40th Birthday Party

[couldtryharder]

It's my husband's 40th in a few months and amongst other things we're having a casual party at home, grown ups and kids, late afternoon, early evening. Although I am a competent cook and scratch make the majority of our daily food, I'm just doing big plates of cheeses and meats, beers and wine as I don't have much time and I want to enjoy the party too. But we'll have 15 to 20 kids there too. What can I 'make' for them to eat that's easy for them to pick up and eat and for me to prepare (or dump on a plate - bad mother)? Thought of pizzas but that means several rounds of oven duty. Any thoughts?

I would have thought/hoped that most kids would be able to find enough to eat from an 'adult' buffet and will enjoy being 'grown up' - maybe not the beers and wine though ; )

With kids it's often not so much what is on offer, but when it is available that is the issue

If you have a lot of young kids going, could you maybe do them some kids party meal boxes with eg a sarnie, some fruit/salad, breadsticks/ricecakes/crisps, biscuit or whatever in, to save queuing and fuss at the table...? (Depending on the contents, something like this would mean that young kids could have food available to eat at the right time for them, not have to wait until adult buffet is served or not put in anything that needs refrigeration but enough to tide them over and make them feel special with their snack box)

Good luck!

If you're doing meats and cheeses & bread, really don't see why even the youngest children can't have the same. Add some bowls of cherry tomatoes, grapes and chopped cucumber?? Make it easy for yourself. Pop cocktail sausages in the oven if you must.

I'm just so lazy these days. Time was I would have spent the whole day preparing mounds off homemade pates and breads, canapes, nibbles, the whole nine yards. But suddenly you are a working mum with no time and lots of plans! Maybe the kids would eat cheese and cold meat, hadn't really thought about that to be honest.