What to make for lunch (13 adult guests + 13 child guests

[VictoriaMum323]

Hello it’s my toddler’s birthday coming up and we are hosting lunch at home. It’s just family but it’s ended up being quite a lot of people. I would like to make it really lovely. Any ideas please for things to make? Ideally as simple as possible as I really don’t cook often at all. Many thanks.

That's a lot of people .. have you got room for them all?!

@Ragwort yes

I’d make a big charcuterie/grazing table and use Google images for inspiration for it. That way you don’t have to coordinate any hot food.

@Forgottenmyphone thank you that’s a nice option

I'd make a couple of huge quiches.

Do some crushed baby potatoes and salad. Garlic bread too.

@Forgottenmyphone actually on second thoughts it has to be dairy! Maybe a cheeseboard. Fish is ok but not meat

@AlwaysFreezing very nice ideas thank you

I would do a simple cold buffet ... quiche, cold meats, cheese, interesting salads, maybe some hot french sticks ... crudités ... olives etc. That sort of thing and maybe a selection of pizzas for the younger guests. Plus nice desserts & fruit to follow, don't over complicate the menu.

@Ragwort really nice ideas thank you

I thought maybe baked potatoes if you have access to a few slow cookers to keep things warm

I hosted a 'big' birthday a couple of years ago and ordered party food from Morrisons. A lot of supermarkets offer the same thing and it works out quite cheap and you don't have to prepare anything yourself.
my.morrisons.com/foodtoorder/

Depends on budget. You could order platters of sandwiches and party food (Costco, M&S), make loads of simple sandwiches and cold nibbles like crisps/nuts, or maybe a massive chilli and rice?

@Mumaway thank you. In our culture it’s more hospitable to cook something but I can certainly do some shop bought items mixed with some cooked things

Which culture? Most traditions feature both food you can pick up and 'batch' dishes to cook ahead, stick in the oven or on the hob to heat until you're ready. Then you can plonk them on the table, with a warmer if your family talks so much that they don't all eat at once (or just to take pressure off the server).

With British families, this could look something like bread, salads, pâté and/or cheese, smoked salmon on the table to start with, then a fish pie, cheese & potato pie, chilli, bean & lentil curry, pasta bake - two different big dishes should do 13 people.

Other cuisines have things like pakora, pierogi, spring rolls that are great for grazing/starters, and their own styles of 'big dish' family foods. No reason why you shouldn't mix & match.

My most useful tip is to always have more bread and salad than you think you'll need!

I love @2024GarlicCloves's idea.

I'd add that make a separate buffet for the kids (assuming they are around your child's age) with simple food: sandwiches, crisps/raw veggies, fries, pizza/pasta, maybe pombears. Things like that