AIBU to think this dinner spread will be enough for nine?

[geminicancerean]

Nine people for dinner tomorrow, 6 adults, 3 kids. It’s going to be really hot. 5 of the guests will have travelled some of the day.

I’ve actually been unwell this week so have relied on M&S to do the actual work. DH isn’t sure my planned spread is going to feed everybody so I’d like some opinions

I have bought:
2 quiches (one bacon and cheese, one cheese and onion)
2 packets hot flaked salmon
Ingredients for big Greek style salad (cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, feta etc)
Big bag of green salad
2 big pots of pasta, pesto and pine nut salad
6 sausage rolls
Big bag of M&S wotsits
Big bag of M&S bacon crisps
Huge double punnet of strawberries
Meringue nests
Cream
oh and cake

The sausage rolls and crisps are for whoever wants them but I obvs had the kids in mind picking those - I know all three kids like these things and eat them.

So that’s it. I think it’s enough. DH suspicious and thinks we might need ‘extras’.

Over to you Mumsnet (don’t worry, I’m braced for criticism and I can take it!)

Yeah it's giving ED. Also OP doesn't sound like much of a foodie if she's literally serving M&S for a dinner party. If you can't be bothered to cook for guests then why do it at all. If you've been unwell earlier this week, just cancel for another time, and pretty sure the guests will be happy to avoid potentially getting infected themselves.

I can’t cancel. Everybody is travelling to get here. We don’t live near our family.

It sounds delicious and will be plenty! Don’t make more cake! I made a 3 tier 8 inch cake for my mum’s birthday recently (10 adults) and it was huge. People have very thin slices when it’s tall like that and still feel that they’ve had a good portion. I ended up cutting the left over cake in half and sending some home with my mum and we had the rest. We got another 5 or 6 slices out of it.

You do come across as defensive but you are poorly so fair enough. I'm often crabby when ill too. I would add in another 2 packs of sausage rolls, a pizza(im thinking of the large ones you can get from Costco), some chicken and bread rolls or breadsticks. I actually think re dessert you have plenty as you have the cake (which sounds delicious) and you have the meringue nests, cream and strawberries too as an alternative.

Hope you feel better soon.

OP,
The food sounds good to me if you grab those extras, it’s nice food for a sunny day and the cake sounds amazing. I’d have 2/3 of a quiche, a sausage roll, some crisps and some Greek salad and a ginormous piece of cake with a few strawberries and a little cream. That would be loads for me for me and I’d really enjoy it.

Some posters on this thread are so rude!

Sorry about this but: for 9 people before this w/e I would have done: a small turkey breast carved and sliced, 3 bags of salad, very large bowl of potato salad (homemade), 3 french sticks from supermarket. For pudding: 2 supermarket bowls of chilled chocolate trifle and one of fruit trifle, cheddar and brie cheese and biscuits.

Any chance you can take a pic of all the food on a table? It might help you too?

I’d love to see the cake

Because it's well known in catering circles that if you present a selection of food to a group of people, not everyone will take one of everything. I believe the rule of thumb is to provide 2/3s of each item for every person attending. So 6 sausage rolls is spot on for 9 people. If the quiche is cut into thirds, again you have 6 pieces, so 12 pastry items and more than one per person. There's potatoes and 4 different types of salads, so most people will take a spoon of 2 or 3 of these. Plus there's other food now that the OP has added.

I think this too. People saying it’s enough for 4 is wild. Nobody would eat half a quiche, half a packet of salmon, 1.5 sausage rolls, a load of pasta salad, a load of Greek salad, a load of green salad, potatoes and potato salad surely, plus cake and meringue/strawberry pudding.

as long as the adult who doesn’t like quiche does like salmon I think it’s fine. They can have a nice meal of salmon And the various salads and potatoes.

I would get another punnet or two of strawberries

They really won't. Surely the OP is going to chop them up if they're those big Greg's-size sausage rolls. If she chops each one into 3 that's 18 pieces of sausage roll so then everyone can have 2 thirds of a sausage roll if they're all wanting them (and not everyone will want a sausage roll!).

You need at least double that.
Personally I’d do 3 times as much.

Absolutely, go down Greggs any time and you can see families of three sharing a sausage roll.

I find a cheese board, meat and bread goes a long way with minimal effort. Even picky eaters are happy with a cheese board.

Get a load of chicken nuggets or goujons too!!! Pizzas… more food!!!!

That’s so sad and I don’t even eat them

I have done catering, so if you keep it simple for yourself, that is what people will accept.

The mantra in catering is: "Give them plenty, one each, you are to feed and not to fatten".

You let the kids go first because it's important that they are fed - tired and hungry kids makes for a miserable time for everyone! As adults it doesn't do us any harm to eat less. Kids never eat much anyway (teenage lads aside!).

no one hopes there will be quiche, its a lunch food
I've just put a quiche in the oven for dinner. One quiche between 2 of us though. Plus some spicy potato things and salad. Its one of our favourite meals, lunch or dinner. We aren't fussy.

Six quiches for 9 people? A quiche for each adult? Really?

Someone is going to be on here tomorrow-AIBU that 6 sausage rolls is NOT enough for 9 people 😁

Yeeeeeah me and my 2 besties would munch through that and still have room. Add!

Yes a bit tight I would do that amount for 6 - woukd add in some cooked meats and a cheeseboard with crackers and some cut up french bread and butter

Well I think it sounds lovely OP, especially the cake. Well done for sorting it all out while being poorly and I hope you all have a great day tomorrow.

No, you’ll need more.

The 2/3 rule works for big groups but when it’s a small group it’s more obvious if there’s not enough

cutting the sausage rolls in half is a good idea. Cut the quiche in 6.

the spoon foods are a bit trickier so use a small spoon for serving!