Critique my lunch menu please

[FarrowAndBaller]

Looking for critique on my lunch menu - both for range/appeal and also quantities.

It’s an informal garden lunch for 16 ish adults and 10 ish children (aged baby - 7 ish). Fork buffet style, invited from 1pm - so I’m expecting most of the kids will have had lunch beforehand. A couple of vegetarians and gluten free guests but no other dietary needs. The menu currently looks like:

Snacks (1-2pm):

• Olives (600g, with more available)
• Manchego cheese, sliced (400g)
• Focaccia (x2, each made with 500g flour)
• Crisps (600g - 4 sharing bags, with more available)

Lunch (2-3:30pm)

• Sliced piri piri chicken breast with roast peppers on spinach. (2kg chicken, est.16 breasts), 1kg roasted red peppers, 200g spinach)
• Chickpea, feta & mint salad (3 200g packs feta, 3x 570g jars of chickpeas)
• Potato tortilla (5x500g ready made packs)
• Caponata (5 aubergines, 3 courgettes, 2 red onions, 6 sticks celery, 300g olives in a tomato sauce)
• Herby chicken breast skewers for kids (using mini fillets from 2kg chicken above)
• Caprese skewers for kids (300g mini mozzarella balls, with some cherry tomatoes and basil)

Pudding (4pm):

• Lemon possets served in lemon halves (1.2kg cream)
• Giant strawberries (2.4kg)

Any suggestions for things to consider changing?

I think thats quite a sophisticated menu for kids aged up to 7. And agree with previous posts, my child would not have eaten if invited to arrive for 1pm.

Also, the snacks may need to be varied a little more if lunch is to be late. Lots of people dont like olives, manchego and foccacia. Which only leaves crisps for the plainer eaters!

I adore lemon posset though, great choice! Maybe something biscuitty to go with it would be nice too (or that's just me!!)

Mmm, fungus 😆

I would do another meat dish, or perhaps do a continental meat plater along with the cheeses.

definitely a green salad,

maybe some hummus (I love my hummus so any reason to have it )

I agree with the others to skip the sticks for the children, not only are they a choking hazard, they are a bloody nightmare (trust me I’ve been there done that )

i don’t know what plates etc you’re planning, but for the children a more dish type thing would be better, and try and have a children’s eating area, a picnic blanket or low tables - children do much better if they sit in a set place to eat rather than sit anywhere.

i would also offer a second choice for deserts, cheesecake/trifle. Last week I did a make your own Eaton mess station, it went down so well with all ages.

also little ones do rather like an ice cream, but some ice lollies and your their friend for life

Not enough vegetables

Add more fruit

Add a large and hearty veg-based pasta or couscous salad

Have all food ready to be eaten by 1.30 - your timing is going to have people climbing the walls either with their own hunger or dealing with cranky children. Who eats lunch 2-3.30?!

Hard cheese will wilt and melt outdoors, cured meats will sweat and curl. Surprisingly, things like Boursin withstand heat well. Thick sliced chorizo is better than thinly sliced salami (even better if in a pasta salad).

It’s in a garden: things will get dropped, children will eat a bit of something and put it down and forget about it. You have also totally under-catered for the children

You need to at least 1.5x all your quantities above for the adults. The all sound like things that will make for decent leftovers.

Something happens to people when they’re in a group, chatting, not paying attention to the host’s efforts. Utter disregard. You have to assume more wastage than usual because it’s outdoors and hot and because children are going to need watching.

Pit out some breadsticks/ cheese straws for the littles.

You must know some very non-fussy kids!

for the snacks I’d add something like hummus with breadsticks and crudités.

I’d worry cold chicken breast would be a bit dry and would offer another protein, maybe cold salmon. Pork pies or scotch eggs? Something more substantial for the vegetarians. A quiche or savoury tart. Potato tortilla (I’m presuming you mean Spanish omelette?) is a bit boring and I always find the ones you buy in the supermarket a bit slimy.

i’d offer a small cheeseboard (with posh crackers, celery and grapes) alongside the dessert and maybe not bother with the manchego.

Don’t have kids so can’t really comment on what you’ve planned but in my limited experience , keep some basic options on standby. White bread and butter, crisps, sausages, bland-ish cheese, cherry tomatoes.

My children would prefer to eat the adult food even when very small, and I would not have fed them the kid friendly options. They always ate adult food just less. So the quantity might not be big enough. Agree no skewers. Sorbet would be nice, and more salad, watermelon and feta, Greek salad, tuna and white bean.

your original menu sounds good for GF guests, with only the focaccia containing gluten unless you are using flour, soy sauce, malt vinegar etc in the preparation or sauces. Please make sure the focaccia is served separately form the other gf dishes because of cross contamination, and check packets for things like crisps.

some other suggestions from pp sound good (and I agree with most of the comments about quantities and timings) but add more gluten containing dishes, so ensure theses are labelled or kept separate and avoid cross contamination from spoons or eg dips (my own personal nightmare is a shared dish of hummus which is delicious and safe, only to see other dip breadsticks or other gluten containing items into it, contaminating the whole thing)

I'd add a large hot-smoked salmon if you can find one, and tartare sauce to go with it.

I think the menu looks great and a good level between dull and too adventurous unless there are some extremely restrictive eaters.

Ciabattas and green salad would be a food addition and as there's only a couple of vegetarians there looks to be enough of the non meat options for them as well as others who will eat them.

There probably does need to be more chicken, it depends how much people eat. CBA to work it out but if you get extra tortillas and ingredients for the chicken pea salad, you can always offer more if it looks like its running out. If you err on the generous side, you can just eat any leftovers the couple of days after the party.

The tortillas are much nicer heated up, so make sure you do that.

Agree with cake and ice creams. I’d buy ice lollies in case ice creams not liked. You could add cake bars like Bonne Maman ones or flapjacks.

As pp said cheese straws/breadsticks are a good idea. Maybe mini cheeses like baby bels, mini marmite cheeses, leerdammer, salami, pepperami, Quorn picnic eggs. Those will get gobbled up, yes it’s not gourmet but kids like them. French bread. Boursin or other soft cheese.

I agree with pp about skewers. Definite accident issue or kids will mess around playing swords with them. If you do have them cut the amount down. Pizzas (homemade or posh bought) would work.

A fruit platter would be refreshing. My young nephew (2.5) devoured half an orange when out with us recently.

The kids will just eat the snacks and won’t want to wait until 2 so will over eat the snacks. Plus mine would not have had lunch for a 1 pm lunch invite. So dc will be hungry. I’d have done 12.30 arrival. No to skewers for young dc. Do dc need separate food? Are they having a separate table? Who is monitoring that? I’d certainly add a green salad and maybe a tomato and mozzarella salad. Otherwise - can I come?

I definitely wouldn’t do skewers for young children. Honestly I’d buy some decent sausages from the butcher and make them hotdogs, easy to offer a veggie alternative if required.
I’d also provide some cubes of eg cheddar for the kids. Your Manchego won’t last long if the kids decide to tuck in and it’s an expensive cheese if it’s not going to be appreciated

Thanks all, there are some great points and ideas here (and a few bonkers ones).

Im always worried about under catering, so will add extra focaccia, chicken, chickpeas and feta just in case. Also adding:

• Green salad - 5 bags of mixed leaves and 4 avocados (like this idea, thanks)
• 20 mini magnums instead of strawberries (great idea)
• Almond biscuits to accompany the lemon possets (again, great idea)

Sounds like I need to rethink the kids food options. Thank you to those who have warned that their children would arrive hungry! New plan:

• Remove the caprese skewers
• A platter of plain chicken mini fillets (no skewers) and sliced pizza
• A platter of crackers, babybels (peeled!) strawberries, and cucumber slices

I cannot bring myself to do dips, after one of the children I’lle painted my walls with hummus, but i know most will eat the olives, crisps and focaccia too.

Starting from 1pm cannot change, and I don’t expect most people until more like 1:30pm anyway. But I can certainly serve all child-orientated food from arrival, and lunch from say 1:30pm. Fully expecting to end up with loads of leftovers - it’s mostly stuff that keeps well so that’s ok. I’ll report back.

2kg chicken breasts is nowhere near enough for 16 adults and 10 kids. You'll need to triple that. I also wouldn't do separate "adult food" and "children's food", most children will want to choose from all the food on offer. On that basis, I'd make sure the main dish wasn't over spicy. Overall your quantities are too small.

Please serve lunch no later than 1.30pm. No one (adult or child) will expect to need to eat beforehand when invited for lunch at 1pm.

My 2 year old would eat everything on that list.

I would be fuming that you'd invited us for 1pm and not given lunch til 2pm, if you'd nor told us that. So we'd probably have filled up on the snacks. So whatever the food timings please tell them.

Good choice re green salad. Shame about the strawberries.

Where will people sit to eat? Kids won't stand around with plate in one hand.

I'd remove all the skewers, and do another 2kg of chicken, but in a very mild seasoning (e.g lemon and herb), and not make any distinction between "children's food" and "adult food".

I'd serve everything on your snacks and mains list together by 1.30 latest. I'd add some chopped cucumber, carrot sticks etc, plus a couple of plain baguettes.

i often do the caprese on a toothpick and they go down really well with the adults. (Too healthy for kids? 😂)
what about melon for “snacks/startes” and watermelon (cubed) for dessert?
what about a quiche or a savoury cake?
Paella is easy to do and serves a lot of people. I agree you dont have enough food for all your guests.
Have two different salads.
i would not have crisps but that is just me!
i fill my freezer with ice lollies and just tell the kids to help themselves
Can you order a cake? Id keep the strawberries as well.
why not ask guests to bring a dish?
also with this amount of people, you might want to hire a teenager or a cleaner to clear plates, load the dishwasher, clean glasses as well… or you wont have time to enjoy the party at all….

You need dips with the snacks and more salads and carbs with the main - baby potatoes or potato salad, a rice dish and a large green salad with some cherry tomatoes

Gorgeous for adults but too fussy for kids

lose the herbs from the chicken and make it plain and lose the skewers

switch to cheddar and cube it

add cucumber and carrot, cocktail sausages and mini sausage rolls

more vegetarian and a salad

Can I come?

You're right. A 2 pack is 350g isn't it? So 2kg is nearly 6 packs ie 12 breasts.

I really wouldn’t assume the children will have eaten.
Also cherry tomatoes in particular are a choking hazard for children, They’ll need to be sliced into quarters I’d say.