Favourite recipes for a buffet / informal meal wanted please!

[workatemylife]

I've just agreed to host a retirement party for a colleague, and I've lost all creativity with the food. Probably around 15-20 guests, and informal enough that people can arrive at different times and mill about - certainly not a sit-down dinner.

I was thinking of a cold buffet as a plan, with some bread, cheese, cooked meat, maybe a couple of quiche / flan things, and some nice salads, plus some nibbly bits like breadsticks, crackers / oatcakes, chopped veg and dips. Preferably some things that can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a day or two. AFAIK there are no food allergies to deal with (I've asked!) but some veggie food would be nice to set alongside the meat.

Do you have any favourite recipes and ideas that you would be willing to share? Would be much appreciated.

Filo pastry parcels always look impressive, you can fill with any soft cheese plus things like spinach, salmon bits, nuts, mushrooms.

Another filling is a piece of brie with mango chutney - sounds odd but is good.

Do you have a slow cooker? One large chilli or curry can go down well and the sc can be used just to keep it warm and be refilled.

chicken wings, cut in three, throw away the tip and then bake in a mixture of honey, orange juice, salt and pepper.

Pulled pork goes a long way and is easy too.

Yum! thank you very much for the great ideas here.