a pizza that will need to be prepared and cooked, rice potatoes, chips. It looks like you will have some issues with your hob and oven, aka too many things to prepare all in one go if you want stuff to arrive at the same time and warm.

If you were doing that at our village hall, which has several cookers and ovens then that would be a different thing (but still a hell of a lot of work, even if you are VERY organised).
Are you planning to be able to sit down and see the people you have invited?

Menu is great but you won't do it for £50, it will still be cheaper though. Bulk up the chilli with lots of pulses and veg, crudites and homemade dips are really cheap.

user YANBU to think it's possible to feed forty people for £50, but YABU to think you can do your planned menu for that. It's far too ambitious. As many others have said, you need to simplify it and have a veggie option.

Without knowing what the event or crowd is that y are catering for, I'd suggest:

One main dish (big vat)
Chilli - a meat one bulked out with beans and peppers and a veggie one - plus grated cheese, sour cream and tortillas/tortilla chips.

Or

Curry - a meat one bulked out with veg and a purely veggie one - plus mango chutney and rice if you have a way of keeping it hot.

Sausages or pulled pork (not both) - tomato ketchup and barbecue sauce.

Baked potatoes

Sliced baguettes or soft rolls and butter

Green salad

Baked beans

Pudding - shortcake or scones with jam and cream

Or Pavlova/Eton mess

Or icecream

What about drinks?

Is it an indoor event or outdoor event? How/where are you preparing and serving food?

Another one who wants to know where the factory shop is please!
I think it sounds doable, certainly sounds tasty can I come?

Why don't you do a meat and a veggie chilli as well as some pizza. I have been to parties where this is on offer and it's fab. Do rice and jackets. Everyone helps themselves Chilli is all in the extras anyhow, guacamole, sour cream etc.

Too many options. If you are thinking meatballs for 10, carbonara for 10, pulled pork for 10 you risk having 40 people not getting what they'd prefer. People will be positively happier with fewer options. Stick to a couple of options. And for carbs you don't need to serve potatoes and rice and pasta and pizza and garlic bread, that's madness! Pick one main carb with an alternative for those who don't like it (eg potatoes with some rice alongside, OR bread rolls for the pulled pork with rice alongside) and serve mains that both work with those carbs.

I agree with magic chicken and don't think it's possible. Also, we need to know what you're catering for- post rugby match and chilli and baked potatoes would be OK because they just want something hot- but for a party no one wants to sit with a chilli/ pulled pork/ meat ball/ pasta/ rice mash up on their paper plate. It sounds disgusting actually, although on their own as every day family supper food all are fine

Individually it all sounds lovely.

However factoring in the fact they may have to eat standing up and will have several things go on one plate I agree with pp that it's all too sloppy and risks being a dogs dinner.

Pasta isn't good being kept warn and you have to he careful with rice

There's no vege stuff either

You don't need fancy canapés they are a waste of time and money however large bowls of sloppy food and things like tomato and bbq sauce and turmeric in the curry stain if spilt so bad idea to have to eat them stood up talking.

Not the OP but Park Cakes bakery on Ashton Road, Oldham used to be the place.

I fed 50 guests for about that - I did lasagna, including veggie version plus garlic bread and side salad. I considered a chicken dish but it was my dtds christening so I had a 3yo and 6mo twin and decided guests could eat what they're given or sod off to the chip shop. Everyone was lovely.

The factory shops is called PARK CAKES. And it's he best place on earth! 😂

It's in Oldham.

Ah my brother used to date a girl who worked at Park Cakes. She always used to bring bargain cakes round when she visited. I was gutted when they spilt up!

Huge lasagnes (both meat and veggie versions) with garlic bread and one simple type of salad could work on budget. A little bit of meat goes a long way in a lasagne.

Or the jacket potato option because people only need a smallish dollop of chilli (meat versions and veggie version) on that, with cheese, sour cream, maybe some salsa and guacamole, refried beans are easy to make really cheaply.

Your menu is going to take a shit load of work to produce too little mediocre food. Why put yourself through it?

The menu isn't set in stone. I'm just thinking of ideas.

I love cooking so actively enjoy it. I'm excited to provide the food. It's for a charity event.