your go to dinners for playdates?

[kjnewk]

Ds is increasingly having friends over after school and I need to make them dinner. Last couple of times, I went for pizza but that didnt seem to go down all that well. Now am feeling nervous as I dont want the kids to go home hungry and complain to their parents. So please hit me with your fail safe dinners. Ds is 7 years old if that makes any difference.

DD had her first friend round for tea over the summer, spoke to parent beforehand and was told that she ate anything. Planned to do DIY pizza, she didn’t like that, chicken nuggets, nope, fish fingers, nope. Ended up with chocolate spread sandwiches and pombears. DD thought it was the greatest meal of her life 😂

Why do they all say their kids will eat anything?? I've had this experience a few times now and parent always insists they will eat anything. Then they come and loudly complain about almost everything I have to offer them - which isn't a problem in and of itself (I'm talking about child 6 and under so I hardly expect them to be overly polite haha) - but I could have easily got something they did like if their parent would only tell me what they liked in advance?!

Pizza, fish fingers or chicken nuggets with a side of fries and some veggie sticks/sweetcorn. I ask the playdate child which they'd prefer. I also offer up my own dinner option (typically chilli/stew/curry) if they'd prefer it. If none of these options are ok, they can have a sandwich/toast/cereal.

I find that a child who likes chilli or chicken curry usually likes THEIR MUM's chilli or chicken curry, not mine. Fish fingers are a safe bet.

Mine declares that the best dinner his mate's mum makes is "Spread your own". I asked her about it - she just pulls everything out of the fridge that could possibly be spread on bread, and a selection box of cheese biscuits. I don't know if it's because it looks like a buffet or quite what it is, but DS absolutely waxes lyrical about it. I did it once for our family and he says mine was "nearly as good" 🤣

That mate always asks for potato waffles, beans and cheese when he comes over!

I've loved reading through these options but alsonthe stories that go with them
Feeling other people's kids...a lot whole new level of interesting

@Blondeshavemorefun "raw catguts" has definitely been the best suggestion so far 🤣🤣🤣

I almost always do what my daughters call "bits and bobs", which is just cold picnic type food - sandwiches, sausage rolls, fruit, cheese, boiled eggs, crisps, cocktail sausages, bread sticks, dips, etc. It's a fun, kiddy party tea, it's easy, and the leftovers go straight into a Tupperware for my husband's lunch the next day 🤣

There is one special case with DD2 and a particular friend. They both adore anything pink, so they tend to have pink pasta, which is macaroni cheese with pink food colouring!

I'm keenly aware of allergies so tend to go with pasta and have gluten free pasta in just in case as lots of dc's friends have issues with gluten or dairy.

Am so happy I had my children in the 90s …fish fingers ,sausages ,cheese pasta,cannot remember any dietary restrictions.

Macaroni cheese. Easy and can make in advance and heat up when they're ready.

Peas on the side. Salads bits to pick on.

Pudding - ice cream and they can decorate with sprinkles, sauce and flakes.
If it's really posh, you could make your own berry coulis as the sauce

Much like a pp’s list

Pizza
Bolognese (I keep in ice cube portions in freezer so can vary portions depending on child numbers/hunger levels)
Pesto pasta
Tomato pasta
Fish finger wraps
Sausages
Cheese toasties (very popular)

I will offer plain pasta or toast if child is very picky.

I’ve tried more adventurous stuff - quesadillas, nachos, mild curry - but it’s been hit and miss and I cba with the wasted effort.

I also don’t care if I send a child home hungry. I will just tell the parent they had X but didn’t eat much.

I have good eaters but I was a very very fussy eater as a child so I don’t judge and I don’t take it personally.

Pasta pesto or pizza with carrots and cucumber
absolute crap and I resent feeding it to my own kids. Worse when they have lots of play dates and they are going to a friends every week and eating crap then having a friend here every week and I’m feeding them crap.
I don’t know what to do really but just plodding along for now.
My kids will eat literally anything but still get fed beige shit, whereas all their mates are extremely fussy. One only wanted pizza but not any pizza, only Dominoes takeaway!
I obliged as I wanted to get make friends with the parents, which I did do and now they are firm friends the child gets toast when he comes here.

Was that eaten ?

Worth a try with the fussy eaters 😂

Pasta with pasta sauce served with cheese (grated, served separately) salad (chopped up cucumber, tomato, lettuce, olives if there are any lying around). Maybe some garlic bread if I’m feeling exotic. Strawberries and ice cream or similar for pudding.

This thread has reminded me of when I used to go to my friends house and her mum would make pasta ‘wheels’ (garufalo ruote according to google). With broccoli, ham and Parmesan, I think there was some olive oil or butter as well. So simple but I absolutely loved it at that age! I think the unusual pasta shape played a large part in its appeal.

25 years ago ...
Pasta with chicken hot dogs chopped in it and peas
Pasta with grated cheese and tomato and cucumber sticks
Fish fingers homemade wedges sweet corn
Make their own pizza...ready made bases

Pudding....bought pots of choc mousse or petit filous ( sp )

Our play date dinners were always breaded chicken breast with carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes.
Once I made lava cakes, left them to cook during pick-up and came home to….chocolate muffins. Lesson learnt: keep it simple.

@EasyComfortDishes "Pasta pesto or pizza with carrots and cucumber
absolute crap and I resent feeding it to my own kids"

What a very strange definition of "crap"...

I used to just ask the parent what type of food they liked

They get what we're all eating, or go hungry. Dessert is fruit. We never pandered, except for allergies/intolerances. If they didn't want X pizza because it wasn't from Y shop, then they had toast. Zero fucks given. Kids still came back, and DC got invited to their house.

DS' best friend still raves about the best lentils and chorizo dish he's ever had at our house! Super quick, super simple, polished off quickly and seconds. His mum (my best friend) was both amused and jealous 🤣

Mine are actually not too bad, they've always eaten what was given on play dates.

I was actually thinking of my mum who would make a 'vegetable casserole' which was root vegetables boiled in water with an added oxo cube. She'd 100% tell others that other children wouldn't eat her delicious food.

So I live in a very different area to you OP and my dd is fussy (she will eat veg though). So they'd either get a picky tea, freezer food (quorn nuggets) chips and veg, or some form of cheesy pasta. I'm afraid it was like or lump it round here, as at the time we didn't have the money to be nipping out for pizzas etc.
One thing I was surprised about was the occasional phone call from worried sounding mums, who would want to know what to do because dd would only eat chips from macdonalds. She got offered happy meals a LOT round other peoples, so I always thought it was a win just sitting them down to something I'd cooked.

My dc are teens and tweens now, but through many years of having dc for tea I have always done make you own pizzas, spag bol, chicken nuggets and chips or hotdogs.

Try not to worry if dc don't eat well (and offer a pudding or snacks so they aren't hungry). I think some dc just don't eat well away from home.