Christmas party host - food question

[Hmmmmwineandchocs]

Hi, we’re hosting a Christmas party for friends, does this sound enough food?
14 adults
10 kids, most age 9, couple age 12.

Veggie spring rolls x36
Samosas - maybe 20
Pigs in blankets x36
Roast potatoes - homemade so can make lots.
Mini sausage/cheese and onion rolls c30 of each
Mini scotch eggs x3 packets
Cheesy flatbread and plain garlic bread x3 each
Veg sticks and dips
Crisps x 3 flavours
Cheese and biscuits

For pudding tubs of cake/mini rolls etc from m&s.

Trying to keep it all finger food so no cutlery needed.

Yes, it's the food equivalent of taking a communal bath.

I think you need a centrepiece like a Stilton cheeseboard (half cut into portions, half on display) with relish, crackers and mini portions of grapes or mandarins.

Personally as it’s a Christmas theme I’d be looking for something turkey based like vol-au-vents or turkey slices made into a rose in a wineglass. Too 1970s?
I find guys who’ve had a bit too much to drink make a beeline for the simple protein and avoid carbs, so pigs in blankets, all the charcuterie and cheese. Not samosas, salad and quiche.

This year 19yo DD is having a NYE party for assorted friends. Having the oven on will also serve to heat the place so we’ve decided on all-night pizza, a huge vat of lasagne (soaks up the alcohol) and pre-prepared tiramisù cream with finger biscuits. As well as the usual crisps, popcorn etc.
Anybody who stays the night will have freshly baked frozen croissants and coffee/hot chocolate for breakfast. Or leftover lasagne!

No way is 36 pigs in blankets enough for 24 people!
your better off buying normal sized sausages and have buns, onions so it’s more filling, a big potato salad instead of roasts, couple of large pizzas or nuggets for the kids or a few trays of sandwiches, big bowl of salad and coleslaw and forget the dips.

I agree you need more but what’s with the roast potato hate? That sounds awesome! Perfectly fine to eat off of a paper plate standing.

I’d add two large chickens, a whole side of salmon, a large salad, and a fruit cake and a lemon drizzle cake. I cater for 14 at Christmas and your list wouldn’t touch the sides.

You definitely need a main and some veg/salads.
I'd do a prime rib for 25 people attending.

How odd.

Every time I’ve been to a party with a big pot of something, we are given a ladle to spoon out an individual portion.

Perhaps you could try that next time x

What time is this? If it’s like 3-5 then you need more but not huge amounts, if it’s a mealtime you are way out and need to rethink. I have a 9 and 12 year old and they never stop eating!

I think the issue is there’s lots of variety but not lots of each thing, so personally I’d reduce the number of items but increase the quantity of each. Then I’d add something like a big pizza cut into slices/squares.

Absolutely nowhere near enough!!!

I'm guessing @Hmmmmwineandchocs that this is pick up bits, rather than a full meal? That's important to know.

This is what I do for those sorts of parties:

Crustades 48
Mini cheese and mushroom tarts 48
Mozz and tom sticks 48
Avo and salami toasties 48
Finger sarnies 48
Devils on horseback 48
Cocktail sausages 150
Mini sausage rolls 48
Pizza squares (children)

Crustades: 4 packs of cases, large pack boursin, 4tbs mayo, pack prawns. Mix boursin and mayo, spoon in, garnish with a prawn.

Tarts: finely chopped shallot, large pack finely chopped mush and make a duxelles. Line patty tins with frozen shortcrust rolled a bit thinner. Tsp of duxelles per patty, sprinkle of cheese, top with whisked seasoned egg (bit of cream in it) 10-15 mins

Mozz and tom sticks:
Cocktail sticks, mozz pearl, small cherry tom, black olive, basil leaf,

Avo and salami toasties
Pastry cut brown bread, brush with garlic oil, toast in oven for 10 mins. Spread with smashed avo (with salt, pepper, chilli flakes, lemon juice). Curl a thin salami slice and bung on top.

Finger sarnies
Crustless bread, good butter, cut each sarnie into 4 finger slices, horizontally.
Smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber, ham and mustard.

Devils
Soak dried prunes and remove stones, insert an almond, wrap with half a slice of stretched streaky. 10-15 mins.

Arrange cocktail sausages around a ramekin of grain mustard for the adults and ketchup for the children.

48 mini sausage rolls - warm.

Two large square pizzas, cut into 1.5 in squares.

Crisps and nuts

Paper doilies on a dark serviette on the plates and add watercress to garnish. (I find the crudites never go).

Sweet stuff: I'd buy a slab of christmas cake and cut into fingers, same with a stollen, and 48 mini mince pies (I usually sift a bit of icing sugar with a pinch of edible glitter), I'd also buy some mini macarons. I'd probably put out some mini cup cakesnfkr the children.

Am I right in reading this that you’re inviting people for drinks and nibbles? If so that’s loads, though I’d probably ditch a few bits in favour of more pigs in blankets, and do some topped crostini or something you can prep ahead of time so you’re not spending the evening in the kitchen taking things out of the oven. The kids will love those treat buckets. Hope it goes well!

Thanks everyone you’ve given great suggestions, we’re going to knock off roast potatoes, samosas and garlic flatbreads, add a lot more pigs in blankets, sliced ham, more cheese, nice bread and get some big pizzas.
As i said in my last post this is for grazing.

Yes, dunked in sour cream? Yum! They definitely beat pot wedges, and taste so good cold.

I would add, mini sandwiches, a couple of large pizza cut up, or pizza bites, garlic baguette slices, a quiche, and a large salad (although op said just pick up food), some dips for the crisps, add carrot sticks to fake a bit of a healthy look.

And not sure who said upthread drunk people don't go for carbs - who on earth wants a roast chicken slice over a huge piece of pizza?!

Love the roast potato support 😁 was going to cook them before people arrived and put them in the warming drawer so they aren’t piping hot, they’d be smaller than you’d have with a roast so more bitesize, plus they go with the pigs in blankets

This sounds like a lovely spread. Re amounts:
everything should be divisible by the number of guests. The kids will eat at least the same as the adults at that age, if not more. So that makes 24 people.
If you only allow for one each, and people take two, which is likely with small bites, others miss out. If the packs come in amounts that aren’t helpful (eg 20s and you need 24 or 48), buy over and freeze what you don’t need for your family’s use over Christmas.
Veggie spring rolls: you need at least 48
Samosas - 20 isn’t even one each. Either 24 if large or 48 if mini
Pigs in blankets: at least 48. You could also have some regular cocktail sausages as they are cheap and the kids can go overboard in those
Roast potatoes: need something to dip into, can be dry on their own
Mini sausage/cheese and onion rolls - 48 of each but I would probably drop the sausage rolls if you are doing pigs ans especially if you add in the cocktail sausages.

If you’re doing cheese and biscuits, and cheese rolls, not sure you need cheesy bread too, would stick with the garlic bread and increase the amount, probably 6

Crisps - I’d honestly stick to one flavour, probably plain but that’s a personal choice
As others have said, it’s a bit ‘beige’ so I would add bowls of eg cherry tomatoes, grapes, olives and make sure your veg sticks are a variety of colours (red, green, yellow, orange pepper sticks; carrots;!cucumber etc)
You could make the dessert bites more festive eg mini Stollen bites, Lebkuchen, mince pies. Lidl and Aldi are very reliable for these things and more friendly on your pocket.

I know you are now having pizzas, but here are some other ideas for finger food to eat whilst standing up:
-https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/filo-pastry-mini-quiches-great-for-kids-to-make-and-eat/ These can be made with any filling you like. Tomato/basil/mozarella, sweetcorn/ham, asparagus, salmon etc
-https://simplehomeedit.com/recipe/cranberry-brie-bites/
-https://www.recipetineats.com/special-pork-fennel-sausage-rolls/
-https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/classic-devilled-eggs Personally I prefer curried eggs
-https://www.recipetineats.com/smoked-salmon-appetizer/
-https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/naan-spinach-halloumi-bites

Yep, definitely ditch the roast potatoes…

Nigella's loaded potato skins are a winner and can be prepared in advance
You need more pigs, samosas etc too. Plus a pot if chilli etc

I'd keep the roast potatoes and serve with dish of cocktail sticks.

Do you have a sweet centre near by? The one I like to use does 100 for £25, that would keep a lot of people happy, obviously you need chutney to go with them but you can make their own.

On the crisps, I would stick to plain unless they are not crisps, things look hulahoops or chipsticks. My father was once traumatised by eating a prawn cocktail crisp when I was about 8 or 9, he still checks if he is offered crisps that they are not a 'funny flavour'.

In December? Are you posting from Australia?

Have you never been to a Christmas market? We often have a bratwurst night, pretzels with molten beer cheese fondue and one of us lights the coals on the bbq and grills sausages and the like. Stick a coat on (but it’s very warm when you’re standing next to a bbq), the kids love a bit of fire and they can toast marshmallows after! We are in London, but we’ve done this when we’ve lived in a very cold mainland European country - even with snow!!

Maybe I'm missing out then, my BBQ is firmly retired at the beginning of September!

In that case keep them in! Your update sounds perfect - enjoy

If it’s for grazing, rather than a meal, I think the rule is six canapé “bits” per person (although I could be wrong about this!). So just make sure you have enough for people to have 3 of everything and maybe some cheese and crackers? Pizzas are messy, so I’d be a bit dubious about those. But you could cut up some quiches into bite size pieces and hand those round with napkins and cocktail sticks?