How much food would you want at an adult birthday party?

[pemberleypearl]

Posting for traffic and to hopefully get more responses as I would really appreciate the help. I've been turning this over in my head for a while and I just don't want to get it wrong.

I am throwing a party for my mum who is turning 60. Local bar/hall. About 70 guests. Party will be 7pm to midnight with DJ. Guests can buy drinks at the bar.

What food would you appreciate? I have to balance convenience of ordering party food versus preparing stuff myself. Ordering in can be expensive and making stuff is time consuming day of especially as I have a toddler to manage.

I'm now thinking of having retro sweet buffet (it's a retro party) and ordering pizza. Dominos have a 50% off £100+ orders. Would that be enough? And when to order it for?

Please help. I am prone to over catering normally but haven't had to cater for his many before and really don't want to mess it up for my mum.

I love how chucking everything into a couple of pans is more faff than making a tonne of sandwiches, trifles, and heating up a load of things like sausage rolls etc. 🤣

Or get a burger van or similar for outside. Those with a ticket can get their food for free, saves any cheeky fuckers trying to get a freebie.

Well it’s a faff serving it up, whether people do it themselves or some poor sod has to stand there like a dinner lady anyway I suggested pre made sandwich platters so no hassle at all there.

Pork pies
Sausage rolls
Scotch eggs
Quiche
Pastas
Crisps
Nuts
Cheese board
Salami selection
Crab sticks
Dips and chips
Chicken goujons

Ham
Cheese
Egg mayo
Tuna
Coronation chicken sandwiches (make them the day before on trays with lock down lids from eBay and keep them cool)

This would be lovely and still easily cheaper than dominos imo.

Also slow cooker pan with hot dogs, rolls a sauces who doesnt love a hot dog!

God I'd be ordering Domino's quicker than you could say butter another loaf, love

It's gonna be a hell of a faff, doing all those butties

In general, People in their 60s will enjoy a normal Cold buffet ( as suggested by many PP) far more than Indian food or pizzas. Defo no to the sweets too.

And you don’t have the stress of trying to keep things hot.

And it’s much better to soak up all the alcohol.

A large Dominos pizza serves 3 to 5 people depending on how hungry they are. I'd assume each pizza feeds 3 to ensure there's plenty of food for everyone (I know a few people who would eat one each). 70/3=23. A full price large pizza at Dominos is £19.99 x 23 = £459.00. With 50% off you're still looking at £225.00 for the pizza (£3.21 per head) and you'll still need some sides and dessert. What age are your guests? Would they all be happy with a choice of different flavour pizzas and some chicken wings? Would people be disappointed it's fast food or nothing? Would somebody need to unbox and plate everything at delivery before serving or are you just going to throw the boxes out?

Pizzas are salty so the bar will do very well out you!

I actually dont eat pizza I find it greasy and stodgy and I'm not a pizza lover ... its waaaaay down on my list of things to order it doesn't even feature on the list
You'd need something else other than pizza

I'd aim for 7.30 ( 8 at the latest )

The party starts at 7. No way would you serve food as early as that. I wouldn't expect food til at least 9. Besides surely people will have has something to eat before they go out

I actually think the hot dogs in slow cooker ideas is bloody genius!! Wish I had done that for my wedding 😅

How about a chip van? Send people up a table at a time to get their fish and chips, with a veggie option. It was about £5 a head when I last did it. The vans that do events are usually very professional.

70 is loads to cater for yourself, not many people have the facilities to store enough food and it wouldn't save you much money. I wouldn't do more than 30 myself. If you are only providing nibbles though, make that clear so people can have their dinner before they come. Though personally if people are travelling and making a real effort to come then I'd want to feed them properly.

If you haven't the money for a party do a different option instead, invite her close friends for a pot luck supper.

And don't have cupcakes, lots of people hate all that stupid icing and dry cake underneath (even my kids scrape it off) and they are beyond naff now. Fish and chips and a birthday cake - sorted.

My cousin had her 60th in a local church hall, and went for a retro 70s buffet. So lots of cheese boards and baguettes, cold meats, sausage rolls, little cold sausages, bowls of salad and coleslaw and potato salad, and bowls of crisps and peanuts. It was great! She also had Black Forest gateau for dessert.

70 is a lot of people to cater for and sandwiches will take for ever to make. I held a party for 30 last year and ordered everything from Waitrose entertaining so it was all ready made, on platters, all we had to do was take the lids off and it still took ages to set up and get it ready. What’s your maximum budget?

Is there a kitchen at the venue and when would you have access to it?

I’d choose carefully for that age group- elderly people may prefer more old fashioned choices.

Bacon rolls often go down a treat!

60 isn't elderly.

If it starts at 7 then most people won't eat beforehand so I'd expect a meals worth of food. I think sandwich platters are probably the easiest option. Lots of small businesses offer catering so I'd look at what's around.

Morrisons sandwich platters are really good value and nice, they make them in store not a factory. Plus their other party food items are good too. Costco also good for sandwiches and frozen nibbles to heat up, but not the cakes which are full of artificial ingredients and taste horrible.

Try not to go overboard on the sausage rolls, pork pie, Scotch eggs and cocktail sausages as they're all basically the same food so I'd say you need no more than two of those and then plenty of options without meat in them to cater for vegetarians, people who like a balanced diet that includes something other than processed pork and anyone who doesn't eat pork for religious reasons.

If it's a retro theme, you must have cheese and pineapple on sticks. I did this for a garden party for a 70th and they lasted about 5 minutes and I had to do another batch.

Costco would be best

Im in my 60s as are most of my friends. I can categorically say that most of us would prefer food from the indian takeaway than a soggy sandwich buffet. The exception is someone with multiple food allergies who would struggle with whatever we provided (including a cold buffet).

A while ago we went to a birthday party for one of dh's miserly relatives who decided that food was not necessary because people "would have eaten" before going. It was also (understandably) a cash bar. All they had done was to book a room (free to use due to bar sales) and take along a portable cd player!!

If you go with Dominos, talk to them before ordering. They may be able to offer a better deal. I had to order a load of pizzas for a work thing once and they knocked about £70 off the total price.

In general, People in their 60s will enjoy a normal Cold buffet ( as suggested by many PP) far more than Indian food or pizzas

I’d choose carefully for that age group- elderly people may prefer more old fashioned choices

The generation turning 60 and 70 invented adventurous and diverse eating. Many 60 yos go to gigs and festivals. Zumba.

Starfishmummy;
Im in my 60s as are most of my friends. I can categorically say that most of us would prefer food from the indian takeaway than a soggy sandwich buffet
You sure your false teeth can cope with a chicken passanda?

Honestly, I don’t know whether to laugh or despair at the preposterous ageism displayed on MN sometimes.

For my 40th I also did a sweet table and ordered pizza from local take away. I got 12 large pizzas, 4 margaritas, 4 veg, 4 pepperoni and 4 chicken and mushroom and I think 20 chips. They gave us 11 garlic breads free. It was £166 for take away and about £40 for sweets from cash and carry. I bought a big ketchup and garlic sauce from cash and carry too. It went down a storm and so many people said how much they enjoyed it.

Like the Indian takeaway idea best. Wouldn’t do hot food yourself as the equipment will be a big faff.

Sweets a bad plan. Apart from a bday cake alcohol / soft drinks will provide the sugar!