Buffet for 40 - what would you serve?

[StarryEyedMama]

Hey All

It's my DS's 2nd birthday next weekend and we are having family and friends over for a party. Planning on ordering some things from M&S as we will be out most of the day the day before and it'd be nice not to worry about preparing all the food.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what would be best and most importantly how much? (I always get the quantities wrong and end up throwing loads away)

Chilli, Veg curry, and pork and Apple casserole. Jacket pots.

Thanks! I'm thinking more on the lines of party food as its my DS's 2nd birthday - the ideas sound great if it wasn't for a toddlers birthday!

I'd go the traditional route of open sandwiches, crudites and dips, quiches, various salady things, sausage rolls/mini pizzas, cheese and biscuits and possibly a cold centrepiece like a baked salmon or ham. For desserts, children love those ready-made jelly-pots (or normal jelly in paper cups), big cakes to share and a huge dish of fresh fruit salad served with cream People rarely eat as much as you think they will and children eat next to nothing, so I'd prepare....

• 80 open sandwiches on small rolls
• 2 big plates of crudites and ready-made dips
• 3 or 4 large quiches (always popular)
• whole salmon or decent-size ham if you go that route
• 80 little sausage rolls or mini pizzas (children like those)
• generous amounts of salad, coleslaw, cherry toms, cheese, crackers, bread and other fill-ups

What's the proportion of adults to young children ?? I would be inclined to just do some simple ham/cheese sandwiches for the dc's (work on 2 quarters per child plus a few extra), plus a couple of mini pizzas/sausage rolls/cocktail sausages each, plus crisps, cherry toms, cucumber & carrot sticks and some little cakes/biscuits for after.

For the adults, I would just do a big cheese board with chutney/grapes/walnuts/celery, some fresh bread and crackers, some cold meats and salad and some crisps/breadsticks/olives and dips

Cheese board, cold meats French bread and salads work well.

All of what Cogito says. Plus if you go to M&S they do some fab big cakes for parties. Get a couple of those to go along with the b'day cake & other food. Best to order online.