Please help me figure out how catering this party is going to work!!!

[IHeartKingThistle]

OK. DH's 40th is coming up. Village Hall booked. We've booked a covers band. Will be between 50-100 guests (not all confirmed yet!) including loads of kids.

The hall is a standard village hall with a stage. There is also a nice big kitchen / milling around area leading off. There are loads of folding chairs and some folding tables too but I don't think we'll be able to have the tables up as people will be dancing.

DH won't let me cater it. Not because I'm shit! He says I won't be able to relax if I'm doing it, which is probably fair.

So I need a caterer. But how's it going to work? DH wants hot food really but not a hog roast, not a traditional buffet either. I'm stuck! I think it's the lack of tables that are the problem. And the kids!

Anyone done something similar? Any suggestions? We're in Surrey.

Kids will eat all of the poppadoms and naan bread and lots of them will eat curry too.

40ths/50ths I've been to: curry from local curry house, Thai from local Thai restaurant, large roast leg of lamb, carved up & left in a big pile with pittas & salad & sauces for a DIY kebab type thing (you could also do a turkey?), buffet (prefer the other ideas).

Get chairs in, it'll be uncomfortable without.

If this was me I'd hire the burrito van where DH and I had our first date!

OK have emailed some curry houses, fingers crossed!

Aw hummus that's lovely- unfortunately the university bar where DH and I had our first date has been demolished!

I went to a wedding catered by an Indian restaurant and DH and I both agreed it was the best wedding we'd ever been to - if we'd had our wedding the summer before we'd have totally done the same.

A long table with different heated hostess trolley type pans - onion bhajis in one, then pieces of Naan, pakora, a korma, a jalfrezi, a Bhuna, Bombay aloo, papadom and chutney, and lots of lots of rice.

It was incredible.

Kids loved it too - the mild curry and lots of bread for dipping - although they had one of those dessert and sweet trolleys too which probably helped with the kids ;)

One of the best Hogmanay parties I ever hosted was one where one of our guests had ordered loads of Indian started to be delivered when the party was in full swing. We fell on on those pakora and poppadoms like starving beasts, adults and children alike.

OK I'm sold on the curry idea.

We've found one place who can supply the food but not the staff. They will let us have the buffet unit so people can help themselves. Do you think that would work or do we need help really? Slightly concerned about portion control and that MIL would take it upon herself to do everything and wash up and not actually get to enjoy the party!

If you have a Catering College nearby it would be worth asking them about the possibility of providing a team of staff.

Try and find one that does Indian weddings and functions rather than a restaurant, if you can. They usually have special metal trays with portion sections indented ( if that makes sense) for the different components, which helps avoid people piling it high then wasting half of it.