Some ideas for feeding a picky crowd!

[Iwanttenofthose]

I'm hosting a family lunch to celebrate a special occasion next month. Guests will be a combination of vegetarian, Celiac, blw babies, vegetarian toddlers and picky toddlers!

As the main I'm making Ottolenghi's courgette and fennel lasagne with gf lasagne sheets which is divine, VERY cheesy and summery flavours.

I need ideas for a few accompaniments I can put out that will satisfy the baby and fussy toddlers as I'm expecting it not to be a massive hit with them. It's quite rich and fennelly. They won't eat a normal meat lasagne.

I'll do bread, breadsticks, humous and salad but that doesn't feel like enough of a meal for a kid. What would you put out with it?

You sound like a saint. If it were me, I’d buy a veggie lasagne from cook, but I suspect might want to make one? If it’s pasta, ratatouille type veg and a bit of mild cheese that’s pretty toddler friendly, and matches what everyone else is having.

Do you wish to prioritise it being a little more 'fancy' or giving the little ones something they will gobble up without complaint? I would be quite tempted to do so mozzarella sticks, pizza, wedges, chicken bites... for the kids. If it's a one off family special occasion meal then it being a balanced healthy meal isn't of great importance, and the parents might be glad to have an easy time so they can enjoy the social aspect more than if they were focused on what their child will eat.

I”d do breadstick hummus crudités and fruit like cuffed up pears, and cubes of cheese if they eat it.

Basically freezer tapas will be your friend. Vegetarian sausage rolls, mozzarella sticks, spring rolls, "bites". Freezer tapas comes in veggie and gf and vegan and allsorts.

The lasagne sounds delicious. I want to come too!

With the toddlers most parents would be happy if their children eat some carbs, some protein and some veg/fruit. So I would do:

• bread, probably garlic bread or focaccia to go with the lasagne
• cheese board with some less strong cheeses for the children
• mid you don’t mind some meat, a platter of hams and salamis
• and most children eat veg sticks so I’d posh it up a bit with a more grown up crudités platter and dips.

For pudding I would do a fruit salad and serve with meringue and whipped cream.

Ooh thanks for all these ideas!

I hadn't even thought about pudding but I think the idea of meringue, cream and fruit salad is an excellent one. I saw a fruit salad laid out like a rainbow that I think my own older kids would gladly make, so I'll offload that to them.

Freezer tapas is one of my favourite phrases. Yes I think a selection of easy bits they'll reliably eat is indeed the best thing. Thanks for putting my mind at ease, I can be an over-thinker at times!

What about some buttery new potatoes as well.

Good idea, feels nice and summery too as I'm hoping we'll be outside, weather dependent