Nibbles. Buffet or Snacks? Help!

[Christmasmunchies]

I've invited about 20 family and friends around Christmas Eve. Pretty casual invite - "drop in anytime between 12-2 for a Christmas drink and nibbles if you're free" (type of text sent).
One of my friends yesterday was grilling me on what I class as nibbles, in a slightly condescending tone. I explained its only a pretty casual drop in affair, so won't be a buffet. She then asked me to be more precise about what food will be served (I found it a bit rude tbh!)
I said, crisps, chocs, nuts, cheeseboard- that type of thing. She looked disappointed! Now I'm concerned that everyone else will be expecting a Delia Smith Buffet and I'll have to up my game and get more food in.
If someone sent you the above invite- what would you be expecting?

Your invite very specifically said nibbles, so that's exactly what I'd expect - not a full buffet! We went to something last weekend between 12 and 2 and the hostess basically passed round things like little cocktail sausages, sausage rolls, mini quiches etc, with bowls of crisps and nuts. Just enough to blot up some of the alcohol.

I think your big mistake here OP was inviting people over......being social is far too much like hard work 😂😂😂

I think this is what I do. Mini quiches, cheeseboard, breads, mince pies etc

I’d just do what you’re doing and a bag of 50 frozen sausage rolls. I’d expect you to give me a sausage roll with a Prosecco on Xmas Eve to be honest.

I would not starve based on this, even if you have gone for “Peak lunch”

That will be perfect op.

🤣 providing nibbles at Peak Lunch. Scandalous OP. Truly scandalous.

I'd add supermarket baguettes and packets of ham. Just cut slices of the bread and leave a tub of butter and knives on the table for people to help themselves. Not much work in that.

I would need more than crisps or nuts if having a drink a noon! I'd definitely feel a bit squiffy but that's just me 😂
But lovely to have an invite on Christmas Eve

How about adding a large baking tray’s worth of honey mustard cocktail sausages and some baguettes/rolls.
Anything savoury really would work.

I would expect small nibbles and would only be expecting to pop in for half-an-hour for one or two glasses. I wouldn't expect to be staying for 2 hours - I would see that as a time that you're hosting but not necessarily for the entire 2 hours

crisps and nuts as you say

YABU to use the word nibbles though, it’s up there with picky bits

Not much help for you OP but I love this response

If someone said nibbles and I cared what that meant - I'd ask.

If they said crisps etc then I'd eat around that accordingly.

Just do what you fancy and send the round robin text clarifying.

It does seem a bit weird to invite 20 people to drop in oiver the lunch period and only offer crisps - with lunchtime drinking on an empty stomach they won't be wise to drive home again!

2-4 or 3-5 would have made much more sense if you didn't intend to provide food.

Jesus Wept 🤣🤣🤣🤣, I know @Christmasmunchies he would have done!

But this thread is truly a classic of the MN Food Genre and for that alone I thank you. It's got all the cliches - not just bread but breads no less, or crusty bread and the ever present salad which is normally huge and no meal on MN is a meal without it, has got an up to date makeover as a Winter Pasta Salad. I am just waiting for the specific type of butter you must serve with the breads no doubt it will have to be hand churned and patted by rosy cheeked milk maids, any old butter will just not do.

What you are doing sounds fine, it's pop in for a drink and nibbles any time between 12 and 2, not come at 12 on the dot and stay until 2 for a gargantuan feast.

Quite, that's what most people would expect. Pop-in for a quick drink and to say 'Merry Christmas' on the way home from shopping or on their way to somewhere, show their face so to speak for about half an hour.

We're having people on New Year's day for drinks and nibbles, I'm thinking canapés, smoked salmon blinis, cocktail sausages etc.

I must be a very low maintenance guest. I’d be expecting some Pringles and a tub of Roses, with some hot sausage rolls if I was lucky!

I have do have questions though. Wtf is a winter pasta salad and how is it different from a pasta salad in any other season?

Also, is carb guilt really a thing?

📣🧈STOP THE PRESS 🧈📣

I had some particularly wanky and disgusting butter yesterday from GAILS 👑no less.

It is made from cream and left over whey from cheese making. So it is on their NO WASTE product list, which doesn’t stop them charging 4.50 for it despite the fact it smells of baby sick. 🍼👶🤮🧀

📣I would now like to submit Gail’s no waste baby sick whey butter to the mumsnet cheese board and crusty breads cannon 🍞🥖🥨🥯🫓

Thank you 😊

Anyone else had to Google "winter pasta salad"?

If I were the host, there would be some bowls of tings like crisps, pretzels and olives, plus some canapes.

But I wouldn't have invited over the main lunch hours - I'd have gone for 1100 to 1300 so it was a bit clearer these were pre-prandials

You can invite me, OP, I'm not rude like your friend or some of this lot here. I'm always happy with a glass of prosecco and a handful of Pringles.

I'd expect a drink and some nuts. I can manage my meal times around the invite, I'm not 5 years old.

I guess that's nibbles, but for Christmas I'd expect more along the line of canapés. You know, mini pigs in blankets, puff pastry parcels with Brie and cranberry and so on - something more than what I'd give a gang of teenagers round to watch the football!
Your friend was pretty rude - probably trying to figure out if it was enough to be a lunch substitute or if she'll be leaving your house hungry though.

I would be puzzled as to whether to eat before hand and wouldn't want to turn up hangry

@Feetupteashot - you must be easily confused. It's not rocket science. Drop in for a drink & nibbles is pretty straight forward. Glass of wine, handful of peanuts or Pringle, mince pie wish everyone a merry Christmas & be on your way.