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?

That sounds great op well done! Can you just turn up at the cake place or are there restrictions? Thanks :)

Well done OP and thank you for coming back and explaining in detail.

I was very sceptical!

I wouldn't be able to achieve what you did as don't have access to such cut-price food.

I don't think we were wrong op. If you photo and post actual receipts I will eat my words.

You did all the planning, shopping, all the cooking, and had the event, all in 24 hours?

I see your time is as elastic as your budget!

You didn't price the cheese and bread, btw, was that free?

At 13.39 yesterday you were still thinking of interesting ideas. By this morning event is over.

Me neither West so I take my hat off to you OP, well done.

I'd love to see what sort of quantities you provided of each thing because I am still dumfounded by it - the cheese platter in particular as I find even half decent cheese pretty expensive. And how many chickens for £7? I am guessing only two? And five quid's worth of pork , personally I couldn't risk putting out two chickens and one smallish lump of pork for a crowd of 40 people (even with all the chills etc) in case the first 6 people ate the lot and I'd feel terrible.

But I think I am going to move somewhere near Oldham to cut my food bill by about 5 eighths!

Genuinely glad for you that it went well and you pulled it off.

Actually that's a good point from the last couple of posters, your OP was just after midnight so early hours of Sunday morning. You mean you hadn't actually bought or cooked anything in advance at that point and it all happened Sunday morning in time for Sunday afternoon/evening?

Well if that is true you are one cool, laid back cucumber I'll give you that. I'd have been beavering away for -weeks-- days planning, shopping and cooking for that lot.

Well if that is true you are one cool, laid back cucumber I'll give you that. I'd have been beavering away for -weeks-- days planning, shopping and cooking for that lot

Same! When I host for like 10 I am organizing well in advance!

OP, sorry, I know I'm soundling like I'm doubting you but isn't the oldham Factory outlet closed on Sunday? Or did you get the desserts beforehand?

Closed sat afternoon and sunday all day.

Fair play if you managed to provide all of that at 50 odd quid but even allowing for the fact that you obviously have a good number of discount/second stores near you, I'm confused as to whether you correctly costed everything? £3 for coleslaw, shredded lettuce, hm wedges and huge bag of cheese sticks - enough for how many people?

Even the tortilla chips and various dips; avocados aren't cheap assuming hm guacamole but even then bought dips are more expensive again so I can't get my head round that. Also you mention fruit salad, strawberries and so on but even buying in the cheapest shops and allowing for less than half the 40 eating these I just can't see it!

I realise I'm living in "rip off Ireland" and not eating meat I wouldn't be able to guess the cost for that many people but I get the impression from MN that people don't find food shopping cheap in the UK either

Closed sat afternoon and sunday all day.. Ah ok was the Op just having fun with us? I was thinking we'd sell up and move to the UK to live like kings and queens

Soup for 40 people costs £4?

Pulled pork for £5?

OP have you got a photo? I'm dead curious about portions.

Not a chance! 2 roast chickens at best for 40 people, 5 quids worth of pork is enough for 4, not 40. Not to mention enough homemade pancakes for 40 would take how long to cook?

Odd thing to make up.

Pancakes are lovely when freshly cooked, but a stack of 40 cold, rubbery pancakes doesn't sound too appetising.

What a weird little fantasy thread.

£5 of pork fed 40 people? Really?

And your bread, cheese and chutneys didn't cost anything? Okay...

skerry Well I suppose you could get a sack of spuds and a sack of carrots for £4, add three gallons of water, then throw in your own donated stock cubes and onions!

I will admit I still can't see how the whole thing could have resembled much more than prison food and I am a bit about the pile of (presumably cold?) pancakes filled with smarties and (nasty cheap squeezey bottle?) chocolate sauce and some strawberries which sounds just weird if you ask me, but hey.....I'm a fussy uppity mare who can't throw a dinner party for six for less than about 150 quid so I am probably not the right person to be commenting on these things.

The magic MN chicken tales have just become way more believable by comparison to this thread!

I call bullshit.

Don't believe you've done the event yet, don't believe you got what you said you did for the prices you said you did.

How bizarre.

Well, this has to be the oddest thing to troll about!

This is a weird thread.

Why even start it if you have access to discount food outlets that not many people have even heard of.

I'd also like to know how you make 40-80 pancakes, and get 4 litres of ice cream, marshamallows, smarties, chocolate sauce, chocolate raisins AND strawberries for FOUR POUNDS?

I don't know why this is annoying me, but it really is.

Narky shoplifting?