Are you hosting a Christmas party?

[lucysmam]

If you are, what food are you serving?

I'm hosting for about 25, mix of kids and adults, and can't decide what to make/do.

Don't need to worry about drinks apart from soft drinks and making sure there's plenty of tea, coffee and milk.

I'll be doing soup, stovies and a vat of macaroni cheese with crisps and dips and mince pies etc. I also make mulled wine and hot chocolate and we toast marshmallows on the fire pit

For that many people, I would think about a pot of very mild curry, a hotter curry, a veggie curry, rice, sides (tomato salsa, chutnies, naan bread or puppodums, etc) and maybe a bowl of green salad and chunks of French stick.

Or a medium curry, with a non-curry rice dish like chicken and mushrooms in wine/cream sauce, and more neutral sides (and including a veggie option).

Is it a daytime affair or evening OP?

I haven't got as many people coming but I'll be doing a large cheese board, charcuterie (might do a ham if I'm feeling like it), homemade crusty bread, crudités and prob a few oven pizzas.

Yes 60 people including 30 kids. I'm doing kids food boxes. Adults are all Bringing a cold plate of something to share.

Thus comprising a buffet

Yup - we have a party every Christmas and I always do a big selection of cold canapés that I mostly make ahead and assemble at the last minute.

Happy to post canapé info if you’re interested.

Not this year but in that past for that number we’d serve a buffet of:

Lasagne
Chicken curry
Platter of cold meats
Rice
Garlic bread
Salads
Little chipolatas for the kids
Plate of crudités

That generally seems to cover even quite fussy adults and children.

If there were vegetarians attending I’d add a vegetarian chilli to that.

Forgot to say, our guests often offer to bring something so I ask for desserts and I supply ice cream and cream. (And bowls of sprinkles and chocolate coins for the children)

Last year I went to a party with bread, olives, alcohol and goulash, it was lovely. Kids had chips and sausage rolls I think.

I have around 25 including kids every year for a xmas eve party. Kids are all under 10 if that’s relevant. I do nibbles I.e sausage rolls, cheese straws, mince pies, cake, crisps etc and some proper party food like the mini toad in the holes or spring rolls etc. Will probs also do a couple of pizzas this year and cut into bite size pieces on a big platter.

Our party is all about grazing, there’s no need for plates even really and people just dip in and out. It’s usually 2-6 ish as well so not necessarily at a meal time iyswim. Grown ups get stuck into mulled wine/prosseco and kids are so excited they rarely want to eat much.

@Insomnibrat early evening ish - we usually arrange for about 5:30-6pm so if the kids are ready for home fairly early we've done some dancing to party songs & adults have had a good chat and drink while kids race round like loonys.

@Taffeta yes please! Anything I could pre-prep would be great :)

I usually do an Italian themed buffet which is very low prep as I buy most of it

• platters of cold meats (parma ham/salamis/cooked sausages
• cheese board
• bowl of mixed salad/platter of chopped veggies with dips
• bowls of olives, artichokes and other pickles
• hot pastas - usually two of the following lasagne/pesto/ bolognese /tomato sauce etc
• breads - ciabatta, focaccia, baguettes
• Pizza
• crisps and nuts

Mini lobster rolls - prep filling ahead toast mini brioche rolls and put one in other just before

Make own chicken liver pate (v easy and cheap!) a few days ahead - put on little rectangle of pre toasted sourdough with a small cornichon or sliced cherry tomato

Mango chutney mini poppadoms with carrot cucumber and nigella seeds

Homemade smoked mackerel pate - on toast triangle or cracker with cucumber

Marinated mozzarella with grilled chilli on skewer

Cherry tomato mozzarella basil on skewer drizzled with balsamic syrup

Stilton celery and walnut drizzled with honey on crostini or cracker

Rare roast beef with Stilton watercress spread on small toast or cracker

Feta cucumber bites

Smoked salmon fish eggs Creme fraiche or sour cream lemon and dill on mini blini or rye

Most strong cheese with a refreshing veg go well on a toast or cracker

I host quite a few parties and one of the more popular was make your own posh rolls and sausage.

So tons of different types of sausages, from venison to vegetarian to chorizo, to pork and apple etc etc , all done in the oven. So easy.
Then loads of different breads, olive, sun dried tomato, garlic, cheese, crusty, Ciabbata, etc, etc etc
Lots of different sauces, dips and chutneys, from sour cream to caramelised onion, mustard, chilli etc, etc
Enormous bowls of dressed salad
Coleslaw, potato salad

Lay it all out in huge platters and a ton of paper plates and cutlery. Folks really enjoy it and is quite fun as you can have many varieties, it’s quite wintery and very filling, it’s also the easiest thing in the world to do and you aren’t slaving over a hot stove.

Then if cost isn’t an issue, the English cheesecake company do some fantastic cheesecakes, you can get them inviduallly or large ones which feed twelve. Different flavours of those out, from key lime to chocolate, to millionaires short bread or red velvet and you’ll be a star.

Yes, I seem to always host the christmas and end of year pissups!
Will have a large cheeseboard, do a ham, hotdogs with a variety of sausages, sausage rolls and cheese and onion ones.
With other stuff to shove on the table.
It's mainly about the booze for our lot but the food is all ready and prepared in advance so easy peasy.