To think party food is tacky and tasteless?

[Fudgeycake]

Every Christmas the supermarkets really push all that sort of beige finger food (bung in the oven stuff) as if it's delicious and what everyone wants? M&S and Waitrose offerings this year look vile, eg. mini prawn toasts, feta popcorn, chicken doughnuts? Does anyone really love this food?

I think this type of food is really outdated, bit tacky, doesn't look very appealing and mostly pretty tasteless? Some of it is quite expensive too. I'd rather just do a cheese board and some nice breads, meats, chutneys, pickles etc. Aibu? What do you have for your Christmas buffet/party food?

I like the jalapeño cheese ones. That's about it

YABVU.
Love me a bit of party food.

Love a bit of tacky on Xmas eve

Absolutely nothing wrong with a beige buffet. My parents have been holding a Christmas Eve party for the last 40 years & it has always included some sort of beige heat up buffet food. Always goes down a treat! Some things work better than others but most of the food is demolished.

Oh I love a party food spread, but old school

Prawn or leftover turkey mayo volauevaunts.

A huge hedgehog with all the cheese and pineapple and pickles

Sausage rolls, pizza and lovely Coronation chicken aka turkey sandwiches

Posted before finished. Yes to all the cheese beige foods, the prawn ring, the dips. I would agree with PP who said I would prefer this to a Christmas dinner any day

I'm actually quite partial to finger foods, but mixed in with some veg/salads and colour!

That being said......

I miss a good old 80s buffet!!! Before things got too posh!!

Cheese and pickles on sticks!
Bulky sausage rolls
Cocktail sausage
Pasties
A centerpiece massive jelly or trifle!
Cakes
Scones
Cold meats etc
All washed down with some dandelion and burdock!

The Tesco finest range looked awful when I went shopping for party food yesterday. I left with nothing at all. I already tried the baked Camembert and it was not nice.

Love beige party food with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream, love NY for this. Except we don't have a party, just 2 of us with mountains of the beige stuff, yum.

I love it but then again I enjoy beige food all year round

You can prise my spring rolls and samosas from my cold, dead hands. Depends on the scenario/number of guests but we usually do spring rolls, Indian snack selection, veggie sausage rolls, crisps, mini poppadoms, dips, crudités, olives, artichokes, grilled peppers, breadsticks, baguette, maybe pizza as well if we’ve got a crowd. I saw in the Lidl leaflet they’ve got snowman shaped bao buns so I’m definitely going to go and get some of those ⛄️ No demand for cheese or charcuterie here.

Are we really describing food as "tacky" now? Mumsnet is weird.

When it comes to food I agree that mumsnet is very weird.

Maybe try shopping at Coldland?

Bing Videos

Beige buffet oven food was our family Christmas Day evening tradition as we didn't have a Christmas Day meal

Dad was slightly put out when school rang him as I had described it as "At Christmas we ate scraps" (couldn't remember the name for buffet)

Dad "it was M&S!"

love a little brie and cranberry parcel

I love M&S and Waitrose party food - all those tasty little morsels!

Breads, cheeses, ham chutneys, etc don't do it for me for a party - too much faffing around with people have to assemble sandwiches themselves balancing on their lap, or a corner of the table. Much easier to have finger food

I love iceland's tempura prawns and duck spring rolls with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. I am often disappointed with other things I've bought though.

I'm with you OP. My go to buffet is potato salad, pasta salad, savoury rice, crusty bread, (all home made), then ill make a ham and/or bake a camembert, buy some good smoked salmon and prawns for a seafood platter. Making your own chicken legs goes down well. Olives, hummus, Greek salad.

I do include some party food if being lazy. I like mini sausage rolls and mini quiche and loaded potato skins. I'll cook mini sausages (not the vile supermarket ones), chicken nuggets and pizza for kids.

There are quite a few GF options nowadays. My DF is a coeliac and we have mini chicken kyivs and cheese wrapped in bacon (M&S), some little frittatas (Cook) and mini calzones (Ocado) for Christmas Day.

I'd be forever dubious of the culinary choices of anyone who thought pasta salad was an acceptable foodstuff.

The king of buffet food is the prawn vol au vent.

I love a '70,s buffet. Sausage rolls, mini pork pies, prawns in marie rose sauce vol-au-vents, cheese and pineapple or silverskin onions on sticks. Along with sandwiches, drumsticks, salad and coleslaw.
I hate all the cooks at the same time/temperature stuff that's the thing now.

I like a mix of both , nice ham cheese and pickles but also some party food