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.

Oh I definitely could 😂

I did a lunch for 25 in the summer last year and had platters on the table for a first course - picked up the meats from LIDL for not a lot and served with whipped feta (quick and easy to do), hummus and tapenade (also quick and easy to make) plus baguette cherry tomatoes and baby peppers (LIDL sell them quite cheaply)

Do you have access to Costco? They can be good for this sort of thing.

Do not get a grazing board!

It's very straightforward, for 14 people you probably want about 800 grams total of charcuterie, just have a look here and get delivered:
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/shop/browse/groceries/fresh_and_chilled/cooked_meats_deli_and_dips/continental_meats_and_salami

Does not take long at all to arrange on a big platter

You can cook a ham in advance but personally I think it's nicer to give people some variety

Do your own. Loads of meats and cheeses and nice olives/marinated toms/stuffed peppers/mini mozzarella balls from aldi/lidl. Very very easy to assemble. You can use a series of cheap chopping boards covered in tinfoil. You can pre do this night before or get to the venue slightly earlier. A couple of bowls/platters of crusty breads (can even put knives for people to cut themselves and a couple of bowls of nice crisps and you're done

Are they coming for dinner? If so, then you need to do a proper meal. If just to pop by then a nice selection of savoury foods would be good.

Charcuterie: buy a gammon joint from Aldi / Lidl, cook the day before, slice,
Same with a chicken: cook, cool, Cut thighs drumsticks, wings into a little heap, strip and slice breast.
Small sausages
Pack of salami

I should add I linked to Waitrose because you mentioned Waitrose but like PP I have found charcuterie from Lidl or Aldi to be perfectly fine too, just not as much selection

Don't forget dessert. Strawberries and cream?

I agree that sandwiches are a right faff. Even cold charcuterie and salady stuff can prove very faffy in reality! I think it's far easier to do a pot of curry and a pot of rice (or lasagnas) - both of which can be made in advance, and reheated on the day. Bowl of rocket on the side. Done and dusted.

I’d agree with Pp don’t do sandwiches. Charcuterie, cheese, nice bread, olives and salad/ chutney.

I would do a cheese board and charcuterie board, have a board/large bowl for bread/crackers.

As well as the ham, maybe a piece of poached salmon?

Any veggies to feed?

I've done this level of catering before, it's not difficult if you pick the right menu.

When I do this for 10 I cook a gammon and a whole chicken.

Yes 😍

I love making finger sandwiches and always make them the night before and cover with a layer of damp kitchen roll they are delicious the next day- I do egg and mY, ham and mustard, cheese and pickle and smoked salmon and cream cheese. Marry berry did this on one of her tv shoes and it is so good!

But I appreciate it a faff you may not wish!

The ham idea is great but keep it really simple with only a few choices

Whole gammon cooked and carved
French baguette cut into portions (1/4 baguette so 4 in total)
Real Butter
Cheese (cheddar, Brie style and blue)
Pickle
Vegetarian quiche for all. 1/6 standard quiche for all.
Cherry toms and cucumber sticks

Have fun- sounds delightful!

If an avoid a charcuterie with lots of little things to buy and potentially lots of waste.

Go simple but plentiful.

I often just do a big ham/beef joint, thinly slice, lay out lots of rolls, butter, cheeses, crackers, dips, crudités, pickles, and a huge tray of roast potatoes. It always goes down very well!

14 people is just a large family really so you should be able to manage no problem. I catered for 40 people for my wedding, hot and cold dishes, all prepared in advance, BUT I had help with heating up and setting out on the day.

If doing hot - do something that you can prepare in advance and just take out of the oven when you need to serve it. I did a Boeuf bourguinon and jacket potatoes. Same with cold, prepare everything in advance, right down to cutting into portions if appropriate, keep in the fridge and just bring out when you need to serve.

Jacket potatoes are really easy, and good to serve with hot or cold options. Salads of various kinds, mixed cold meats, home made coleslaw, a family favourite is coronation chicken. I have a birthday celebration lunch to do next month and we're having coronation chicken, salad, sweet and sour noodle salad, roasted peppers, jacket potatoes (by order of the birthday girl!) and birthday cake of course. I will be making the curry flavouring for the coronation chicken the weekend before, and the basic cake (which will go in the freezer). I will also prepare the sweet and sour dressing and roast the peppers at the weekend. The chickens will be bought ready cooked the day before, the curry mayonnaise mixed and the chicken added that evening. The salads will be prepared, the table laid, and the cake assembled the day before. The only thing to do on the day will be to put the food on the table and to bake the potatoes.

I have to pace myself as I get tired very easily, but I should be able to manage that.

Cheese and meat board baguettes. Done

The addition of pasta salad has made it imperfect.

What about dessert???

I'm thinking apple crumble and ice cream?

Agree with most that getting some naice ham, cheese, baguettes, salad, quiche, naice crisps, and not 'making' anything is the way forward here.

I wouldn't make sandwiches.

14 is just feeding family, hardly catering for the masses.

I’d cook a nice big piece of gammon, sliced, salads and coleslaw, preferably homemade, baguettes, butter, cheese and chutneys - and I’d add a macaroni pie*, which invariably vanishes.

*like macaroni cheese, only with added eggs and baked in the oven, so it sets and can be cut into portions.

Don't make sandwiches.

Cheese, chutney, cold meat platter, crackers, olives, houmous - stuff that can be pulled out of the fridge and be ready to eat 5 minutes later.

People may not be hungry at all so make sure its also stuff that won't be harmed when you bundle it back in the fridge and keep it for future lunches.