Finger Food for a child's birthday party

[MangoMango123]

Next week I'm having a small get together at home to celebrate my son's birthday. Its around lunch time so I want to offer a finger food buffet but Im struggling for ideas. I dont want to use the oven because I am sure there will be kids in and out of the kitchen and dont want to risk any accidents and we also dont eat pork so things like scoth eggs and sausage rolls are out.

I was thinking sandwiches- cheese/tuna/turkey
Olives
Hummus and guacamole with breadsticks
Crisps
Quiche
Strawberries and melon pieces

It doesnt seem like a lot but I am struggling for ideas. Im also not sure how many I am catering for. I assume no one will be leaving their kid alone with me so ca 12 if its one adult and one child per family but there are some who may come as a family of 4 or 1 parent with 2 children. So ideeally looking for things that can be kept so I can put out what is needed for who turns up but then reseal the pack and keep for another day if we dont need a full pack.

Sounds fine. Maybe a cold rice and vegetable salad dish if people can’t have bread/pastry.

Have some cucumber and carrot sticks with the dip too.

You can get things like little chicken sticks in the picnic section of the supermarket. Maybe the little cheese rolls that look like sausage rolls.

Will you be having cake too?

What about precooking some chicken bites with some dipping sauces, tomato and mozzarella with balsamic, or even doing chicken sausage rolls rather than pork? Companies like heck do some go chicken or veggie sausages and they can be made ahead.

Plus all can be made ahead and served cold. Other options are some little pastries, extra cakes or mini desserts like key lime pies, or offer diy meringue stack with cream, fruits, coulis etc do people can make them to their liking

How old are the children? Young children loooooove jam sandwiches.

I think you might be over worrying about the oven. If you use it you could do pizza slices.

Or do a grazing table style with cold meats, cheeses, crackers chutney, grapes, baguettes and let everyone help themselves?

Cold chicken goujons/nuggets or chicken drumsticks
Pizza
Pitta and dips
Veggie sausage rolls

The parents will love your buffet. For kids try Quavers and mini rolls and a few fairy cakes (because that's all they will eat regardless)

Chicken pieces/nuggets
Pizza
Pringles and dips
Crispy cakes/cupcakes

Is it to impress the parents or for kids to actually eat 🤣

For the kids I’d personally go with pizza slices (cold is fine), a biscuit like party rings and crisps pom bears or similar. If you really insist on a fruit and/or veg then strawberries and cucumber.

Strawberries and grapes are the fruits we normally offer
My kids wouldn't eat olives or hummus or guacamole or quiche tbh. Is that for the adults?

Cheese straws go down really well - I buy ready rolled puff pastry, cover it with grated cheese, fold it, roll it and repeat one or two more times, then cut into strips and bake at 180 for about 10 minutes - they keep well, so you could make them the day before.

How old is the birthday DC?

It's all about her/him ; what would s/he & the other children like to eat?

Son will be turning 4. He has requested the guacamole and olives otherwise they would never be put out for a childrens party. No idea if the others will eat them probably not. I know one of ther other kids and her mam are big hummus fans so thought it might go down well.

There will be cake so I want to avoid offering biscuits or fairy cakes too.
Cheese straws are a good idea. Always a winner here but if I buy them in Adavnce they may not make it to the party.

DS is the oldest of our friens childrena nx with locldowns etc we have not celebrated together for a while and certainly since the children were fairly young and most parents brought their own snacks with them based on how far weaning was. I have no idea what I'm doing with this buffet and its stressing me out

I have a 4YO too. She’s in reception and there have been a lot of while of class parties this year. Every single one has had drinks (fizz or beer) for the adults with help yourself nibbles compromising of things like nicer crisps, dips, olives. Then a sit down kids tea placed in the middle of the tables because that age aren’t great doing a buffet. Typically it compromises of stuff like pizza, sandwiches, nuggets, kiddy crisps, maybe fruit like strawberries or grapes and yes definitely something sweet even though there’s a birthday cake coming up. You could still give your LO some of the adult dip if he’s really insistent on having his guac and olives, bless him! Personally mine would eat that happily at home but never at a party as she’s always having too much fun to want to eat much and only beige tempts. Good luck, you will be fine, honestly the kids don’t care that much!

You have to have chocolate fingers and party rings at a childrens party
😜

Watermelon triangles - make sure you put them on a big plate rind side up so little fingers can grab then easily. Huge hit at my last kid's party. Quite cost effective too, if you buy a whole melon rather than a pre prepared one

I don't think it's a party without Party Rings. We usually do cheese, ham and jam sandwiches. Some cucumber and carrot, crisps, party rings, Jammie dodgers and chocolate fingers, little sausages and little sausage rolls, bread sticks and cheese straws. Nothing too fancy.

We attended a lovely christening this weekend, the buffet was very child friendly and had chicken nuggets, pizza slices, quiche, quorn sausages and sticks of cucumber, carrot and cheese- was great 😊

Popcorn is always a winner at every kids' party I've ever thrown. Like others, I've also pre-cooked sausage rolls, mini sausages and chicken goujons. Banana and strawberries have always been the most popular fruit (bananas have to be cut last minute or they go brown). I don't do grapes as I'm terrified that over-excited kids will choke on them and can't be bothered to cut them into quarters!
Jam sandwiches also go down well.

I agree with popcorn and jam/PB&J sandwiches!

I think this buffet is crying out for a cheese and pineapple hedgehog!

Party rings are a definite no. For some reason they have always made me feel sick. Even just thinking about them now is making my stomach churn a bit.

Apart from that there are some very good sugestions on this thread and my buffet will be a lot better than what I had planned

For dts yR birthday party I did a box for each kid, a finger cream cheese sandwich and a finger marmite sandwich, carton of juice, bag of Pom bears and a mini bag of haribo. Big platters of cucumber, carrot sticks and strawberries.

They are the cake at the party instead of sending it home with them.

Pretty much everything got eaten.

Their Y1 party I was over it and ordered in Pappa Johns 😂

@MangoMango123

Party rings are a definite no. For some reason they have always made me feel sick. Even just thinking about them now is making my stomach churn a bit.

Apart from that there are some very good sugestions on this thread and my buffet will be a lot better than what I had planned

Have you considered cold pizza? Cold nuggets seem to happen a lot here (not a fan). Have you also looked at halal chicken hot dogs and cutting into pieces and on sticks? Cheese rolls (basically meat free version of the sausage roll).

Misread as 'Finger found at child's birthday party' and felt true horror.