cold buffet for 35 - please help

[ancienthistrionics]

Hello, I have to do the food for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

There are logistical issues (it's at my DB's house, 2 hours away) so I'd like things I can prepare in advance and freeze.

I don't mind shelling out a bit on expensive ingredients if they are perhaps things I can get, stick a bit of garnish on and put on the table.

I'm doing trays of stuffed mushrooms and tomatoes, smoked salmon, quiches, salads, etc. I'm not so worried about puddings.

It's next week, and I really really want it to be lovely. I have no help at all and a very vigorous toddler

Any ideas????

How about stuff like posh breadsticks, mini pork pies, posh olives etc as additional bits, sounds like you have done lots already or at least have lots planned! Don't freeze any kind of rice though!!! You can cut loads of corners by getting prepared salads, using pre chopped cheese, cherry tomatoes etc.
Puddings, can you buy a couple of nice pear tart type things from waitrose or something like that and get tubs of Creme fraiche? Am pretty crap myself at cooking but my parents had their sixtieth bday recently so am gathering inspiration from them!!
Have a lovely time

I agree with posh pre-prepared stuff. Also lovely hams/chorizo etc?

Do not do chicken.... It travels badly. :) but if your db lives near a good supermarket, order a few rotisserie chickens to pick up on your way through.

Cheeses and good bread and crackers alwYs go down well. Add some fruit or jellies to make it interesting.

Enjoy!

Thanks for your ideas! Sorry I didn't see them before.
I'm thinking of buying some quiches from a deli, because it's not the sort of thing I usually make and not really a time for experimentation.
Good idea on the olives too.

I've still got a week to go so not panicking yet.

cous cous, bulgher, quinoa and salads go down well and can all be served at room temeprature. Or tabouleh goes nicely with most dishes

... and made several hours in advance.

and CAN BE made several hours in advance.

Grr.

home made potato salad and a carved up gammon joint?

I would do a big ham. Looks impressive, nice with your salads and breads and not difficult to do.

Are you a costco member? All their deli party stuff is excellent and reasonably priced they do sandwiches on trays as well- a huge tray for £15- with Hugh quality fillings. Have to pre order those.

That's high quality by the way !!!

I was quite fancying Hugh quality!

No, no costco card here, are they easy to get?

Like the ham idea, might do the Nigella one in cherry coke which they've said before they like.

I've just done a buffet for 50 for dd2's christening and the thing that went down an absolute storm was the side of cold poached salmon that MIL did. They went mad for it and everyone commented on how lovely it was.

Thanks GWen, do you mind me asking how you did it? I have to cook at my brother's house and he only has small hob, so it wouldn't take a fish kettle.

In my youth I cooked a salmon in the dishwasher on steam cycle but not sure I have the guts to do it now!

Not sure, I'll ask her. I can just about poach a fillet in my kitchen :o

I would try to make sure there were groups of foods that go together, eg:

• ploughman's lunch-type platter of a huge pork pie, lots of cooked ham/sausage rolls, a big wedge of cheddar and Stilton, with chutneys, caramelised onions, tiny pickled onions, a Waldorf salad (celery, apple, walnuts, white cabbage), crusty and seeded breads

• a plate of mediterranean cold meats, served with olives, sundried tomatoes, breadsticks

• a set of Greek dips with a massive bowl of Greek salad and flatbreads/pittas

• plate of smoked salmon, smoked mackerel pâté, with brown bread and butter, capers, lemons etc

• some veggie quiches with big salads, eg a green salad and a tomato salad and a potato salad (or just a big bowl of roast mini new potatoes)

Grouping things together on the serving table will let more people help themselves at once.

Remember soft drinks!

Thanks thereis loads of good ideas there

Sorry just back! Check out Costco website for location and eligibility. Mine more than pays for itself every year.

Sorry just back! Check out Costco website for location and eligibility. Mine more than pays for itself every year.

I would keep it simple - huge gammon, whole cold salmon (can buy already prepared at some fishmongers or waitrose), veggie quiche and 3 different salads. Starch - crisps/french bread/baked potatoes cut in half

Lots of alcohol.

Otherwise if you have the cash go to Waitrose Entertaining website press a few buttons and it will get delivered to your DB with zero effort on your part.

35 people is quite a lot to cater for with no help - can you get somebody to look after your toddler.

There is a lovely salad of chickpeas, feta, chilli and herbs from Peter Gordon's sugar club cookbook- not hard to make and quite substantial, can't link on phone but google finds it! Maybe a side of salmon? Easy, a bit 70s but still naice . Good luck, what you have sounds lovely.

Thanks all. The party is on Sunday, I think I'm pretty well prepared now. Chestnutx I would love to buy a salmon, but I can only find smoked, and where my DB lives I'm not likely to find a decent fishmonger.

Thanks for the salad tip Stevemilliband, I'll hunt that one down.

I'm also doing a cold steak and orange salad from my Bill Granger book - tried it out on some friends the other day and it was amazing.

How'd it go ancient? Hope you had a fab relatively stress free day

Thanks stevemilliband for remembering me! I was so pleased with the way it went, we had amazing sunshine (after all the rain on Saturday) and the food went all but the last bit, which I hope means everyone had enough. I got a new food processor and knocked out some pavlovas (passion fruit and raspberry!) at the last minute. The green salad never got dressed and we found the potato salad in the garage when everyone had nearly finished but hey! my parents were thrilled.

It sounds lovely, and leftover potato salad? Bonus!