buffet food for 18th birthday.

[screamingsiblings]

DH are both adamant we are right. Please solve.

Village Hall type party for a few family members, plus 18th birthday DC's friends. Disco/Karaoke type thing. probably around 40-50 people in total.

One of us wants to serve food like a chilli, salads, rice, quiches,
One of us wants to serve hot dogs, salads, pizzas.

We will be cooking/serving the food ourselves.

Which would you serve up?

Thank you.

I wouldn't do either, I would do cold food that could be set out in advance so I didn't have to do the legwork during the party. I'm also baffled as to why quiche goes with chilli but 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

Hot dogs, salads, pizza

I wouldn't do either, I would do cold food that could be set out in advance so I didn't have to do the legwork during the party.

This.

Is your son happy with a village hall party for his 18th? If so, ask him about food.

Neither
Do pick up finger food. 18 yo do not want to be handling a fork and plating up food. They want sandwiches, sausage rolls, nuggets, mini sausages, indian bite pieces, chinese bite bits stuff like that

What does your DS want?

Get a pizza van or fish and chip van to turn up at a set time to feed people

Ask DS. But unless he disagrees, I would stick with hot dogs and pizza - minimal serving needed, and avoids the need for cutlery. If you serve stuff that needs cutlery, you have to have enough places for everyone to sit down to eat it. At least that’s what I think, I hate trying to balance a plate of food and deal with cutting and getting it on to a fork whilst standing up.

Logistics come first. How do you keep cold food cold and hot food hot.

You do not want to know known as the party with unsafe food.

Then work out what food can be managed easily and serve that.

Bit of both

Salads, quiche in slices, pizza sliced... buffet food.

What does your child want? The choice should be down to the person celebrating the birthday.

Also, it's in both options, but I wouldn't be putting salad.

hot dogs, salads, pizza.

agree that the birthday boy or girl should have final say.

chilli is winter food for me. wouldn't fancy a bowl of it at a party in June.

no one fancy the chilli option?

Which would you serve up?

Whatever the DC actually wants

A plate of chilli and rice while also discoing and karaoking is completely mental. Hot dogs only marginally better. Do an actual buffet: sausage rolls, samosas, cocktail sausages, other things I can’t think of at 2am.

I think for an 18th I would order takeaway pizza and garlic bread prearranged to come at say 9, and lay it all out. For 40 or 50 people you could order say 15 mixed pizzas and 5 garlic bread pizzas and do a pizza buffet with paper plates, napkins, sauces etc.

We went to a wedding once where they ordered pizzas for the evening. It was demolished and everyone loved it

also want to keep cost down too.

I would ask the birthday person what they want. At 18 mine liked a beige buffet. Sausage rolls, mini sausages, sandwiches, crisps etc. pizza might be good too. Nothing fancy. Just food that can easily be picked up and stuffed into mouths. Not chilli for sure.

We do snacks like crisps, hummus, other dips, pretzels etc and then order take away pizza on top. Has worked well for us many times with older teens.

Would not do chilli or quiche ever. Would go uneaten!

I know you want to keep costs down but doing it yourself for that kind of number is hard work, time consuming and takes lots of space, plus buying paper plates etc.

look into ordering the lot from M& Spencer or a local pub or caterer, if you do a realistic costing of doing it yourself you are probably not saving much at all.

I would do neither of those options and would chose more snack and finger food. Things like dips and crudités, crisps, sushi, some hot options like mini sausage rolls, pizzas etc.

I would make sure to include a variety of options that include vegetarian, vegan, gluten free just so there is something for everyone to eat. Would hate for people to be drinking on an empty stomach!

Neither. First I'd check the type of food DS wanted then go from there.

The chilli and rice would be a big no for summer for me. Making up hot dogs is also quite a faff. I'd have food laid out that is all cold and easy for guests to serve themselves and eat.

Definitely not chilli and rice

Pizza and hotdogs 🌭