To ask for your ideas of what I can serve eight people cheaply?

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Our family usually has a get together to watch England in major tournaments. I hosted the first one and had a barbecue with burgers etc plus a ham joint, salads, sides, an cheeseboard and charcuterie etc. It came to £200 and I was very pleased to do it. I enjoy hosting and would be so embarrassed if anyone was hungry. People often comment that they get good hospitality here and I’m pleased they think so.

Due to a change in circumstances, I am now also hosting on Tuesday. There will be eight of us. I can’t really afford to spend the same again, but I don’t want anyone to be sitting hungry. Has anyone got any ideas of what I could serve?

A couple of roast chickens, new potatoes, couple of salads (eg greek, green, mixed beans), followed by a couple of cheeses and grapes.
Get guests to bring dessert.

Chilli. Bulk out the meat with veg/beans/rice.

Oven full of jacket potatoes. Perhaps a choice of 3 fillings? Should be pretty cheap.

My go-to is roast chickens, sausages, stuffing, home made coleslaw, salad and crusty bread rolls.

Ice cream and strawberries for dessert.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder with lots of Mediterranean style salads. You could do that for 8 people relatively inexpensive ly and still look like you are making an effort.

It's short notice so I think it would be reasonable to get your guests to bring a dish each and share the load... If I was being hosted at the drop of a hat for whatever reason I'd think that more than fair.

Curry night? Do a chicken one and a veggie one with something like chickpeas or lentils. Chicken you could use a cheaper cut on the bone and take it off the bone yourself (or a whole chicken). Some rice, naan bread/poppadoms and chutney. Maybe some of those frozen party boxes of bhajis and samosas.

Just buy a load of pizzas. They can't expect a fancy meal each time.

Lamb is very expensive. That, and lots of Mediterranean salads for 8 people wouldn’t be relatively inexpensive!

Chicken nuggets and chips

Big cottage pie with peas and carrots on the side.

Chilli with tacos, guacamole, sour cream and grated cheese. With a simple salad.

Lasagne with a green salad.

Pudding: homemade summer fruit pudding with vanilla or white chocolate ice cream.

Something potato based?
Cheesy chips? Jacket potatoes with bean chilli, sour cream and salad?

Pulled pork is pretty cheap to do in the slow cooker.

Seriously? Lamb is very expensive

I hear you, everyone gathers here for England games too.
It gets expensive when there's like 6 or 7 of you ordering take away.
How about a big vat of chilli?
With sides like bread rolls and corn on the cob
(Although appreciate this depends on your audience as MIL would whinge her head off at this lol)

Jacket potatoes and fillings. Roast gammon joint, stuffing, bread cakes, mustard and apple sauce - make your own roast sandwiches. Couple of salads - normal side salad, coleslaw, pasta salad.

Lasagne, garlic bread, salad, maybe £30.

I don’t know about all of you, but in our area of the U.K. Tuesday is forecast to be 27° - I can’t imagine fancying cottage pie or baked potatoes.

If there are no vegetarians, I second the idea of a couple of roasted chickens served cold with green salads and a herb potato salad (new potatoes, olive oil, wine vinegar and masses of chopped parsley and some thyme)

These are excellent ideas! Thank you. I’m leaning towards the chilli. If I made it tomorrow, I could just reheat it on Tuesday, which would be handy when pressed for time.

Chilli and rice.

Or go German, and do hot dogs/bratwurst, with fried onions and mustard.

We just had a delicious meal for 8 of us:

Roasted chicken thighs with lemons and herbs
Roasted vegetables
Ottolenghi tomato rice

www.staceysnacksonline.com/2019/04/omg-ottolenghis-baked-rice-w-tomatoes.html?m=1

My go to is always a roast chicken with salad, coleslaw and crusty bread.

Stodge. Classic workplace buffet fodder of quiches, mince pie and corned beef pie, but that would probably cost a fortune from whoever your local independent butchers/bakers is?

Chilli and rice is perfect. Serve sides of sour cream, grated cheese, nachos and jalapeños (all available in Aldi or Lidl) and it will seem much more impressive.

Definitely chilli! Bulk it out with lots of tinned pulses and you’ll have plenty. I make a big batch every couple of weeks and freeze it for lunch, I get at least eight Chinese takeaway tub-sized portions out of a 500g tray of mince and a few tins of various beans, so dinner-sized portions for eight would be only a few more more than that. Plus nachos and dips to serve eight. Shouldn’t cost you more than about £20 all in.