Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

Flip

Original poster

I have to cook a lunch for 80 on a budget and with a dodgy oven. Suzy wong?? Any one???

21 replies

lilibet · 27/08/2007 20:02

Its come round to my turn again to do the parish lunch. There are usually about 80 people, most of them are quite old so curry/chilli is a no no. I have a budget of about £2.50 per head and the oven although large is crap.

Last time I did sausage/mash and onion gravy. The sausages took ages with lots of swapping round to try and get them to cook evenly and making the mash was a nightmare. Have also tried a ploughmans with ham and cheese but people seem to want a warm meal.

Fruit salad and cream for pudding as it's a long job but one that's quite easy to do sat down in front of a film with the banans added at the last minute.

Suggstions?

Anyone??

Please???????????

OP posts:

Katymac · 27/08/2007 20:04

Cottage pie - cooked at home & heated up there

Pasties or sausage rolls & salad

Corned beef hash

Homemade soup

Mince & mash (cooked on the hob)

fransmom · 27/08/2007 20:04

how about lasagne with a salad? i imagine you would need several large dishes though

fransmom · 27/08/2007 20:04

LucyJones · 27/08/2007 20:05

jacket potato each with cold meat and salad

marthamoo · 27/08/2007 20:06

There is a touch of desperation about that "Anyone???"

I went to a 40th once where the hosts had cooked up a massive batch of corned beef hash, with crusty bread as an accompaniment (they did veggie chilli too but I'm assuming from your OP that you don't need a veggie alternative). It was delicious. You'd need big pans - like the ones they cook school dinners in - is there anything like that or does it have to be an in-the-oven thing?

Katymac · 27/08/2007 20:08

Sorry!!

DulwichDolly · 27/08/2007 20:09

gosh, this is worst than Jamie Oliver's school dinners...

perhaps some pasta wiht tomato sauce and mince and for pudding custard and fruity bits...?!

Good on you girl!

Carmenere · 27/08/2007 20:10

Beef and ale pie. you can cook the beef mixture well in advance as it tastes better after a day anyhow. On the day, put the mix into roasting tins and top with pastry.

Stewed lamb shanks are really good and cheap, serve it with mash.

EscapeFrom · 27/08/2007 20:15

Faggots and mushy peas? Hotdogs? Baked potatoes with cheese and beans? Quiche and beans?

Cottage pie would be a good plan, with carrots in it's a one pot meal, and as long as you get it in early enough and keep the foil on top until it's ready to be browned, it's very hard to wreck. I wouldn't go for lasagne given the age of the congregation, my experience of the average elderly person's eating habits is that Meat Has Gravy.

When cooking for large quantities, it's best to pick forgiving food and be ready to keep it warm until serving, rather than try to get it all to come together in five minutes at the end!

So, potatoes better than pasta, as pasta hates to be haning around in hot water and you can just mash potatoes. For £2.50 a head you could do almost anything basic in bulk.

MrsCurly · 27/08/2007 20:18

lentil soup? With a sandwich?

thirtysomething · 27/08/2007 20:25

the dinner lady book by JeANNETTE Orrey has standard, English classics (shepherds' pie, kedgeree etc.) in quantities of 96 portions! (Meant for school dinner ladies but may be useful to you? How about giant pasta bake reheated?

SueW · 27/08/2007 20:28

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

slowreader · 27/08/2007 20:37

salmon cooks quickly and you could cheer it up with watercress sauce.
Ice cream and hot choc sauce for pudding (make it the easy way - melt bars of plain choc into custard).
Good luck!

WideWebWitch · 30/08/2007 19:05

I think I'd go with shepherds pie too.
Or bolognase but even that's more hassle than shepherds pie.

WideWebWitch · 30/08/2007 19:06

I think I'd go with shepherds pie too.
Or bolognase but even that's more hassle than shepherds pie.

CountessDracula · 30/08/2007 19:07

I would defo do a stew
Serve with Jacket Spuds

All can be done beforehand and heated up

tassisssss · 30/08/2007 19:13

chicken casserole and rice?

i have a lovely recipe for a chicken and brocolli bake that I've make for about 40 (mostly older)...good with potatoes

fish pie?

baked pots and coronation pud?

not sure if you're looking for dessert ideas (was the fruit what you did last time or what you're planning?) i'd probably go for trifle, or apple crumble, or delia does a lovely choc torte that can be made in advance and frozen

CantSleepWontSleep · 30/08/2007 19:22

I'd do bread and butter for dessert - cheap and easy!

bozza · 30/08/2007 19:41

If the oven is so dodgy stew might be better than something that has to be cooked in the oven.

OrmIrian · 30/08/2007 19:47

Could you do some roast chickens, let them cool and serve them with potato salad and a green salad? You could roast them at home in advance?

chopster · 30/08/2007 19:50

I used to work in a restaurant that mainly served older folks. I'd made a load of really huge pies in advance and then serve with veg and gravy. You can make the pies in advance and then quickly heat them up on the day, and if they arent boiling, the gravy will cover that up! Stick to steak and kidney and chicken and mushroom in shortcrust pastry and all nice and simple.

Flip