To consider party food boxes instead of buffet?

[blackcoffeeinbed]

I'm organising my sons 5th birthday party, I've hired a hall with a bouncy castle, diddy car track and face painting. I plan on doing a couple of simple party games aswell and having music in the background.

So I've started thinking about party food. Due to having to travel to the venue and a kitchen not being available there to prepare food so having to transport it all I am considering doing individual food boxes. I think this would also save on time, rubbish/tidying up and waste as the kids can just take their boxes away with them if they don't eat it all.

My questions are... has anybody ever done this and was it a success? How would I go about making individual sandwiches for instance, would I ask for parents to rsvp with a preference ie ham, cheese or jam? What would you put In them?

I'm thinking along the lines of carton of juice, sandwich, cucumber and carrot sticks, mini sausages, frube yoghurt, chocolate fingers and a melon stick. They seem quite basic, like a normal packed lunch in a fancy box.... I would appreciate ideas? Tia xx

We went to a party with food boxes....but it was an outdoor activity party and only 7/8 children. We had to RSVP with our choice of sandwich (cheese, ham or jam), cant remember what else was in it.

I would do the boxes with all the snack bits then a few plates of sandwiches on the tables. Saves you having to dish them out and there is no risk of someone getting the wrong box.

Someone else may have a better idea though

I did this for my daughters 4th birthday at our home and it was bloody brilliant. Little waste, rubbish etc and I put a slice of cake in the boxes before the left and they took them home too. Would 100% do it again. Just checked dietaries beforehand and put in a sandwich finger x 2 I think 1 ham and 1 cheese, cucumber sticks, mini sausages pack of Pom bears, a piece of fruit/ small cake and carton of juice. So yes simple and being able to pre-prep and box everything up was so much easier

I did party food boxes but as a pp said it was at an outdoor adventure type activity. There were about 10 children. I asked the parent to tick a box choosing between ham, cheese or Philadelphia sandwich, plain crisps or flavoured monster munch and orange juice or apple & blackcurrant. I also put a fruit bag and a fairy cake in.

I have been to parties where this has been done and it’s great. Rather than the kids taking a plate of food, eating the sweet stuff and then discarding it, they all sat down nicely with their boxes and ate it!
Think it was much more appealing to them. The ones we have seen generally are sandwich, crisps, cheese, yoghurt, fruit, cake etc

My DD is that age and would enjoy the box - but yes, would have to be able to choose the sandwich at least 😃

Sounds like a great idea.

Yes, I'd make the sort of invite where they can tick a box to state their preference out of say...4 choices of filling and 4 choices of drink.

It’s a great idea. Less waste, less faff. Go for it. Just ask parents to specify if their child would like a jam, cheese or ham sandwich on the rsvp and you’re sorted. Your ‘menu’ sounds great for 5 year olds. Make sure you don’t put sausages in the ones that might be vegetarian!

I've done it. It made the party run smoothly I.M.O

This is why McDonalds deliver

I did food boxes for 35 kids in a similar situation to you, it was great and so easy to tidy up. I’ll be doing it next time too.

We’ve done it before and kept it simple in boxes went fruit shoot, crisps, packet mini biscuits, fun size chocolate bar and packet mini haribo , along side napkin. Two platters of ham / cheese / plain buns on table (plain ones were v popular). Boxes could be made up days before so made it very easy - not a healthy selection but gave variety and everything individually wrapped - enjoy party x

We did it a few years running for DD as some of her friends have allergies or sensory issues around food so made it much easier.

I've done it three times now for my DS's parties, two outdoor parties and one indoors, aged 3, 4 and 5. So much easier in my view, both to make up and tidy up. I gave half ham/half cheese sandwiches unless parents expressed dietary requirements. Kids tended to swap things they didn't like (yoghurt/crisps flavours). Also meant that the parents of a child with serious dietary restrictions who wanted to bring her own food could just put that food into one of the boxes for her.

Brilliant! thanks everyone feeling a bit more confident with the idea now. The party is most likely going to be at least 20 children. I will type a note up to put in with the invitations and say due to ease il be making individual food boxes and could they rsvp with sandwich choice ham cheese or jam and could they let me know if they are vegetarian or have any food requirements.
I might get a selection of juices and put them on the table for the children to just choose on the day.

I think it would be easier and also a bit different to the norm. I took my son to a party today and the amount of food that was left over because the kids were more interested in playing was crazy.

I did it. I put a mini ham and a mini cheese roll in each box with some raisins, pom bears and a freddo. And a drink.
A fruit platter on the table made out of a carved melon in the shape of a pirate ship.

My friend did this. It worked out great

We went to a party at the weekend where they did this and it was brilliant! Easier to cater for dietary requirements too. And then your child isn’t eating handfuls of biscuits and nothing else either. Tidy up was so much easier! And no fighting over things because there wasnt unlimited choice. Go for it!

Now looking for the boxes, they're cheap enough on eBay! Could colour code them for different sandwiches... though I am liking the idea of one ham one cheese unless otherwise stated.

We did this recently, snacks and drinks in the boxes and big plates of sandwiches, some ham and some cheese. It worked really well but we massively over-catered on the sandwiches so there was plenty left for the parents!

I think it’s a great idea, I’d forgo the sandwich though, maybe just add a little sausage roll instead far less messing than messing about with fillings and each child wanting something different.

Works really well. Means there isn’t 2 kids hogging all the crisps while the slow eaters are still nibbling a sandwich!

We’ve done this before, bought a load of plastic takeaway containers and did one ham, one cheese sandwich, some mini sausages, babybel etc then gave them each a box, packet of crisps and a carton of juice. It worked really well.

I did this when we had a cinema party for DS. The kids had their food box with the film and I did ham, cheese or jam boxes and the kids chose which they wanted on the way in. I had a juice box, babybel, penguin biscuit, grapes, popcorn and raisins in it as well. Worked brilliantly.

Did this a few years back. 1 x cheese, 1 x ham, and then a plate of spares plus some jam as back up. The kids sorted themselves out and swopped stuff which was fine. My DD was lactose intolerant but by that age knew what not to swop and everything except the cheese sandwiches was dairy free anyway.