Birthday party for three year olds…

[NeopolitanDreams]

I’m not sure whether you to make a traditional buffet or individual lunch boxes! There’s around 30 children coming, and I’m happy to go down either route but not at all sure what to include!

Any tips from seasoned pros would be truly appreciated.

Prepare and serve individual picnic bags for each child. Far less waste. Cake and tea for the adults. An actual buffet is a minefield.

I put a mixture of thing on plates along the tables - sandwiches crisps sausage rolls and a few biscuits between 4/6 children.

Cups and juice.

Just keep it simple

Put pack of crisps (wotsits etc), drink (water bottle, capris sun, fruit shoot), biscuits (pack of mini ones, jammy Dodgers ,cookies etc) in a lunchbox/on each plate.

Then put ham, jam, cheese sandwiches on a plate on the table. For children to take whatever they want.

Also could do sausage rolls/mini scotch eggs/cocktail sausages etc if you want.

Let the carnage happen.

This works, because the kids will just eat whatever they can grab, and the packs can be opened/go home as parents prefer.

Just watch in awe as the kids grab handfuls of sausages, eat half of one and leave the rest on their plate.

I would do a mixture of ham, cheese and jam sandwiches, mini sausages, cut up strawberries and maybe cut up grapes, cucumber sticks, and crisps. Maybe party rings and chocolate fingers too (though might bring those out after they are part way through eating, or else it’s all they’ll eat 😂).
I would have multiple plates of each, spread down the table, so that 4-6 kids can reach each set.

Make sure you remember to check for allergies/dietary requirements beforehand 😊.

And get some big jugs of water/squash and find some volunteers to go round the table pouring them.

1 jam, 1 ham. Half a sandwich each. 1 juice. 1 mini choc biscuit, 1 satsuma. 1 pkt crisps. Hand them out with the kids around the table or on a large picnic mat. Honestly heaps cheaper than a buffet.

On here people love boxes, I see their advantage but I'm a traditionalist and like buffet style! I do however acknowledge their value, particularly if catering for lots of different dietary requirements.

I'd say do far fewer sandwiches than you think they will eat! Grated cheese, ham and jam.

Cocktail sausages and veggie sausages, cucumber and carrot sticks, breadsticks, mini pizza slices/squares, Skips (obligatory!), Quavers.

Party Rings, chocolate fingers, strawberries and watermelon fingers. Or ditch the sweet and do ice lollies.

Water bottles/ cartons of juice etc a lot easier than pouring squash and slightly harder to spill!