Big vat of something for a children's party?

[dotty2]

Not sure if I'd get better advice here or in parties, but here goes. Am doing a craft party for 12 7-9 year old girls (must be mad) and want to get the food ready in advance, as will be fully immersed in craft activities etc during the party itself. Obviously could do platters of sandwiches and the usual crisps/sausages. But thought it might be easier and maybe more fun to do a big vat of mild chilli in the slow cooker then can leave it out of the way and serve up with a giant bowl of tortilla chips, grated cheese and some crunchy salad. So my question is - do most 7-9 year olds like mild chilli? (Will try and ask a few parents of the girls in question too). Or can you think of anything else that could simmer away with no last minute intervention required (not about to try and cook pasta for 12 at the last minute, otherwise would do spag bol). Thank you.

would pizza be easier?

no need for cutlery and if you're really slatternly relaxed you can serve it in wedges in a napkin, so need for plates either

Pot of sausages, onions and tatties?

I'm afraid I'd say no to most girls that age liking chilli, in my experience.

Mine certainly wouldn't eat it (she's 9) and of the friends of hers we've had round to tea in the last year or two, plenty were still in the 'no sloppy or unfamiliar food' stage. Her last birthday party involved a cookery lesson making fish and chips, and about a third of them wouldn't even eat the fish... I'd go for more standard cold party food, or maybe oven stuff like pizza.

A big shepherds's pie keeoing hot in the oven? Make it the day before then just put it in to re-heat?

The vast majority of DS's mates would eat chili, but you never know.

No! Most kids that age won't eat chilli, at least one will be vegetarian,mand actually lots of kids that age don't like "big pot" food. I would do sandwiches or mini pizzas, and crudités and fruit, and crisps/tortillas.

In my experience, most 9 year olds love chilli!

We did a mahoosive amount for bonfire night and the 8 kids just hoovered it up and all the guacamole and soured cream.

My dh made 2 vats - one mildish and one hotter, ostensibly for the adults but the kids ate the hot one!

My kids love chilli too. What about spaghetti Bolognese when you could serve loads of garlic bread too?

I'd probably do pizza and salad. Asdas fresh pizza from the deli are bloody gorgeous.

Dd would love it. Ds would hate it. So I think it depends on the children and what they eat at home.

I agree with mummytime that one or two could be vegetarian - you need to check first. I came a cropper when DD was younger by serving pizza and salad/crisps etc instead of sandwiches where several of the girls didn't like Pizza .

Perhaps do jacket potatoes with the chille then they could at least just eat the potato?

mine wouldnt eat chilli. What about a giant dish of macaroni cheese with pizza, garlic bread, etc. Less messy than tomato based chilli/bolognese

Thanks everyone. Big divergence of opinion on the popularity of chilli! Mine love anything made with mince, but I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket and make only one thing with no alternative if it's not going to go down well.

Did think of pizzas, but actually quite a lot of last-minute faff getting a load of them cooked at the same time. Maybe will stick with boring old sandwiches and crisps.

Cross posts with a couple of you there - good idea about the jacket potatoes, then could just have those with cheese if they don't like the chilli. Now that might work. Would worry mac cheese might dry out.

I missed your bit about not wanting to do pasta for 12 at the last minute

I have known: kids who don't eat mince in any form, kids who are vegetarian but also don't eat cheese (no warning from Mum), lots of kids don't like anything they think will be spicey. For the last party I did, I got mini pizzas from Sainsburys, mini sausages, cheese strings and rolls, then lots of grapes and strawberries. It went pretty well, and most things were eaten without people being hungry (but I would have been a bit stuck if the cheese free vegetarian had come).

Mini sausages and mash? Then DIY ice cream sundaes with sauces and pots of sprinkles, buttons and strawberries etc?

Mini corn on the cobs always go well in our house and baked beans? and veggie sausages on hand if needed?

My guess is that if you're a non cheese eating vegetarian child, you're used to going hungry at parties!

Thing is, I want something I can literally not touch from 3.30 until 5.30 - no faffing about putting things in oven, etc. Our oven is rather annoyingly situated right by the door into the kitchen - and we'll be doing crafty stuff at the table at the other end of the kitchen - so it'll be a thoroughfare. I always get nervous about opening and closing it when there are lots of kids around. Plus will have hands completely full so want something I can just forget and whip out at the appropriate moment. So it either needs to sit untended in a low oven/slow cooker for 2 hours or be fully prepared in advance and cold.

My cousin lives in Belgium and the tradition there is that you just give kids cake at parties. No one expects a meal. I can't help thinking we should try and import that here.

Dotty2 True - I have a non-cheese-eating vegetarian (well, pescetarian), and she is used to not finding much to eat at parties (except the sweet stuff and any fruit/veg) but I do usually warn parents in advance and/or feed her before parties.

Just having cake at parties sounds ideal to me, but I expect there would always be one child who didn't like whatever kind of cake it was...

Ha - exexpat - I expect you speak the truth about the cake...

One of DD's party guests didn't like chocolate cake, so yes, you can't win!

OP, I'd go for sandwiches and maybe quiche, mini sausages and crisps. Easy and tbh the party food is usually the last thing anyone is really interested in!

Hot dogs, student style: boil kettle, replace water out of hot dog jar/tin with boiling water, wait 5 mins, done.
Plus buns, sauces and cold pasta salad.

we got the school chef to make the food for our xmas fair (school lunches are very popular and freshly cooked on site) he said the most popular meal was chicken curry so thats what we did - mild creamy chicken curry. There wasn;t a scraping left at the end of the evening.

IME most children love Chilli!

Personally, I wouldn't do a big vat of anything because so many children shy away from 'mixed up' foods at that age. I'd go with hotdogs (you can get veggie ones) and corn on the cob plus a finger salad of cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, cucumber batons (everything can be done in advance and covered except warming up the sausages) or I'd do sarnies, or I'd order pizza (too much faff to do pizza for lots of people as you can't fit many in the oven at once).

So many conflicting opinions. Think I might just stick to sarnies etc. DD1 whose birthday it is is not mad keen on sandwiches and will probably just eat the crisps (and some salad if I persuade her). But hey - it is her birthday.