Can anyone help me plan a christmas buffet?

[ENormaSnob]

So I may have inadvertantly invited about 16 people for christmas day

I find using the catering sites good to blatently nick ideas get inspiration from. Our buffet is losely based on a handout I picked up at Waitose (way cheaper to do your own ham/poach own salmon etc. but points you in the right direction, especially for traditionalists). Good for veggies too.

I'm not advertising them, I'm suggesting you use this for ideas:

Linky

Pinterest is good to search for Christmas buffet food (have found some good things for our Christmas party).

You can prepare some things in advance and freeze, e.g. stuffing (if you want to make it into balls), cranberry sauce, sausage rolls etc. Snacks like nuts will bulk out the food, as well as lots of cut up raw veg that people can graze on.

If you have a slow cooker then it might be worth finding a good Christmas-y stew or something and bunging that on - saves you a lot of hassle and will feed lots. Ditto making a soup, freezing, then reheating. People can help themselves if it's on the table.

You can always ask people to bring a dessert to contribute, or have something like a build-your-own dessert table, which children will love and is much less effort.

Something I will be trying is Christmas Quesadillas which look like they have the flavour of Christmas and could be kept hot in the oven.

Could you roast a rolled turkey breast and do a ham before the day to have cold? Or roast some chicken legs in a barbecuey sauce to eat hot? Do some pigs in blankets on the day, serve with lots of salad veg, cheeses, breads, chutneys, and crisps and nuts. Get some of M&S party food packs and cook them whenever you like through the day. Have assorted cakes, mince pies, chocolate logs etc for pud. Or some trifles.

Oooh thanks.

Yes I do have a slow cooker but usually do mulled wine in that.

I will be delegating dishes to other people so that makes ithings a bit easier.

Stuffing balls are a great idea, thinking nice bread and cooked meats too.

What cheeses do you think for a cheese board?

What kind of puddings would you like to see?

I am all up for easy stuff so am happy to go to m & s etc.

When should I buy it all? Would you chance getting it christmas eve? I have never shopped on christmas eve before.

How far in advance can the cakes be made?

I am not allowed any holidays over christmas and might even end up working on the day

Cheddar and stilton are traditional, I'd have a mixture of British and continental. So you could also have brie, red leicester, wensleydale with cranberries in is festive; also roule, or a soft goats cheese are nice to spread on bread.

If I was to be a guest, I'd be grateful for anything you were prepared to provide pudding-wise, given the situation. I think getting them on the 23rd would be OK if buying. M&S do frozen puds and buffet stuff so you could get that in advance. Or delegate the purchase of said items to the invited.

Do you mean all these people could possibly be having Christmas day at your home while you have to go in to work, when will you know definitely one way or the other?

Poor you having no Christmas holiday :(

The good news is that cakes can be frozen. I have seen it done with loaf cakes, i.e. fruit/carrot/chocolate chip, and they came out well, were iced on the day (or the day before is fine, or not at all, depends how you like your cake). My old workplace also bought large sponge cakes (iced), flapjack and scones and defrosted them. They were fine, although the scones required a zap in the mircowave of 30secs as they went a bit hard.

Trifle is usually a traditional pudding. Schwarz (spice manufacturers) have a recipe for a quick Christmas Pudding that you boil on the stove whilst you eat lunch. It mixes like a sponge, i.e. bung it all in and whizz around. It's lighter than a traditional pudding but still boozy. Maybe fruit skewers with chocolate drizzled over? Or a festive crumble (could make the fruit mixture before and freeze) with spices?

Cheese-wise we have cranberry or ginger Wensleysale, a blue cheese and a strong cheddar, plus a goats cheese and any other fancy things we've not tried before.

I should get my shifts over the next 2/3 weeks so fingers crossed.

Worked nights all over christmas last year so hoping for it off this year really.

If I am working then everyone will go to my mums and we will get together another day and do a buffet then.

I have a costco card so may get the cakes from there.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, I am going to complile a menu and delegate dishes nearer the time.