I am hosting a bbq for 25 people on Sunday and need help and inspiration please.

[sandyballs]

12 adults, 13 children ranging in age from 2 weeks to 9 years. I'm not the greatest cook/entertainer and I'm starting to panic a bit and a weensy bit of me is hoping it might rain so I can cancel . Please give me some ideas for food so I can actually relax and have fun on the day.

This is my tesco on-line order so far:

dips and crisps
olives

20 burgers
24 sausages
veggie/meat kebabs
Rolls for above
coleslaw
potato salad - will make
new potatoes
couple of large quiches (not sure about this?)
pasta salad - want to make but how?
greek salad - will make

Guests are bringing dessert, I might provide
strawberries and cream or a fruit salad.

Big jugs of pimms
Beer
Wine

Lemonade
Coke
Juice
Possible a kids cocktail type thing
Lollies for kids

Honest opinions on above would be most welcome. Anything I need to add. Is there enough/too much.

I do find this type of thing difficult. Love entertaining but not on this scale usually!!

sounds fine. what about a few corn on the cob, chopped into sections to sling on barbie as well?

The trick is to keep the kids entertained, everything else should fall into place.

Thanks, corn on the cob is a good idea.

Our garden isn't that big for that many children but we back on to a park, so the idea is to get them all out there after we have eaten and set up rounders/football etc in big teams.

Sandy, you need to relax and enjoy the day...

you've got enough food, as long as you have enough beer/wine etc and plenty of bin bags its going to be fine

Sounds great, and about the right amount.

Pasta salad - boil small pasta shapes such as twirls or shells (for a big party bowl, boil 1 kilo of pasta - you'll need a very big pan or do 2 lots)

Stir any combination of:
tinned tuna or chopped mozzarella or feta
tinned sweetcorn
tinned beans, eg kidney beans
chopped cucumber, peppers, mushrooms, celery, spring onions, olives, tomatoes, beetroot
lots of chopped fresh parsley

Then make about 1/2 pint of dressing using 3 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar, 1 part tomato puree, some crushed garlic, spoon or two of runny honey, bit of dried basil and salt and pepper - and stir in well. Keep in the fridge till you need it - tastes even better if made well in advance.

Sounds fab (not sure you'll need the quiches)

I do 2 easy pasta salads Tuna/pasta and italian pasta

can of tuna/ cooked pasta/sweetcorn with mayo (takes about 2 seconds to chuck together)

A tomato one : normally fry some onions/mushrooms/red peppers in garlic, chuck in a can of chopped tomatoes , simmer for 15 mins, chuck in some basil, add drained pasta,

Add cooked courgette/bacon anything else you fancy

Don't forget the tomato ketchup for the burgers ! Ice for the drinks

Have a fab day

Sounds great sandyballs - I could have written your post - am doing one in August for 12 adults and 12 kids and am not great hostess!! Will pinch ideas from this thread!!

Snowlepoard : I'm having a do on Saturday as well .. will try your version too

also instead of pasta salad you could do a potatoey omlette/tortilla which is a bit easier to serve in chunks/slices. this could be done well in advance with cheese melted on top/in it.

Pasta Salad I have offered up at group barbeques in past is:

Pasta Twirls cooked and drained
Gently fry red onions and garlic in pasta pan and then add pasta back in
Add sun dried (or fresh) tomatoes and lots of grated parmesan cheese.

Good luck and hope rain hold off.

What about corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, peppers, red onion, mushrooms? Also what about some fish? Re. pasta salad - dead easy, just mix pasta and veg with either mayonnaise and grated cheese or some pesto. I like pasta with pesto, wilter spinach, red onion and stoned back olives, but you can do anything. Yoy could also make a potato salad - I've got a couple of recipes for those.

Thanks, some lovely ideas here. For the potato salad I was going to cook up new potatoes, add chopped spring onion, mayonnaise, possibly some red onion. Would like to see your recipes.

i prefer potato salad with salad dressing, rather than mayo. and i usually throw in a few chopped hardboiled eggs.

One is with chopped spring onions and chives and a dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice and wholegrain mustard. The other is with chopped shallot, dill and capers and a dressing made with mayo and English mustard, thinned down with some olive oil.

honey & sesame seeds to your list, roll sausages in honey when they are half done and then roll in sesame seeds, Yum

barbecue menus here on beeb, tons and tons of ideas, drooooooooooooooool

Mmmm, this is all making me very hungry.

Why can't I find Pimms on Tesco on-line? I've looked everywhere.

No, no you must not wish for rain on Sunday. We are having a bbq as well, and I need it to be dry, not necessarily sunny but definately DRY .

My sister is coming all the way from Denmark with her 2 kiddies, and most of my hubby's humpbacked family are coming.

Don't think you will need the quiches. You could try a large piece of salmon. On a piece of tinfoil you can put chopped up tomatoes, dill, spring onions. Put the salmon piece on top add some oil and fold up the tinfoil and put on bbq.

Yum, salmon sounds good.

Still can't find that pimms anywhere in Tesco on-line. Surely they can't have stopped selling it.