Arghhh. Very quick / easy summer lunch menu ideas please?

[idontlikealdi]

I have ten coming for lunch on Sunday week, including two toddlers, a five year old and a nine year old. These are family visiting that I have never met before so I want it to be nice.

I am a competent cook but am away the day before and will have no car on Sunday morning so shopping will have to be done on Friday. I am also likely to very hungover so it needs to be easy

I was thinking of roasting a couple of chickens, nice salads, potato salad etc, charcuterie and breads and hopefully laying it all out and eating in the garden. Asparagus to start and strawberries and cream.

What do you think, would you be disappointed / expecting more?

Sounds perfect!

Sounds absolutely lovely. I'd just check whether any of them are vegetarian, have allergies etc. You might want to have some cheese in just in case.

Sounds lovely. Why not do a whole load of roasted veg as well, at the same time as the chicken? Will work well cold as an extra salad - peppers, courgettes, aubergine, onion, lots of olive oil

Cheese, definitely need cheese and love the roast vegetable idea - thanks!

Easy salad is green mango and raspberry sugar. Find some green mangoes if you can otherwise choose those that are the least ripe out of the lot. Cut up into fine slivers and put on plate. You can fold them over for looks. Blitz a few raspberries with some castor sugar and sprinkle over the top. Colour is lovely and the green mangoes have a sharp flavour so the sugar balances it out.

By the way I think your menu sounds great. You can do the mango as a salad or as an additional dessert if you want.