"Bring a plate"

[ManicMinor]

Going to a family (in-law) do next week, with the above request. It'll be mostly adults with a smattering of children. Could be savoury or sweet. People are going to be eating standing up, though they will have plates, so finger food options seem to be the best way to go - tell me all your best ideas please?

Homemade pizza?

sausage rolls will go down a storm with the kids

I have done the pizza thing before by making the dough base then buying jars of antipasti from lidl.

I would probably make a cheese & onion pie. And a ginger and pineapple pavlova.

These spicy chicken drumsticks are pretty tasty : )

tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/spicy-chicken-drumsticks.html

I do quiche I think

Or a nice Greek salad

Or a cheesecake - probably this and I would do a few rice crispie buns too

Bruschetta?
Some topped with tomato, basil, oil and garlic and some topped with goats cheese and caramelised onions.

DD2 would love you if you do pizza, sausage rolls or chicken drumsticks. Also grapes, red pepper, cucumber & carrot sticks.

Lots of DCs look at buffets and go . They don't necessarily like quiche and are very suspicious of salad dressing and mayonnaise.

Even at 13, DD2 insists mayonnaise is evil (and fattening too. This is true, but so are Jaffa cakes and ice cream and she never pulls a face at those.)

Homemade sausage rolls - easy and taste so much better than shop bought, baste with egg and sprinkle the top with a little sea salt for a great taste. Sweets - rocky road or malteser cake. Orange and almond cake.

I'd probably make some flatbreads, crusty bread and dips - tzatziki and my famous sweet potato houmous!

For sweet I'd probably do lemon drizzle cake

Gerty - would you share that recipe? Sweet potato hommus sounds delicious!!!! Pretty please??

Well I just kind of wing it! I personally think it's all about tasting as you go with houmous, so roughly follow a basic recipe like the one below and taste for seasoning. I then just add a few boiled/steamed sweet potatoes and some lots of paprika until it tastes good!

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/quickhummousandolive_71473

Sorry I can't link as on mobile app.

Enjoy!

Thanks all! Agree that flatbreads and houmous sounds nice! My natural preference would be something easy but in-laws tend to think I'm not as 'homemaker' as I could be (ie I have a job!), so would like it to look like I've made an effort!

The hairy bikers mince beef pinwheels are always popular at my parties with children and adults, but they are not what I would deem impressive. They are googleable but I'm on phone so can't link.

Spanish style tortilla? It's sliceable and better cold. Or pea and asparagus quiche given the time of year.

I also like to make two pates, one mackerel and one chicken liver and take these in glass jars to family parties with a French stick. Homemade pate is stupidly easy but quite impressive homemaker wise.

I am not a fan of drumsticks at standing parties due to the bone issue, but they did look very nice.

We made some Jamaican patties for my sons 1st party, they disappeared in about 3 minutes!
Also did jerk chicken, rice etc, went down a treat

Delias chocolate trifles are easy (especially if you do them all plain rolled in cocoa). They can be made ahead and frozen. So you could add a few to whatever else you take for extra brownie points!

Olive and goats cheese savoury muffins with rosemary. Even kids love them. Well, my kids do.

Sorry that should be truffles

I have fed all sorts of people all sorts of things in my time, and I am always by the kudos you get for making your own houmous. Easiest thing in the world but people seem to think you're some sort of domestic goddess...

Agree Wilson, and OP if you can make a decent loaf and a few flatbreads yourself you'll be hailed as the high priestess of domesticity

The first few times I did a lot of 'Seriously? Chickpeas in a blender? You think that's cooking??' Gerty but now I simply smile and nod in a suitably enigmatic way, thus preserving the fiction that I have worked Very Hard Indeed.

Baklava will go down well in a buffet, or onion bhajis/tempura/onion rings/falafel

Ooh falafel is another very good 'chickpeas in a blender' food! Very easy and would be nice with the flatbreads and dip actually!

Salmon Pie

Made it last week with just stuff I had in. Was a brilliant success.

Filo pastry
Salmon slices
3 eggs
Creme fraiche
Oil

Tart tray

Baking paper on bottom of tart tray, make it bigger to lift pie out with

8 leaves if filo, brush each with oil and make sure they are over hanging the tray.

Mix eggs and creme fraiche together. Season and tip on top of the filo. Tear up the salmon and add to filling.

Fold over lapping ends back over the pie till enclosed

Put into a medium oven ( gas 5) for 30 minutes.

Warm mini quiches - put the pastry in the mincepie tins, spot of chutney in base, pour on egg mix and a sprinkle of grated cheese. You could do the egg bit on site - just bring the tins with the pastry-lined tins to the party house. That way, they are warm from the oven and only take around 15 mins. You could also leave out the chutney and do a slice of cherry tomato instead. Rachel Allen, in her Entertaining book, has a recipe for mini quiches with smoked salmon and dill. Someone on another thread talked about homemade sausage rolls where the sausage meat is mixed with grated apple and stilton cheese and she is always asked for recipe.