Tips for feeding a crowd

[FeedingFrenzy5]

Our new kitchen extension is almost finished, and when it's done we will be the natural 'gathering point' for my extended family, meaning that we will regularly need to feed approx 15 people (mix of adults & kids), often at short notice (eg we all meet at the park together and then decide to come back to ours for lunch). So wise mumsnetters, what tips can you give me - meals/cookbooks/things to keep in the house etc - so that I can cater for these kinds of numbers regularly? Cheap, fast and gluten free ideas especially appreciated!!! Thanks.

Lots of takeaway menus? . Will you genuinely have no notice until you're at the park that everyone does or does not wants to come back to yours or is it more you'll have a reasonable idea that morning or the day before kind of thing? The latter I could cope fine with, the former would stress me out to the max! Do you enjoy hosting or is this just a given that you'll have to do it - if so I would certainly push back and insist that at least some of the work is done by someone else. We have this system (sort of) with DH's extended family, we number about the same as you with occasional plus 1s or guests from abroad, not everyone has the space to host the whole crowd but we do take it in turns, those that don't have space either bring food with them to be reheated and served at someone else's house (and assist with the clean up after), or pay for takeaway or a meal out for everyone, or we do american style 'pot luck' where everyone brings a dish to share. Otherwise the few people with large houses would have a hugely disproportionate burden of food shopping and cooking and cleaning!

I guess the easiest lunch items you can have on standby are stuff to make sandwiches/toasties, sliced bread can be kept in the freezer and comes out fine if toasted or buy a couple of loaves of fresh crusty bread that morning if you can, or have some of those packs of part-baked rolls in the cupboard, they keep for at least a few weeks and take 10 mins to bake. Serve with salads, maybe a pie or quiche, maybe a big batch of soup in the winter? Big tubs of ice cream for dessert or a simple selection of fresh fruit, or get someone else to bring pudding?

A large slow cooker is also a good investment if you have the space, you could easily stick a stew or chilli or curry or even a whole chicken or pulled pork joint in there when you head out to the park and have it ready for when you come back, zap some microwave rice to go with or serve with more bread? This will be particularly good if you're unsure on numbers, make a big big batch to serve 15, if only 10 come you can freeze the remainders as an easy family dinner for another time. You can get specific slow-cooker recipe books or just search bbc good food for ideas.

Tricky! I only host 15 with plenty of notice and with a bullet prof plan. To regularly do it with no warning would test me!

I think in some ways it depends whether you view it as ‘hosting a lunch’ or simply more people joining you for a regular family meal. By this I mean when I host I tend to go bigger on side dishes and have more variety, whereas with family it may be more simple.

Being prepared to cater for numbers is dependent on having a good store cupboard and freezer and recipes that utilise these.
Those part baked baguettes, rolls, ciabatta’s are good for impromptu hosting and have a relatively long shelf life. You can then knock together a quick lunch with the baguettes and fillings. You can also get gf ones.
I usually have tuna and sweetcorn
Cheese (often several varieties)
Cream cheese
Eggs
Often some form of cooked meats such as ham
Chicken breasts in the freezer.

I usually also have a well stocked salad drawer to add as sandwich fillings or as a side dish and every condiment known to man kind! As well as an impressive collection of pickled veg!

For a hot meal there is always a bag of pasta (for you gf), rice, cous cous in the cupboard, along with chopped tomatoes, various beans and pulses lots of herbs and spices etc so a tuna pasta bake, pasta arabiata, a Veggie curry or chilli. Always onions and garlic in the house too.

Eggs

Jackets are always easy for a crowd although do take a bit longer to cook.

A packet of good sausages, salmon fillets and chicken breasts in the freezer also really versatile

And a pack of puff pastry for quick cheese straws, sausage rolls, pies and tarts.

Thanks both, really helpful. Sometimes we have notice, but sometimes it's completely impromptu. You're right, quite stressful! Doesn't have to be fancy food though. It will be great if I can always have an option or two on hand as a fallback plan. @AtleastitsnotMonday you're right - what I'm talking about is extending a family meal to cater for more people rather than 'entertaining', which would involve lots more notice and planning. Love the idea of loads of condiments and pickles to jazz up par bake baguettes, that would go down v well.

We have a rice cooker so can make big quantities of rice. I also have an American fridge freezer and big pantry, so storage not an issue. One other thing I've done successfully in the past is get a takeaway and supplement with a few home cooked dishes, which helps to keep it a bit healthier and less £££. Any other ideas v welcome!

I've never tried it so not sure if it would work but could you roast a big pan of onions, peppers, butternut squash etc and then puree and freeze. Should then be relatively easy to whizz it up into 'freshly made' soup to have with part-baked rolls.

Tins of chickpeas can be turned into a really easy chickpea curry - fry onions and garlic, add spices and some chopped fresh tomato then some yoghurt. Can add mushrooms/peppers/sweet potato/bag of spinach. Eat with bought naan/chapatis and some mango chutney.

Frozen sausages and frozen cauliflower cheese, then all you'd need is a load of jacket potatoes.

Hot dog sausages and rolls for kids. Or pitta breads for pitta pizzas.

Do you have enough space to always
Have frozen meals (home made) ready? Chilli/ lasagne etc, with frozen garlic bread (appreciate not gluten free but you get the idea). Then you are always ready to go.

Get a pizza oven for thr garden.

I don't think anyone would expect you to just whip up an impromptu meal for 15.

Nice of you to be so inviting/ considerate though. And would probably be happy with anything. I like the packaged Greek style bread. I freeze it an oven bake then use for dipping or for sandwiches takes up hardly any room in the freezer.

5 fishes and 2 loaves would probably do the trick.

Waitrose stock amazing Greek spinach and feta pies in the freezer. You could get a couple of those before a weekend you thought this might happen. Keep some Merchant Gourmet lentil or quinoa pouches in, to turn into a salad. Jars of antipasti.

I was going to say pizzas - DH makes his own dough & we freeze any leftover. Then just put out a load of toppings for your guests to create their own. Could do garlic bread or garlic dough balls & maybe a big salad with them. We usually just have pizza on its own though.
Chilli is good for big numbers, with rice & tortilla chips maybe.
Bangers, mash & baked beans
A load of cheesy chips
Pasta, pesto & peas with grated cheese

A huge Hairy Bikers pie

I'm usually pretty good at making things last, using things up and stretching stuff out but if I kept food for 15 in the house 'just in case' I'd constantly be throwing stuff out. Part baked loaves are a great idea but relatively long shelf life is still a shelf life - four to six weeks at the most. If no-one comes for a month that's an awful lot of baguette for you to eat up quickly yourself.

Honestly, the best thing you could would be to stop your house becoming the "natural gathering point" for 15 people you see regularly. Catering to 15 is quite an undertaking for normal people even with advance planning - most people I know wouldn't be able to rustle up even 15 sets of crockery and cutlery without borrowing or stealing.

Don't become a martyr. Right from the start, make it clear that impromptu gatherings will not be happening unless everyone chips in. "Looks like it'll be nice on Tuesday. How 'bout we meet in the park then come back to mine: Jill, bring the salads, Mavis you bring the sandwich fillers, we'll send Luke and Jaxon to the shop for ice cream afterwards."

Yes you are all right, it's a bit much really isn't it! Between us we have 6 children under 6, so lots of mouths to feed and none of them capable of being helpful! Tbh I don't object to taking on the hosting as I like a full house. Think it's just about being well prepared and keeping ambitions low. Love your ideas of things I can have in the freezer/cupboard and simple dishes to feed big numbers.

Just jumping on to say it’s par-baked (the OP has it), not part-baked.

Lol @LimeRedBanana. I have also just realised how appropriate my username is for this thread - total coincidence!

@LimeRedBanana

Just jumping on to say it’s par-baked (the OP has it), not part-baked.

Not if you buy them from Waitrose www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-waitrose-6-bake-at-home-petit-pains/838790-746621-746622

But if you had shepherds pie, lasagne portioned for your own family then when you were stuck you could take 3 trays out.

You need a big freezer.

Previously, cook a chicken and strip the meat. Chop into bits. Spread onto a tray and freeze. Once frozen, put into a ziplock bag and it will be loose rather than a solid mass. Allows greater flexibility.

Cook spaghetti bol or chilli base and freeze. That defrosts readily on top of the stove. Cheese freezes well.

Northern Irish tray bakes for desserts. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/3527870-Which-is-the-tastiest-Protestant-traybake

Id bulk buy samosa, spring rolls etc.

If this is a regular occurrence, I'd dedicate a freezer drawer to this sort of stuff. Id make some quiches (gluten free pastry is easy to get hold of now) and freeze them so they can be popped in the oven from frozen. Some home made sausage rolls, samosas, that kind of thing.

A pressure cooker would be our friend! I can cook lentil&veg soup in 18 minutes in mine (it’s the old fashioned kind). I always have frozen veg and lentil, no matter the time of year. Bowl of soup and a roll and everyone’s happy

I do have a big freezer so these are all good suggestions.

And milk. Freeze the milk. Or move. I think id move.

If this is really going to be a regular thing and often without notice, I'd make sure I have quantities of homemade soup in the freezer and part baked rolls, and maybe batch cook tubs of chilli if you want something more substantial.

Jacket potatoes could be popped in the oven on low before you go out and served with beans/cheese/tuna Mayo.

We always have pasta in the cupboard and jars of pesto - quick to throw together and maybe add some cooked chicken if you have any.

Hmm. I’d love to be in this situation (I think!). I’d either keep something like soup/dhal and bread rolls in the freezer and then quickly warm it up, or go ultra-simple with just pasta and sauce (homemade or a fancier one than the standard jars). Something like bolognese sauce can be made, frozen and kept for ages, and dried parmesan (or Sainsbury’s cheapie equivalent) lives for months and months in the fridge. Two sauces if you’re feeling generous . GF pasta available and can live in the cupboard.