Food for 1st birthday

[GimbleInTheWabe]

It's DSs 1st birthday coming up and we're having a little get together in a room in a pub. It's self catered and there will be approx 25 adults there, 3 babies and 1 toddler (so the food isn't really kids food is what I'm getting at!).

A few of the guests are vegetarian and maybe the odd vegan (though she has been known to eat meat too) but on the whole it'll be meat eaters.
I'm not sure what to make for food though. It'll need to be stuff that's as quick to make as possible what with having DS to run around after.

So far I've thought:
Couscous and roasted veg & feta salad with pittas, hummus and yogurt dip.
Cocktail sausages cooked in maple and mustard.
Lots of crisps, dips, bread sticks, cheese twists.
Bread basket with baguettes and butter on the side.
Meat and cheese board.
Big bowl of leaf salad
Mozzarella, basil and tomatoes with olive oil.

I feel like I'm missing something a bit more substantial? More meat dishes?
Any inspo greatly received!

they all sound lovely. if you wanted another meat dish, you could make mini chicken skewers cookandeatwell.co.uk/recipes/mini-chicken-kebabs and then you could do veggie kebabs for the others? all the best!

Oh yes fab idea! And they can all be made and cooked ahead of time too which is just what I need. Thank you @sleepismysuperpower1.

Forgot to add that I'm going to be making his cake but should I have any other dessert options? It's going to be a chocolate cake so I could also do a berry salad and have cream to serve? Or is that too much and people will just wants cake?

Oh and yeah.. no idea what to get the poor little guy for his bday, not that he'll know all this fuss is for him mind. So any ideas on that are also very welcome!

Also.. another question! Should I provide drink? Obviously not alcohol as it is in a pub, but soft drinks? This is my first time at the rodeo can you tell?

I had fewer people and it was at home, but just in case you can get any inspiration, here's what I had:

Egg mayo rolls
Feta and sundried tomato pasta
Cheese and onion sausage rolls
Quiche
Crisps
Breadsticks, crudités and houmous
Hot dogs in the slow cooker

Then I had my daughter's favourite fruits and cake for dessert.

What you've got planned sounds lovely and I think just the cake for dessert is fine (but then I'm not someone who would ever choose fruit over cake 😂).

In terms of presents, my DD loved her pop up tent, fisher price chair, water table (perhaps not the season for it now though!) and ball popper. We also bought her a walker but depends where your son is at with his walking as to whether that would be suitable. She also had a few busy books and a Vtech gearaffe which she wasn't overly interested in at the time but a couple of months on she loved. Oh actually the fisher price laugh and learn dog is good as well (we actually bought it for her when she was 7 months but she wasn't really bothered by it until around her birthday). Ball pit is always a good one as well, if you can bear having to pick up balls all bloody day.

If I was going to a party in a pub I'd expect to pay for my own drinks so I don't think you need to if you don't have the budget.

re the dessert, i would lay out a berry salad with cream. you may find that the adults want that instead.

for the presents, what about a train table or an aquadoodle? aquadoodles especially are great, you just wet the brush, and they can draw and paint on the mat to their hearts content. my dc's also liked making handprints on them.

www.argos.co.uk/product/3495502

www.ebay.co.uk/p/Melissa-Doug-Figure-of-8-Wooden-Train-Set-Clearance-Was/6012047475

in terms of drink, yes. put out jugs of orange squash for the kids, and maybe some coke or lemonade for the adults.

Thanks everyone for the input. I think I'll put out two soft drink choices, there won't be many kids there and as it's in a pub I don't wanna seem like I'm taking the piss as the room is free to hire so they will only make money from the bar.

Great present inspiration, thank you! We have a really small one bed flat in London so not lots of space for big things (I love to get him a tent or a ball pit for example but there's just no room) the aqua doodle sounds great as do the busy books, thank you @Spam88 and @sleepismysuperpower1. People keep asking what to get for him but I don't really know.. unless they all club together to buy him his own bedroom

Ah if you can put drinks out then I would. I just assumed you wouldn't be able to in a pub so you meant putting money behind the bar.

Hi everyone!
Need some more party brain picking please..

I wanted to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything important but there's going to be food and some soft drink available at the party. Chairs and tables are already in the room. I've got some decorations (though I'm not going to go overboard on this) and I have a speaker to play some music (landlady said this is okay). I have got cutlery and will also buy some paper plates and napkins. All sorted for serving plates and spoons etc. I'll bring bin bags and cleaning wipes with me. I bought a table cloth too. Am I forgetting anything?!

Should I have a space for presents? We've told people that they dont have to buy him anything but it's mostly family and I know they will.

Also what's the etiquette with present opening? He's only one so I he won't really be able to open them but would you rather see the present opened and enjoyed there and then? Or should I do them at home?

I appreciate that I am massively overthinking this!!

Just giving myself a little bump!