To think it’s fine to cater a buffet for 14 myself

[Whoisthewalrus]

DH and I hosting a surprise weekend for SIL.

Lunch booked during the day (so most will have eaten) but want to have food for the evening as no doubt people will be peckish later.

I usually get M&S or a Waitrose type thing - but honestly they don’t taste great and am considering doing maybe sandwiches and a couple of salads myself.

There Will be a bit of time pressure on the day (as it’s a surprise I need to make it and hide it before 12pm) but I’d still rather do this than running around to pick up from Waitrose etc.

Yeah that sounds easy? Just prep it all before and pull it out before they arrive so you can relax- you’d do that anyway with pre bought stuff

If it were me I wouldn't make sandwiches, as they're a right faff. I'd get in bread, cheese, maybe make a ham ahead of time if you can, buy a quiche or three, and as you say, make a couple of salads. That way you don't spend your morning making sandwiches and they don't spend all day in the fridge.

As @Ineffable23 says, don't bother with sandwiches. Cocktail sausages, mini pork pies, nice bread, butter, cheese, crudités and dips, posh crisps, tomatoes...

Sandwiches take more time to make than you think, and are a bit sad after a day in the fridge.

Charcuterie, cheese and baguette. Some baked Camembert / Brie if you can be bothered.
Job done.

I’d do baguettes or rolls instead.

I cook for 10 every Tuesday night... Chilli or lasagne. Homemade garlic bread and vegetables.. Or jacket pots with chilli.

Quoting myself because if you can should have read if you can be bothered.

Hot rolls
Baguettes
Quiche
Pork pies
Picnic eggs
Charcuterie
Cheeses
Veggies
Fruit
Butter block
Coleslaw
Etc

Not sandwiches

I love a food thread.

Definitely go with cold cuts, cheese and chutneys, bread, salad bowls, crudites, crisps and dips, cold pies, cocktail sausages. Fresh fruit platter of grapes, berries and whatever else.

I wouldn't make sandwiches but absolutely a spread for 14 is perfectly reasonable.

Fwiw I often find a big chilli or curry (or a couple) easier than a cold spread for large numbers

Easy, I have catered for 80+ so 14 is nothing. Just work out what you buy in ready made, what you buy in for assembly and what is from scratch ... when it's comes to this sort of thing, the crowd pleasers tend to be the very things we shouldn't really eat but it's a celebration!

For this quantity of people I'd be tempted to buy sandwich fillings etc and cut bakery bread or rolls and let them assemble themselves for ease

Sandwiches and salads are actually the faffiest things to make and won't be nice sitting around all day

Far easier to get a lot of charcuterie and cheese and bread and just put on platters at the time
Get some pre-cut veg and dips from Waitrose, coleslaw
Get a couple quiches (or make yourself ahead of time)
Crisps and fruit
Maybe a couple nice cakes?

Thanks for the ideas all.

I won’t be doing hot food as this is off the back of going out for a meal in the day (but can’t expect people to not then eat in the evening) but switching to baguettes, quiches etc is a great idea.

im trying to work out how to get a charcuterie large enough (the ones in supermarkets are measly). I did look at buying in grazing boards - but again are pricy for numbers

Cheese board , add on charcuterie, grapes figs, chutneys , olives pickled onion, pork pie , with sliced up baguette. Maybe crudités and dips if you can be bothered . Perhaps then buy crisps, breadsticks . Could buy some party food to heat up like mini samosas or quiches, whatever looks nice .

I hate the big grazing boards with everything mixed , just unpack from supermarket on to separate plates and bowls , chopping board for cheese , pile of plates , napkins , cutlery

My mum does a lot of this for events, they buy rolls, and all the fillings and just present it in a way people can make their own (meats, cheeses, pickles etc)

Could you either go to a supermarket that sells cooked meats on a counter (might be more expensive) or go to Lidl/Aldi. They single meat platters, chorizo etc and you could get a few of those.

Costco, if you don’t have an account borrow someone’s card

But a whole ham and cook the day before then slice thinly. Add pasta salad, salad, breads, loads of cheese and maybe cold sausages or pork pies.

I often do “French Lunch” for a light meal: baguettes, cheese board, pate, salad.

A variation is to put out bits for people to make a Ploughman’s: baguettes, couple of cheeses, ham, salad and pickles.

Basically anything you can throw on a couple of serving platters and let people help themselves!

If you have pudding at lunchtime, you can just put out a fruit bowl or some strawberries and cream.

It’ll take no time at all beyond the shopping.

This is perfect! Thank you

Op are you in the UK and do you have a costco near you? Their sushi party platters are my go to for this kind of thing

I’m getting hungry reading these 🤤

I read the thread title as you were going to eat a buffet for 14 🤣🤣

Definitely go with a large joint of something cooked the day before and sliced up, then just keep it simple with bread, cheese and salad.