What food to serve at a gathering

[Internationalteapot]

We’re hosting 8 couples (10 including us). We rotate for dinner parties - last time we had brushchetta followed by lasagna with salad and lemon cheesecake, the previous time a Sunday roast. It’s our turn to host for the first time but we don’t have space to sit everyone around a dining table like we have when other couples hosted. Realistically people will need to spread between the kitchen and living room and eat on the sofa.

I don’t want to just put nibbles out (which seems a bit low effort) and would like to do something equivalent to the lovely dinners our friends have served. Even more so because it will be our Christmas get together. However no one wants to try and eat a Sunday roast on their knee on a sofa!

What would you serve in this scenario?

Thanks in advance!

Something designed to be eaten with hands, like posh burgers or tacos. Nigella’s fish tacos are easy but delicious. You could do nachos for starters and churros for pudding.

Absolutely not! Messy and totally not conducive with what the op describes!

Quiche, salad, new potatoes

something lighter given the time of year and then a lovely indulgent dessert

Tacos are messy and a big no-no for dinner parties

what about a big pan of paella

breads or patatas bravas as a side

Individual lemon possets with shortbread? Easy, can make in advance, not messy to eat standing or sat on the sofa.

For main, could you do chilli or curry served in bowls?

I once did ‘Christmas dinner on a stick’ for my then-wife’s birthday party one December.

Skewers with roast turkey, stuffing, a roast potato, a chunk of carrot, a Brussels sprout, a honey roast parsnip, and a pig-in-blanket. Big jug of turkey gravy and bowl of cranberry sauce, and then some other things like baked Camembert with breadsticks, cheeseboard, mince pies etc etc. It was genuinely talked about (positively) for years afterwards

I was going to suggest bowl food too.

I went to drinks in a bar in December last year and the “food platters” were basically a deconstructed Christmas dinner - looked very odd but worked brilliantly, so the above suggestion of doing it on a stick is a good idea.

That sounds awesome

If it’s for Christmas do roast pork/turkey sandwiches with the trimmings in. Have a desert platter with mince pies, stolen bites etc. cheese and meat platters with crackers and chutney.

Did you mean 8 people (10 ppl with you) and not 8 couples? Cooking for 10 is more manageable than cooking for 20.

I would probably skip a starter and do a cheese board/charcuteries as a standing starter.

Turkey curry or parsnip soup with crusty bread?

canapes - gougeres, savoury palmiers with champagne - standing welcome

crostinis - whipped goats cheese and roasted grapes with tarragon, smoked salmon, pate - also standing but more substantial

nigellas Rudolph pie - Google it, basically Christmas shepherds pie - which can be eaten with just a fork OR mac and cheese for any veggies with a sage breadcrumb topping

mini desserts

It went down so well! When I had the idea, I was worried it would be completely awful but it really worked.

I would do a big pot of chilli with various accompaniments and people can suit themself, pitta bread, tortilla chips, rice, maybe some jacket potatoes but they would need to be eaten sitting a table I would imagine.

I agree with bowl food. Maybe mexican style rice bowls? People can put them together in the kitchen to choose their own toppings etc then eat anywhere. Plus it's easy to prep it all in advance. Pulled pork or beef, chicken, beans, salsas, guacamole, lettuce, corn chips, rice, cheese, hot sauce, yum.

Definitely NOT things that need to be eaten with hands. You want food that can be eaten with one hand so you can hold the bowl (and yes, it must be a bowl) in the other hand. So the paella suggestion above is a great one. Stews and casseroles good choices too if you're serving shreded meat (no on-bone chicken or oxtail or whatever and, done well, are a joy to eat on rice/mashed potato/couscous.

Pasta (small shapes - not spaghetti etc) can work, but can can feel less "special" so if you do that you need to come up with a really good sauce. I do a really good creamy sausage, fennel, spinach sauce with added tomatoes that goes down well and served with penne. Or on the meal planning thread we're all big fans of the Jamie Oliver Savoy Cabbage pasta (but we have some changes we recommend! )

I'd go for nibbles and really good canapes to start rather than a starter - lay out pates and bread/crackers, some mini pastry bits you can cook in the oven, meats, olives, cheese etc.

And then dessert can be whatever you fancy really. I am hoping to test the massive meringue with cherry pavlova thing that Good Food/Olive Magazine had on their Christmas cover as a potential christmas dessert!

I agree with the chilli. Nachos, rice, french stick, sour cream, guacamole,grated cheese and salad. People can then make loaded nachos, a rice bowl or just have chilli and french stick. Dessert, make a large meringue top with whipped cream and lots of fresh fruit

I'd do a buffet with a nice big gammon at the centre, then some nice breads, some crispy garlicky potato wedges, a mac and cheese, salad, and maybe some additional nice party food bits too.

I would start with some canapés then for the main have Skye McAlpine's confit duck pie (like a fancy shepherd's pie made with confit duck, topped with apple and potato mash) and petit pois a la francaise on the side. That can be eaten easily with just a fork, is incredibly easy to make and tastes amazing - a proper treat dinner.

Chilli

Do you have room for a fold out table/drop leaf table?

If so I'd rather use this option with table cloth than base my food around people eating one handed.

Usually going for a song with chairs (or borrow chairs) on Marketplace, eBay etc.

Chinese curry with fried rice in a bowl or other Chinese dish - maybe a choice of 2. Starters do dim sum, gyoza, prawn toast and spring rolls. All can be eaten with a fork. All homemade (I’ve done it myself). Easy to do. I’m not suggesting Takeaway!!!

I always do a chilli. You can make the day before.

Honestly? I’d do nibbles. I love nibbles at Christmas.

Crisps, dips, sausage rolls, brie and cranberry pastries, spiced potato wedges, mini yorkshires with beef & horseradish, olives, smoked salmon blinis, etc followed by a massive cheeseboard, Christmas cake, Yule log & chocolates.

You can then spread the food between kitchen and living room which gives the opportunity for mingling too.

I’d go for something easy to eat on laps, big pots of chilli or beef bourguignon with rice or mash, or a help-yourself pasta bar. Feels like a proper meal but no one’s juggling a roast on a sofa.

Canapé starters can be managed with a glass on the sofa, make sure they're bite sized!
Main course something in a bowl that you can eat with just a fork (chilli, curry, cottage pie, risotto, paella, etc)
Puds make the same as starters: bite sized sweet canapes or ice lollies or cake pops etc
It's all about having a hand free to manage your plate and glass together
Make sure lots of places for people to pop a glass down when they need to
Get some trays so people don't have to keep getting up and down, make it easy to serve and clear
Don't forget people will still want napkins