Boxing Day buffet - no cooking

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We'll be having family over on Boxing Day. 5 adults, 4 children (aged 7-12) in total. No allergies etc although kids can be fussy, simple food is better. I need ideas for food I can serve which needs zero cooking or preparation! I've looked at all the various 'food to order' options but the timing is tricky as we wouldn't be able to get out to pick it up later than the 23rd, plus everything needs some sort of cooking/heating/preparation. I really don't want to do a proper meal, more just snacky bits that we can literally take out and serve. But some of the family have big appetites and I'm having a panic that I won't fill them up.

Reason for the struggle is that I'm ill (cancer, chemo). DH will be here and happy to prepare food but he's been flat out taking care of me, will have cooked on Christmas Day, and I want to give him a day off. Family will also be happy to help and/or bring food, but again they'll have had a busy Christmas and I just want everything to be simple.

Extra complication is that due to chemo the thought of all food is kind of disgusting to me right now, so I'm struggling to think straight!

I have a Sainsbury’s delivery coming on Christmas Eve, so looking for ideas of food I can add to the order that will be fresh on Boxing Day (or things I can buy further in advance).

Any great ideas?

Could you start with a cheese board/crackers /french bread/chutneys/grapes then add in some cold meats/smoked salmon/ large pork pie.
Ice cream or a pre made pudding for afterwards.

Are you happy to heat things up? I'm thinking lots of part baked rolls with cold meats, cheese, hummus, salad, crackers, sausage rolls, pork pie, pickles, crisps...

Stuff you can just whack on plates that people can graze from. Just the bread and maybe the sausage rolls would have to go in the oven for a few minutes.

What about some plates of sausage rolls, Nuggets, sausages, scotch eggs, mini eggs, then bowls of crisps, some cheese and bits and crusty bread, maybe a ready to serve quiche, veg sticks, turkey and cranberry sandwhiches, and anything else they would eat. You can always throw a pizza or 4 in oven, or you could cook a lasagne up before and freeze or something similar. How much freezer space do you have?

I am sorry to hear you are ill. Well done on having such a kind dh! Do you have a budget?

What about a takeaway, everybody chips in and then order a selection

I was thinking something like that. Or. We have an inside pizza oven. You could have a buffet of raw ingredients and people cook their own as they fancy.

Bread/meat/cheese/crackers is what I was originally planning, just having a panic maybe it won't be enough. These are good suggestions though, a few things I hadn't thought of and can add to the list.

I did want to avoid heating things up but now I'm thinking maybe I'll have to and just keep it to a minimum.

Takeaway is what we've done in the past but to be honest it ends up cost

Costing a fortune and at the moment the thought of takeaway turns my stomach!

Pizza might be a good idea, very easy to cook and everyone likes it, and if I get a selection it feels a bit more fun

I know you said no heating and normally I then wouldn't suggest this but, I hope it might help. Baked potatoes in the oven and then a casserole dish that goes in after a bit with baked beans. Buy pre-grated cheese, bagged salad and add any leftovers from Christmas dinner. Filling, simple food and might tempt people.

This. 100%

Could you do a fish full of roasties? Some of the frozen ones are very good. Filling, kids love 'em and they'd prop up everything nicely.

Sometimes 'not cooking' takes longer than 'shove it in the oven'.

I hope it goes well and most importantly, you are able to enjoy it. Get a plate of your faves, sit in the corner and soak up that family love x

Could you or someone in your family cook a gammon on Christmas Day, that would be nice served cold with pickles, cheese, crackers, rolls and a tub of quality streets?

I just cook lots of joints over Christmas period and everyone tucks into that eg gammon, turkey, beef and something else.

We always do a cold buffet on Boxing Day - basically lots of sandwiches, left over Turkey with cranberry. Cheese and ham, egg mayo. The sandwiches don’t take long to prepare, very minimal.

The rest is cheese & crackers, olives & pickles, a few different types of crisps, scotch eggs & sausage rolls.
Then we have a few sweet things like chocolate roll/log, cupcakes, xmas chocs/sweets and a tin of quality streets.
Very simple.

We warm the sausage rolls up but everything else is cold. It always goes down well & pretty much everything gets eaten!

Can you order a glazed ham for delivery (lots of by-post options, or a nearby farm shop?). Or a side of salmon or salmon en croute? Quiches?

Then
Bag of salad, tomatoes, cucumber, pot of coleslaw, Pickled onions, pickled beetroot
Cheese and crackers, chutney, celery, grapes,
Hummus, carrot sticks
Dried apricots and nuts
Sausage rolls

Family cooking & bringing joint/s of gammon/other meat is also a good idea and something they'd probably be keen to do. Maybe I'm overthinking and as long as I have that along with bread, cheese, ready prepped salad, veg sticks etc that will be enough maybe with a couple of pizzas to stick in the oven to bulk it up a bit

We have a cold buffet on Boxing Day - it usually consists of:

Left over turkey
Ham
Any other left over meats
Left over roast potatoes
Cheese
Crackers
Bread
Sausages rolls
Cocktail sausages
Hummus
Guacamole
Tortilla Chips/crisps
Veg crudités
Coleslaws
Potato salad
Chutney's
Salad

Left over puddings from the day before (Christmas pudding, Yule log, apple crumble, lemon meringue pie, chocolate mousse)
Rocky Road
Mince Pies
Biscuits
Brownies

This is to feed 8 adults & 2 kids & there is usually loads left over that gets picked at throughout the afternoon.

Family cooking & bringing joint/s of gammon/other meat is also a good idea and something they'd probably be keen to do

I have often taken a gammon to my DB’s on Boxing Day and my DM used to take one of her famous massive salmon and broccoli quiches.

Spaghetti bolognese, can just stick om the slow cooker them cook heaps of pasta and garlic bread. Easier than a buffet

I think bread and cheeses as base is fine. People won’t starve for one afternoon and it’s easy to eat as and when.
Buy some frozen sausage rolls dh can heat, some mince pies. Grapes, some chocolates for kids. Sorted.

Family and friends will know your not 100%. They can help make drinks or bring a dish also. You could ask guests to bring cake or dessert for example

Having supported DH through cancer treatment, if you were my friend/family I would be more than happy to prepare and bring something if it meant giving you and your DH a break. Pretty sure actually that I'd be glad to be asked to do something practical for you both. However if you really don't want to ask, may I recommend frozen 'party food' type selections that all go in the oven at the same temperature?

I hope this thought doesn't make you feel iller but a good friend found ice cream stayed down when chemo made everything else feel too much.

I think it's bothering me because I've always wanted to host Christmas! I've never been able to because of various travel logistics but since I can't travel this year everyone has to come to me, which I'm thrilled about. I'm just a bit disappointed I won't be up to 'wow'ing anyone with the food. But I should really focus on what's important, which will be seeing family for the first time since the summer!

I am another vote for bread, cheeses, pates, pickles, pre prepared crudites, bag of salad, grapes, posh crisps and a joint of gammon and any left over turkey. With guests bringing gammon and turkey.

There isnt anything wrong with adding pizza but i actually find pizza for big numbers a faff as only two fit in my oven and they have to be rotated but your husband might be fine with that /bigger oven.

I quite like the frozen roasties as an addition.

We host around 20 people every Boxing Day and I can't face cooking for that number so we usually have:

Sliced joint of ham
Chorizo, parma ham, other deli meats
Sausage rolls
Scotch eggs
Pork pies
Quiche
Smoked salmon
Falafel
Hummus
Moroccan cous cous
Potato salad
Various types of cheese
Crackers
Crusty bread
Butter
Chutney
Grapes
Crisps
Olives

For dessert

Yule log
Mince pies
Lebkuchen
Fruit pavlova
Fresh berries
Pot of cream

We tend to put out glasses and bottles of red wine. Prosecco/white wine/beers/soft drinks go into a big cool box so people can just get themselves whatever they like.

All of that can just be taken out of the cupboard or the fridge and plated up and people help themselves. I don't think anyone will go hungry!

I'm sure if you asked family to help and assigned them each a dish to bring they'd be more than happy to. It's quite nice everyone chipping in, especially if they know you've been ill.

Get a takeaway

Use the leftovers from Christmas and pad out with a pre cooked ham ...

Turkey butties