Party food ...but I'm a crap cook

[Petuniaspetal]

I need to host a small party of about 10 to 15 adults. It is a mixture of a birthday and an accomplishment celebration for a couple of relatives and a friend. This won't be a formal party as such, as it will be a mixture of very close friends and family. They know me well and know that cooking isn't my forte. I obviously feed myself and when I've cooked for family they're usually pleasantly surprised but it's not very high brow or challenging cooking iyswim. So complicated recipes aren't really me as I find it very stressful cooking for others.

So the intention is that it will be a relaxed 'party' , no formal seating arrangements, food on the table, people grab a plate and help themselves, hot food option, rice or pasta some wine, snacks, salad, dessert and small cakes for the main players .

So I'm looking for some easy but tasty suggestions that i can try. I have a few months to give them a go before the party itself. I know I can cheat and go to a local restaurant and get some things, but I want to try to do most of it , myself.

Ps the small cakes def won't be baked by me though!!

What time of year OP?

Masses of jacket potatoes

One chilli

Chickpea curry

Traybake salmon fillets

Then one amazing salad (just chopped raw ingredients but online has many party pleaser recipes)

Then plenty of crisps, crudités, dips.

Eton mess
Ice cream
Cheese and crackers with grapes & figs for afterwards

Supermarkets like Morrisons and sainsburys have separate party/event food websites where you can order everything already prepared. Not outrageously expensive and far less stressful!

order the Morrisons buffet platters, they are so reasonable I bet it’s as cheap as making your own, much easier too! Just collect them on the day!

If it's summer time (you said you have a few months) that's great as you can serve everything cold and so no panic keeping things hot. Coronation chicken is always popular with loads of different salads and rice. A joint of cold beef. New potatoes. A side of poached salmon.

For pudding chocolate pots and strawberries if they are in season?.

Edit..you wanted a hot option. I think a curry is always nice and can sit in the oven keeping warm. Or a huge sausage plait if you have men/boys as that is very popular I find.

I can't cook well either. Aldi have a good range of stuff to just stick in the oven.

It isn't for a huge number of people. I am guessing you will need finger food or fork food because people won't be seated at a table. I'd keep it simple:

A really nice vegetarian quiche
Something like cottage pie or lasagne (I wouldn't do chilli - you'll worry about the rice)
A tossed mixed salad
Garlic bread and new potatoes
I'd probably do a nice cheese board with crackers and good bread, olives and some nice pickles.

For pudding I'd do something like M&S tarte au citron and tarte au chocolat served with a bowl of berries and cream.

Just keep it very very simple.

Yes do this get it done for you no hassle and finger food.

I used to have quite big parties pre-Covid and pre-DC. I tend to do lots of different salads rather than just one, as you can mostly make them in advance. Some would be complicated and others less so. For example, this Delia lentil salad is easy enough if you just follow the recipe, but feels quite special: https://mustardwithmutton.com/2015/10/13/delia-smith-warm-lentil-salad-with-walnuts-goats-cheese/ but I'd also have some low-effort ones like carrot salad (grated with a food processor, tossed in a vinaigrette) and some leaves. The hot thing that would always get eaten straight away was macaroni cheese.

A vote for Iceland.

Then put a chilli or something in a slow cooker to serve anyone who wants something more substantial and stick baked potatoes in the oven.

I think this is when slow cooking options come to the fore. You can do something quite lovely and luxurious, but completely risk free. things like curries and stews can work well, but it's summer so I think you want something a bit lighter and perhaps a bit more "celebratory"? These are things I would consider:

A slow cooked lamb shoulder (or two, depending on on numbers). Most recipes call for cooking lambshoulder for between 3-8 hours. I say go for the longer options of at least 4 - it's more forgiving! Serve with a range of salads in line with the flavours. So I tend to go mediterranean and serve with things like hummus, and tzatziki and baba ganoush, tabbouleh etc. All of which can be made yourself or bought in or some combination thereof. Plus flat breads and/or potato salad.

Slow cooked pork belly or pork shoulder - served with things like a nice slaw (with apple), a big green salad, lovely bread, potato salad.

Or chicken thighs lend themselves to large slow raosted tray bakes. Flavoured/marinaded as per your preference, snugly into a large baking tray. Cook, covered, for about 45 minutes at 170/150fan. then baste, remove the cover and cook for another 35 minutes. I do this with either new potatoes or mash, then steamed greens with a sauce drizzled over (something like tahini and yoghurt with some lemon) but you could just do salads.

Slightly more ambitious but actually surprisingly easy is a rib of beef. Rib of beef is very very forgiving (Rib of sirloin is "better" but slightly less forgiving so I'd go with regular rib of beef). A three rib joint can be cooked so that it's a bit pink in the middle but more well done on the outside and looks very impressive on a buffet. Again, serve with salads/potatoes/breads as per your preference.

Yes to the lamb shoulder and flatbreads. Yum..quite peckish now!

I would definitely go with jacket potato bar. The problem with rice and pasta based meals is that it will be hard to keep hot for 10-15 (also do you have a pot big enough to cook 15 people worth of pasta?!). With jackets, it’s really simple cooking and you can do it in your normal oven. The creativity is in the toppings, which you can prep all in advance. Chilli and curry just heated up on the day, lots of salad toppings, coronation chicken, herbs, plus dressed leaves for the side. Everyone likes a jacket.

As others have said, I'm assuming you are after finger food which can be eaten standing up with 1 hand, if they won't be seated?

-A regular quiche. Either circular or cooked in a rectangular dish and cut into squares
-These are easier to eat. You can add almost any filling- tomato, semi-dried tomato, basil, different cheeses, ham, salami, asparagus, salmon etc https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/filo-pastry-mini-quiches-great-for-kids-to-make-and-eat/
-Chicken drumsticks. Add some foil to the end so people have a handle to hold onto.
-Sausage rolls
-Nachos
-This dip is filling and delicious https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/mexican-layered-dip/7300fa36-1a5a-4a7d-ae25-9809dca02d69 I prefer it in a lasagne type dish, not the round one on the link.

For dessert, other than just buying a cake. A mousse in a little glass?
-https://www.allrecipes.com/chocolate-mousse-for-beginners-recipe-8574786
-Or a mint version https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/after-dinner-minty-chocolate-mousse/
-Or Eton mess in a glass. Buy the meringues and make the day ahead to save time. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/eton-mess

What about pulled pork?

That recipe serves 12, which would probably be big enough (or you could always buy a bigger piece of pork if you think you'll need to). Then you just need to have a bowl of bread rolls, with mustard/condiments, for people to help themselves

Oh, and you can make it a day ahead, so you won't have to worry about cooking it on the day.

Thank you everyone, this is really helped, given me great ideas, also made me realise that pasta/rice dishes will be impractical.

It will be mid to the end of April, and as much as I would love for it to be a good day so we can hang out in the garden I'm near the northern part of the country which isn't renowned for being warm, or dry. Although it isn't formal seating people will be able to sit around and chat at a table or on seats inside but obviously if it was nice weather we could sit outside too, with a bit of music in the background....would be great but I'm not optimistic.

I like the idea of getting as much ready beforehand as possible the slow cooker suggestion is a good one. I'm lucky that I have an airfyer too and a few other gadgets that mean making up some dishes in different ways won't be too problematic.

I will do a supermarket run for sides /crisps /crackers too and aim for a mix of salads, jacket potatoes, finger foods and fillings.

The desserts will be a local popular ice-cream and some shop bought desserts, i know alot of the invitees arent big pudding people.

Darkclothes and Barnaclebeasley thanks for the recipe links.

I'm now ravenous....and off to make a big shopping list . Hopefully it turns out well ...otherwise I will be back crying about my party disaster....but hopefully not. Thanks again.

Go with the slow roasted shoulder of lamb, cover it in Middle Eastern flavours before roasting. Serve it shredded on a big platter on a bed of cous cous (ideally with herbs/roasted Mediterranean veg) stirred through. Then drizzle plain yogurt over the top and scatter with mint and pomegranate seeds. Looks v lovely but also v easy. If you are feeling fancy cut up preserved lemons to garnish too.

If you/guests aren't lamb fans do the same but with slow roasted chicken thighs.

The best bit is that it doesn't matter if the cous cous is cold, so no timing issues etc.

Another option is burgers.
Put out a selection of sliced cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles, condiments, coleslaw and maybe sides of air fryer chips, potato skins or sweet potato chips. Then have burgers and buns so people help themselves to the type of meat/veggie burger and fillings they want. Less work for you 😄